Outside Work We... •[TNN One-shots]•

Warnings •|| EVERYONE ||• [Intrusion Pt. 4]

[A/N: As you all can tell, I suck at making prompts. Just ignore that fact, please. :)]

Prompt: Shit is getting real. The others find out that there's more of them.

The air in the room was heavy, charged with a mixture of fear, shock, and an undercurrent of something darker-determination. Carly's trembling voice broke through the suffocating silence.

"What do we do now?" she asked, her hands wringing together nervously.

Autumn didn't hesitate. Her voice was calm but firm, the kind of tone that left no room for argument. "You leave. All of you." She swept her gaze over the non-involved spouses and 18-year-olds, Winter, Marjorie, Charlotte, Carly, Vivian, and Sorcha. "This isn't your fight. It's too dangerous for you to stay here."

"That's ridiculous," Winter said immediately, his jaw tightening. "You think I'm just going to leave you to deal with this alone? No way."

Charlotte nodded, her face pale but determined. "I'm not leaving Mia, either. Whatever this is, we'll face it together."

"But you don't understand!" Autumn snapped, her voice rising. "These people-this world-it's not something you can just face. They're ruthless, and if they find out you're connected to us, they'll use you to get to us."

Marjorie crossed her arms, glaring at Autumn. "And what happens if we leave and they come after us anyway? Without you there to protect us? What then?"

"They wouldn't," Autumn argued, but her voice faltered slightly.

"How can you be sure?" Sorcha interjected, her tone sharper than usual. "You said it yourself-they don't forget. If they're targeting you, they'll target us, too, just to get leverage."

The room erupted into a flurry of overlapping voices as everyone began arguing, their fear and uncertainty bubbling over.

A sudden, frantic banging on the front door silenced them all.

Everyone froze, their eyes darting toward the sound. The pounding was desperate, rapid, and relentless, echoing through the house.

"Clodagh," Autumn said, her voice low and urgent.

Clodagh didn't need further instructions. She moved quickly to the safe, her fingers deftly turning the combination lock. In seconds, the heavy door swung open, revealing the assortment of weapons once more. She grabbed a pistol, a magazine, and a silencer, assembling them with practiced ease before passing the weapon to Shibhon.

Shibhon took it without a word, tucking the gun behind her back as she approached the door. The action made Vivian's chest tighter as she thought how easily her girlfriend can end someone's life with a single shot. The rest of the group held their breath, tension radiating through the room.

Shibhon opened the door just a crack, peering through cautiously. A split second later, she flung it open, catching the figure outside before they could collapse. "Someone get the first aid kit!" she shouted as she dragged the battered figure inside.

Autumn was already sprinting toward the hallway closet, yanking out the kit as Reece and Mia helped Shibhon ease the injured girl onto the couch. Clodagh stepped outside briefly, her sharp eyes scanning the street for any sign of pursuit. Satisfied they weren't followed, she closed and bolted the door.

The girl on the couch groaned, her face swollen and bloodied, her clothes torn. Autumn knelt beside her, quickly assessing her injuries with grim efficiency.

"Azalea," Autumn breathed, recognition flashing in her eyes. "What happened?"

Azalea coughed, wincing as she tried to sit up. Reece gently pushed her back down. "The mafia," she rasped, her voice hoarse. "They found me."

The room fell deathly silent as her words sank in.

"I tried to fight them," Azalea continued, her breath coming in shallow gasps. "But there were too many. I barely got away." Her gaze flicked to Autumn, haunted and pleading. "They're coming for all of us."

Autumn stiffened, her hands pausing mid-motion as she cleaned a gash on Azalea's arm. The words hit her like a punch to the gut, confirmation of her worst fears.

"I've got it," Mia said, stepping in to finish tending to Azalea's wounds. Autumn rose without a word, her movements sharp and purposeful as she strode up the stairs.

"Autumn!" Winter called after her, but she didn't stop.

Moments later, she returned, a laptop in her hands.

"What are you doing?" Charlotte asked, her voice tight with worry.

"I have to warn the others," Autumn said, her tone clipped as she powered on the device. "If they've come for us, they'll come for them too."

Everyone exchanged uneasy glances.

"Who?" Sorcha asked cautiously.

"Our old group," Reece answered grimly. "The ones who managed to escape when we did."

Autumn's fingers flew across the keyboard, her face set in a mask of grim determination. "They deserve a chance to prepare. We're not letting anyone else get blindsided by this."

"And then what?" Carly asked, her voice trembling. "What happens when they find you all again?"

Autumn's eyes flicked up, and for a moment, they burned with the cold fury of the person she once was. "Then we remind them who they're dealing with."