"You could have been slightly less terrifying. Those poor boys will never be the same again!" Isabella reprimanded from the back seat, leaning forward around the head rest to address Deckard who only smirked as Hobbs drove, hopefully in the right direction. 

They had managed to reach the road before the car had passed, waving it down so that the driver came to a gradual stop. Two boys around the age of eighteen had been sat in the front seats of the vehicle, and were reluctant to hand over their car, as anyone would. 

Nonetheless, after a few threatening moments with Deck and Owen, the hesitant boys had jumped out their car and were running in the opposite direction to the rest of the group, not even stopping for a second to look back. 

"Well it worked, didn't it?" Owen sneered from beside her with a cheeky expression, watching in amusement as both Bella and Hattie rolled their eyes at his disregard for their fear. They couldn't deny that he was right though, if it was between Hattie's survival or scaring a few teenagers, there was no competition. 

After all, that's all big brothers were useful for; scaring away boys. 

"I suppose so..." Isabella responded quietly, turning to stare out the window as they rushed by blurs of palm trees and exotic flowers that bloomed on huge bushes of greenery. She couldn't wait until this whole menagerie was over and she could just go back to her pleasant existence, even if it wasn't in such a beautiful location as Samoa. 

"Hey Bella, I'm sorry if I dropped you in it back there with that pilot." Owen mumbled beside her, acknowledging that sometimes it was better if he did keep his mouth shut. Shaking her head with a light smile, Isabella turned towards him, unaware of Deckard's eyes following her through the mirror.

"I'm used to you dropping me in it, don't worry about it." Isabella chuckled, unable to stay annoyed at any of the Shaws longer than a few minutes. There was just something about them that made her feel at peace. 

"I thought you didn't do dates anyway, not since Nathan Greener stood you up when you were 19." He further teased about the past, knowing that Isabella had always taken it to heart, even though she didn't know the whole story. Cautiously, Deckard eyed his brother through the mirror, warning him not to go any further. However, when Owen was involved, nothing remained a secret forever.  

"What's this you're talking about?" Hobbs asked interestedly, willing to engage in any conversation that could distract him from the thought of meeting his brother again, even if it was about Isabella's historic love life. 

Isabella huffed at the choice of topic, but Hattie also became distracted by the new discussion, taking her mind off whether or not the machine could be fixed and the world could be saved, "Well, once upon a time..." 

"This isn't a fairy-tale Hattie-" Isabella intervened, but was quickly silenced with a dismissive wave of her hands.  

"Oh hush," Hattie grinned, clasping her hands together reminiscently, "When Isabella and I were 19, she had a really big crush on this boy called Nathan Greene at college. After months, he finally asked her out on a date, but then he just never showed up and we never saw him again. No explanation, nothing. From that day forth, Isabella vowed never to go on another date as long as she lived. The end." Hattie shrugged contently, leaning back against her headrest, satisfied by her narrative. 

Isabella just shook her head, staring at her friend unbelievably, "I'm so glad you all still enjoy that story. I'm still salty about that." Turning to face Owen who sat quietly with a smirk on his face, she voiced her annoyed confusion, "What are you so smug about? Your dating history has hardly been applaudable." 

"I'm only smug because I know that's not the whole story." Owen grinned, giving the Cheshire cat a run for his money, as he crossed his arms across his chest confidently. Hattie glanced across Isabella towards him with a peculiar gleam in her eye, trying to figure out the meaning behind his words, "I'm pretty sure it is."  

Hattie had always prided herself on her exceptional memory, so if there was another part to the story, she truly did not know about it. 

"Go on then, Mr know-it-all. Please enlighten us..." Isabella rested her chin in the palm of her hands tiredly, turning backwards slightly to watch the younger Shaw brother try to explain whatever he was thinking. 

With every moment that passed, Deckard felt his hands clench the steering wheel a little harder. If Owen was about to reveal what he thought he was about to say, things could go from bad to worse; if that was even possible. 

Glancing up with an almost psychotic gaze into the mirror, he met Deckard's frightening eyes, but still continued nonetheless, "Greene didn't stand you up of his own accord-"

"Owen, shut it." Deckard spoke deeply, twisting over his shoulder to point one stern finger at his brother who loved to find any opportunity to wind up the eldest of the siblings. Isabella furrowed her eyebrows, sitting up with intrigue, flicking her hand towards Deckard to shut him up, "No no, go on."  

Narrowing his eyes pleasantly at the infuriated driver, Owen did as he was told for once, "I've said too much." 

Isabella groaned inwardly, shaking her head at the brunette, unaware of why he insisted on putting both herself and Hattie on edge before leaving them hanging. "You can't just say that and then shut up about it." Hattie complained, resting her elbow against the open window as a fresh, salted breeze blew through the back of the car. 

Isabella's wild strands of hair tickled Owen's shoulder as they whipped around uncontrollably, but even he realised he had almost pushed his brother too far. Luckily for Deckard, he had realised just in time. 

"We're getting close." Hobbs caught their attention as he gulped secretly, pointing a little way into the distance where a few large wooden houses stood beside the golden coastline. The coloured panels reflected beautifully against the crystal clear sea, and once more Isabella had to question how Hobbs could have ever left this place. 

