Dalia's POV

"Faye! Get back here! Vittore where the fuck is Adrinao?!" I shouted, turning the corner to chase after Faye.

God she was fast. I managed to find the giggling little shit hiding behind the cough and grabbed her around the waist.

"Faye I'm going to kill you," I groaned while trying to put her black shiny shoes on her feet.

She wigged, her dark soft curls bouncing from her pigtails. I hated the fact that she was wrinkling her dress with how much she was moving.

"Faye stop!" I snapped and she didn't let up.

"No mamma, I hate these shoes," she whined.

"I don't care," I grumbled finally managing to get her dressed and placing her down. Her skin was a smooth light brown, so much different from my darker one.

"Ok you can go watch something on TV until your father and I can find your brother," I said and Faye cheered, running to the living room.

I sighed and turned to go help Vittore search for Adriano. I knew I said I wouldn't have anymore kids but Adrinao was completely unexpected. I only knew about him when I was three months in.

After that, I had my other fallopian tube disconnected. I wasn't having another. Adriano's birth was much safer than Faye's. I didn't die, just had been a little anaemic for a few months but everything worked out.

Faye had turned 4 just a few months ago and Adriano 2. They were my pride and joy and nothing was better than watching them grow.

Faye was a really smart kid and learnt faster than most. I loved that for her, it would be easy when I brought her more into the mafia. I'd already tried to teach her to throw knives.

Safely of course.

I walked into Vittore and I's room and saw him checking under the bed for our son. Since he'd learnt to crawl, he's been hiding in all kinds of places. The first time he went missing, I bawled my fucking eyes out trying to find him.

"Found him yet?" I asked getting closer. Vittore shook his head and stood up.

I held onto his shoulder that was under his all black suit and sighed, thinking of where Adriano might be now. In the corner of my eye I saw the necklace I'd given him all those years ago, the only splash of colour on him.

"I'll check the kitchen ok?" Vittore asked and I nodded. He leaned down and kissed my forehead, the beard he'd been growing brushing against my skin. He was still the same except he gelled his hair back a lot now and he'd grown a tad bit larger.

"I'll check his room," I said and we split.

I went to Adriano's room and opened all the drawers and checked under the bed. I peeled back the curtain and there sitting on the floor and playing with a rubik's cube, well more like destroying one, was my son.

"Adriano," I sighed picking him up. His dark eyes, the ones he shared with his father and sister met mine and he held out the cube for me to take and I did.

"Why were you hiding?" I asked brushing off his tiny black tee and sweats. He had on his dark shoes, something I was actually happy about.

"Hidin'?" Adriano spoke up and I nodded.

"Yes, hiding. I said no more," I scolded but it went on deaf ears. He would hide again.

"No hidin' jus shhhhhhh!" he said softly, his finger on his lips.

I sighed and shook my head. Adriano liked the quiet. He really did but sometimes, he made so much noise around the house, you'd think we lived with turkeys.

Ruffling his curls, I called out for Vittore, telling him I'd found our son. When I got to the bottom of the staircase, I handed him over to my husband.

Yes husband. We'd gotten married after Faye had turned 1.

It was just me, him, my daughter and a priest in a small town in Italy. God that was perfect.

"I'm going to get ready. Keep the kids in line," I said and Vittore kissed my cheek.

"We'll be waiting amore."

I rushed upstairs, my pink robe flying behind me as I entered Vittore and I's room. I went straight for the bathroom and grabbed a comb.

I passed it through the curls that were in the middle of my head, having cut the sides and the back. I liked my hair short anyways and Vittore liked it too.

I put on some light makeup and slipped out of my robe and into the black jumpsuit I'd laid out. I tied the smooth black strip of cloth at my waist to a ribbon on the side and turned to see myself in the mirror.

Pregnancy had not done me good for a while. I'd gained weight, a lot of it and losing had been the hardest thing. Vittore told me everyday how much he loved me and my body and that he wouldn't change a thing but... I had a hard time.

It just reminded me so much of being at the safe house. When they'd starved us. I had relapsed for a month or two after Adriano stopped breast feeding but Vittore found out and well... things weren't pretty.

They'd been a lot of crying behind closed doors, when the kids were asleep because I didn't want to worry them and somedays it had been in the bathroom, far from Vittore so he didn't worry so much.

Motherhood was hard, especially if you're young. Vittore had been with me every step of the way so I was grateful.

I slipped on my heels and picked up a black purse before going down the stairs.

Vittore was sitting on the couch with Adriano and Faye in his lap as they watched Danny Phantom. God Faye loved that show.

I walked over and kissed each of my family on the head.

"Let's go everyone. Time waits for no man," I said and Faye jumped up, skipping her way over to me and holding out her small hand.

I held onto her and Vittore wrapped his hands around my shoulder, holding Adriano against his body. We walked as a unit to the car and once everyone was strapped in, we drove all the way to the same place we went to on the last Sunday of every month.

The cemetery.

Vittore parked the car at the gates and we all got out. I pulled the flowers I'd bought for this occasion from the car and together, we walked to Faye's grave.

We all stood in front of it and I pulled out one flower for each of the kids and one for be, handing the full bouquet to Vittore.

"Hi granny Fifi," Faye cheered as she moved forward and placed the flower down. She'd always said Granny Fifi and we all went with it. Faye would've loved to meet her grandchildren. It hurts she didn't get a chance.

