That Girl Never Existed.

**Ariana**

I can’t believe that sweet little girl has been trapped under Alexander’s thumb all these years. I feel awful for her. Her mother was always the sweetest woman to me, and I loved the days when she would bring Susie to work with her. She reminded me of what I could have been as a young girl…I wish I had been there to protect her.

“What’s on your mind, honey?” Tony asks, settling in bed next to me and cuddling me from behind.

“I just wonder how many lives he’s ruined…Susie wasn’t meant for a life like that.”

“You weren’t either…you know those video’s he had us watch on repeat, they…well they showed us a glimpse of who you could have been without all those hard years.”

I turn around to face him, settling my head onto his arm.

“You know that was all for show right? I was playing a part that my father had told me to. I wasn’t ever that girl, Tony, and I never loved him like I love you three. Sure, I might have been excited by the idea of escaping my father and being showered with gifts and money back then, but that girl in those videos wasn’t real. She never existed.”

“Mmm, good, because it was fucking with my head a bit.”

“I think that’s exactly what is was supposed to do.”

**Matteo.**

I take Susie down the hall to my room, opening the door and letting her walk in first.

“There’s a bathroom over there if you’d like to take a shower. Nonna always has spare toothbrushes in the draws, there should be brushes and girly stuff too you’re welcome to use.” She lets go of my hand and I miss the feeling a little too much. God damit, don’t scare her off you fucking hand holding creep.

“Have you eaten dinner?”

“N..no..sir.”

“Matteo”, I correct her. “I’ll go heat up some leftovers for you while you take a shower.”

Nonna always has a stack of leftovers in the fridge. I’ll just get her a bit of everything so she can pick. I load up a few dishes and different drinks onto a cart and wheel it back to my room, where she’s now sitting on the edge of the bed in the dark blue, silk, pajamas Ariana had given her. She looks beautiful, but very thin, and tired…and her feet. Jesus, they look sore.

“Your feet.”

She looks down and scrunches her eyes.

“Yeah, apparently those heels weren’t suited for long distance walking.”

I push the cart over to her and lift the serving lids.

“I didn’t know what you would like so there’s a few different things.” I watch as her eyes widen, and she swallows hard. I thought she’d be hungry.

“I can’t eat all of this.”

“Just eat what you like. I didn’t get a chance to eat much at dinner, so I’ll finish whatever you don’t.” I walk over to the bathroom and bull out the first aid kit from the vanity and show it to her. “Do you mind?” I motion to her feet.

“Oh you don’t have to; they’ll be fine in a few days.”

“It wasn’t really a question, sweetheart, I was more telling you I’m going to tend to your wounds.”

“Oh..okay.” She pops her feet over my lap once I sit down on the bed.

“Eat.” I point to the food.

I apply some cream and wrap her feet with some bandages. I look up to see she’s scrapped half of every plate onto one plate.

“You said you didn’t eat much…” She says sweetly when she notices me eyeing the food.

We eat in comfortable silence, and I can see she’s exhausted.

“You’re welcome to the bed. I’ll take the couch.”

“You don’t have to do that. I can take the couch, I doubt you’ll even fit on it.”

She gets up and walks over to the couch. I take the time to draw the covers back on the bed and then walk over to her and lift her up, getting the cutest little squeal from her.

“What are you doing?”

“I said you were welcome to the bed. You’ll take the bed.” I say placing her down on one side, pulling the covers up to her chin and walking back over to the couch with a pillow for myself. She’s right, I hardly fit on the couch, but I will not have her sleeping on it. She deserves the comfort of a bed.

“Thank you, Matteo.” She says softly in the dark.

“You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

**Luciano**

Camilla and the tech team stand over me, while I sit hunched over with a flap of skin opened on the back of my neck. They’re trying to work out a way to remove it without damaging it because it’s so small and delicate, any tool they use might break it and then Alexander will know we’ve found them, someone (Susie) would be blamed, and we wouldn’t be able to use them to throw him off. We've been at this for a while now and I'm exhausted and irritated. I just want to crawl back into bed with my girl.

“Can someone just get this fucking thing out of me already?”

“Yep, can do brother!” Luca says, swiping his grubby fingers through my neck.

“Luca!” Camilla scolds him.

“Just like picking a booger, all good.” He shrugs and holds out his finger to show the tiny metal chip.

“Is it still active?” I ask the tech team who get Luca to place it on a little scanner.

“Yes, Don, it’s still working.”

“Great! Patch me up, Camilla and I’ll do the same to Luca.”

“You will do no such thing! Do you know how many germs that boy could have put in you just now?”

“It’s not like we don’t share other things.” Luca wiggles his eyebrow at her, and we both laugh before we get slaps over the back of our heads.

“Ow, hey, that’s not good doctor skills!” She just rolls her eyes and pushes me back into place to finish closing up my wound.

The sun is almost rising by the time we're finished planning our next move against Alexander, so Luca and I ditch the idea of sleep and get to making breakfast for everyone. Mamma came in early told us stories about her pregnancy with Luca, making us laugh at all the strange foods she paired with pickles.

"I know that no one cares who is technically the biological father of this child, but have you boys considered the fact that the birth certificate will only allow for one father to be named on it?" She asks, making us both stop in our tracks.

"Well, no, I don't think any of us had thought about that."

"Hmm...we might need to talk to Ariana about this." Luca thinks out loud.

"Even though it doesn't matter, the biological father should be on the certificate just in case there's health problems that need to be tracked down at some point."

"That would be smart..."

"Yeah, and maybe if we know who's it is, then we can all get at least one child. You know, whoever's it is this time then lets the other two use her..."

"NO, Luca stop right there, I am your mother, and I do not need to hear the end of that sentence!" Mamma says blocking her ears and hurrying out of the room.

"I like that idea." I shrug. "We'll talk to her about it."