Although Isabella was desperate to know what the brothers were hiding, she realised that there were bigger issues at hand, "Are you ready to see your brother again?" Bella questioned tenderly, knowing that it was going to be quite difficult for a strong man such as Hobbs to have to show weakness in front of his family he left behind. 

As Deckard pulled off the road beside the houses as instructed, Hobbs was visibly sweating and his fingers tapped vigorously against his knees. "All you need to do is ask for his help, we fix the machine, get the virus out of Hattie and then you can leave and pretend you never returned." Deckard suggested half-heartedly, already jumping out of the car to continue with the plan. 

One by one, the rest of them clambered out on to the dusty driveway, watching in angst as Hobbs took the slowest walk up to the porch that anyone could possibly muster. 

"This is gonna be an absolute mess." Owen mumbled under his breath as the four of them leant against the bonnet of the car, faking reassuring smiles when Hobbs glanced over his shoulder nervously. 

Hesitantly, Hobbs placed on foot on the first step, leaning back and closing his eyes as if it was going to explode and send him flying backwards. Surprisingly to nobody, it didn't. By the expression on his face, it seemed he rather hoped it was a trap so that he could delay seeing his family again. 

"Oh wait, he might be getting somewhere." Hattie added enthusiastically as he trotted up the stairs with the speed of a tortoise compared to the previous snail like pace. However, when he came face to face with the rustic, familiar front door, any ounce of bravery was flushed immediately from his body, leaving his stood aimlessly unannounced on the porch.

Deckard groaned in annoyance, shifting beside Isabella as he called out to Luke, "Come on, it's only my sister's life at stake!" 

Glancing over his shoulder, Hobbs nodded, taking a deep breathe as if he was about to knock and even Isabella felt a smile emerge on her face. Nonetheless, that encouragement was short lived and he returned to pacing infuriatingly. 

"You know what, he'll never knock on that door." Isabella stated what the rest of them were thinking, and before anyone could stop her, she took off jogging towards the porch, ignoring the concerned calls that were voiced behind her. 

"Wait-" Hobbs held his hand out to stop the blonde, but it was too late. Her knuckles wracked against the wooden door, alerting whoever was inside that someone else was here. Behind her smaller figure, Luke began muttering obscenities to himself, shaking his arms nervously at his side, and the second the door open, Bella realised why. 

"You!" The man on the other side of the door shouted angrily, making a dive straight for Hobbs, completely disregarding Bella who jumped to the side, feeling slightly guilty as Luke received a punch straight to the nose, sending him barrelling backwards down the stairs with a huff. The Shaw siblings took a step forwards, slightly concerned, more so for Isabella than Hobbs. 

"You have some nerve coming back here." The man warned, pointing towards Hobbs who pushed himself off the ground, wiping his nose gently. As he twisted, he noticed Isabella beside him on the porch and narrowed his eyes in annoyance, "Get off my porch!" He barked aggressively, causing Isabella to quickly scurry past him, back down to where the Shaws stood, muttering an apology as she did so. 

"Jonah, please. We need your help." Hobbs pleaded hopefully, taking a risky step forwards as a few other large men flooded out of the house to stand behind the man who they identified as Hobbs' brother. 

Shaking his head in disbelief, Jonah cut him off, "No! How dare you bring your problems to our door after what you did? I've seen the news, you are the most wanted man on Earth right now."

"Jonah, this could be the end of the world if you don't help us. I swear if there was any other way, I wouldn't be here either." Hobbs added, probably against his better judgement.

"Charming." Hattie muttered under the breath, stretching her arms out in front of her as she began to ache. She could gradually feel the effects of the virus setting in, they really didn't have much time left at all. 

"Quite frankly, I don't care. Now leave!" Jonah demanded brutally, leaving Hobbs speechless at the bottom of the stairs. He had little hope left in him as he glanced over his shoulder sorrowfully at the four he needed to help. If Jonah didn't help them, it really was all over for them. 

Suddenly, a higher pitched voice echoed across the drive and the men soon scattered out of the way to make room for the new appearance, "What is going on out here? You're all just standing around when there's work to be do-" 

The older woman in a long blue tunic paused dramatically, clasping her hands over her mouth as she saw the scene in front of her, "Is that my Lukey?" She shrieked excitedly, and this time Isabella was most definitely grinning. 

"Hi mom." Hobbs grinned happily, jogging back up the stairs to embrace his ecstatic mother who squeezed him so tightly, even Owen was slightly concerned for him. Kissing his cheeks repetitively, she gestured for the men to head back inside to give her some space, and reluctantly, most of them obliged, shooting glares at the Shaws and Bella down below. 

"Mom, we really need your help. We need Jonah to help us, it's a matter of global importance." Luke warned, placing a gentle hand on his mother's shoulder as she glanced around her son to see which other guests had arrived. All four of them offered her a wave, some more enthusiastic than others. However, they all knew that if she was willing to help, they owed her some courtesy. 

"Of course, but first come inside. I'm sure that even a matter of global importance can be put on hold for you to have a hot meal." 

***

I'm so sorry for the delayed update. I've been really struggling to write anything at the moment. My mental health hasn't been great, so I've been focussing on things to try and improve that first on top of working and exams, but I promise I will continue to update gradually. 

Thank you for being so patient x