Adriano went next, doing what his sister did, not saying much but looking at the tombstone with teary eyes.

"Don't cry Addy," Faye said walking over to her brother and hugging him. "Grandma Fifi is having tea with Jesus. Right mamma?"

"Yeah," I whispered, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Yeah she is."

I took my kids to Sunday school. It was only days like this that they missed. I didn't know whether they would fully be religious but Christianity taught them so much about kindness and heaven so I decided to keep with it.

I moved forward and placed my flower down and run my hand over the tombstone.

"Hello Grandma Fifi," I whispered and smiled, getting up. I turned to my kids and picked up Adriano and held onto Faye's hand.

"Come on. Papa has somethings to do."

"Are we going to wait in the car?" Faye asked and I nodded.

These visits were for all of us. For the kids to know their grandma, for me to say hi and for Vittore. He hadn't visited the grave since her burial and the first time I'd brought him, we'd ended up crying for hours, sitting by her stone.

So I made it a tradition. He couldn't keep away for thing and I think it helped. I really think it did.

I loved him, more than anyone would ever know and I just wanted the best for him.

The best for us.

The best for our family.

Vittore's POV

"Ciao mamma," I said softly playing with one of the flower petals. "I... I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for so much."

I sighed and settled myself down at her tombstone. I hated myself for not coming here until after Dalia found out she was pregnant with our little girl. I just couldn't do it but I'm so happy Dalia made me. I needed this.

"The family's been doing great. Adriano still hides in the weirdest places and I'm sure Faye is in love with the main character from Danny Phantom. Claus died two weeks ago, he got sick and I think Dalia cried more than Faye did..."

My voice trailed off as I looked down at the three other flowers on the grave.

"They are growing up so fast and I wish... I wish you got a chance to meet them. Dalia's been telling me I'm a great father to them and I love that because I don't want to be anything like Matteo. Ever. But she's been struggling. I see it in her eyes. She's gained weight from the pregnancy and she constantly judges herself but I love her as she is even when she doesn't believe me. I.... I don't know how you did it mom," I said and laughed humourlessly.

"Raising kids is harder than I thought it would be and my little ones aren't as bad as I was. I guess... I guess I want to thank you... again. For being my mother. For being my guardian. For being my fried. For being my rock. I don't know how I would've ended up if you weren't with me. I found your camera. The one you used to take pictures with and framed each one. They hang in every room in the mansion, to keep your spirit there. I hope it worked."

I placed the bouquet of flowers on the grave and toyed with the necklace around my neck. The one Dalia had given me for Christmas, what seemed like ages ago.

"I miss you everyday mamma. Every waking second I think of you and I thank you for bringing Dalia back to me the first time she died and of course the second time too. My heart can't handle anymore loss, even if it's for just a split second. I still see Dalia lying on that table, lifeless as I held our crying child in my arms. I have nightmares about it, bad ones and Dalia isn't any better. She stares out into space a lot and I hope one day, she won't be lost to me. Yes death is inevitable but I just want a few more good years with her and our children you know. The simple things."

I sighed and stood up then, placing my hands in my pockets as I read what was written on the gravestone.

"I'll see you again next month mamma. Hopefully I'll have more stories for you. Ti amo."

With those soft words, I walked back to the car, watching as Dalia talked with Faye, a smile on her face as she listened to our little girl blabber on.

I slipped into the car as Faye continued to narrate a story. I started the engine and begun our drive to the ice cream parlor we always visited after these Sundays.

"Hey Vittore?" Dalia called after Faye had calmed down, looking out the window to see if the parlor was near Adriano was quiet. As always.

"Yes tesoro?"

"Do you think we could get another dog? Like a girl this time and name her Santa or something," she mumbled and I chuckled.

"I'll add it to the list."

"You do that. Put it right under the section you have to save for trying to find a school for the kids."

I groaned. "We can keep home schooling them. The teacher is good."

"Yeah but I don't need them sheltered from the cruelty of the world. They need to live, make friends and all," Dalia said.

"Mamma guarda! Un cane come Claus (Mamma look! A dog like Claus)," Faye cheered from the back seat. "Adriano guarda! Adriano guarda (Adriano look)!"

"That's great Faye," Dalia called as our kids both looked out the window now. "So what do you say? Normal school?"

"I'm assigning guards then," I grumbled and Dalia nodded.

"I was going to do that too. Maybe we can get them to attend the same school Nikolai's children went too."

"That seems safer. I'll talk to him," I mumbled, thinking of how I was going to ask our ally, the Don of the Russian Bratva for school recommendations.

How my life has changed but I couldn't trade it for the world.

I stopped at a red light as Faye started humming from the back and Adrinao started speaking gibberish to his older sister.

"Can you believe how far we've gone?" Dalia asked from beside me, her tone soft and happy. "I mean once, I was Property Of Vittore Martinelli."

She turned to me with that smile of hers, that smile that got my heart racing and blood boiling.

"You still are amore," I told her and she shrugged.

"Yeah. Then it was the worst thing that happened to me but now... its kinda sexy if you think about it."

I chuckled at my wife's comment and leaned in to place a kiss on her cheek as the lights turned green and I started to drive.

"Whatever you sat tesoro. Whatever you say."

THE END!