Next Eliana woke up with a killer hangover. She and Rafael might have had too much wine the night before. This is why it was particularly brutal that she was woken up to her sister's screaming.

"Holy shit! This place is rad!" Casey yelled in an excited voice.

"Language!" Remi yelled back in mock-outrage.

"But look at this stuff and this one" she was pointing at random things around the house, Eliana had to give her that this place decor was a piece of art.

"Yes houses usually do have furniture" Milo responded flatly.

"Casey, don't run around the house!" Eliana was scolded after walking out of the room in her pajamas.

"Eliana!" Casey's face lit up even more when she saw her sister, she missed her terribly even thought she would never admit it. She ran upstairs just to fell in Eliana'a arms.

"Hey Eli" Remi said, Milo gave her a quick wave.

"Hi!" Eliana said in a bright voice. "How are you doing guys, is the house still standing?" Eliana asked jokingly.

Everything went quiet, Casey took a few steps back away from her sister just in case. Eliana crossed her arms over her chest and asked "What?"

"Casey broke a window," Remi said pointing at her rudely

"You broke the window. I was just trying to dodge the ball you threw at me!" Casey responded with irritation.

"Well, you kicked it, and you broke the window in the process," Remi said feeling no remorse for throwing her under the bus.

"I hate you" she responded with frustration.

"I don't recall starting a kindergarten," Rafael said, interrupting their typical banter.

Eliana could see that despite his harsh words he was looking at the kids with fondness. Emotional cues Rafael was sending were always so settled, invisible for people who don't know him. But she knew him, and she enjoyed reading his expression. "How did it happen?"

"So we were kind of bored so we started kicking the ball and at some time I kicked too hard, Casey kicked back but completely lost control over where the ball is going and it landed outside of the window" Remi explained now partly putting the blame on himself.

"Aren't you going to yell?" Casey suggested, she actually looked scared.

"Yell?" This word sounded unnatural in Rafael's mouth. "Why would I yell?"

"I broke the window" Casey reminded him.

"It's just a window," he said once again reminding everyone that he had little care for material things.

This is when something surprising happened. Casey hugged Rafael. At first, Eliana thought she's experiencing hallucinations but no. She was really hugging him.

Casey's relationship with Rafael shifted from fierce hate into reluctant acceptance now the third shift happened it seemed as if she felt something akin to sympathy to her sister's husband.

"Eliana, why are you crying?"

Why was she crying? Because finally Rafael and Casey were getting along and when she saw him petting her hair in the fatherly gesture she felt so moved tears started flowing down her eyes.

Oh, how lame. She's never going to admit it.

"I-I am just happy you guys are here"

"Damn it's a chick flick moment I'm going to my room," Remi said, Milo followed him. "Cas you coming?" Remi yelled and Casey followed them quickly.

"I want a house tour," Casey responded as she followed them.

"Sure, why not" Milo agreed easily.

And just like that Eliana and Rafael were alone again.

Rafael wiped tears from her cheeks

"Crybaby," he said it with so much tenderness that it couldn't be seen as an insult, then he kissed her forehead in a gentle gesture.

They proceed to look themselves in the eyes in silent understanding.

"Ewwwww" three voices said in unison. How were they already back? Eliana watched as her husband slowly closes his eyes. He looked as if he contemplated if it's a good idea to pull out the gun. However, he abandoned that idea for the sake of asking them a question.

"Where do you think you're going?" Rafael asked, his eyes cold as temperature outside.

"We're going to the slope of course. I want to try snowboarding!" Casey said jumping in place. She was excited as a child on the playground and Eliana couldn't blame her. The last time they were on holiday was before Casey's parents died.

"Milo, do you think they have skis adjusted to people her height?" Remi asked conversationally, a smirk playing on his lips.

"We can always rent her a sledge" Milo suggests, his voice calm and even.

"I hate both of you!" Casey yelled frustrated by their constant teasing.

"All of you, behave" Eliana reminded them "I expect you to come back at 9 at the latest, make sure your security always stands behind you, don't do anything stupid, and take care of each other"

After everything that happened, she became stricter, especially when it came to safety.

"Gee okay, mom" Remi rolled his eyes.

"Wanna repeat that?" Rafael growled.

That prompted Remi to run outside of the house but now without throwing over his shoulder "Totally, goodbye, I love you!"

Milo and Casey quickly said goodbye and they left the house as well.

"Look, maybe we should go with them," Eliana said worriedly.

"Absolutely. Not." Rafael responded.

"Why not?" Asked with sweet confusion in her voice.

"I don't like them" Rafael responded in a serious voice.

"Rafael, be serious" Eliana whined.

"Fine, I want more time alone you" he admitted. Oh, how sweet.

"Ice skating again? This time you let me teach you?" Eliana proposed.

"No. I feel like doing sauna today" Rafael responded simply.

"Oh, okay, should I find any good place for us to go?" Eliana started typing on her phone but he took it out of her hand and dropped it on the sofa.

"I know a place" He whispered into her ear with amusement.

She was about to get her jacket but he stopped her by grabbing onto her hand and pulling her in opposite direction.

"Follow me" he instructed

"Why are we going inside of the house? Rafael?"

The basement was definitely an entertainment area similar to what they had in their house but there was no billiard table, the cellar with alcohol was smaller and there was no separate area for the TV screen. But there was a freaking sauna in the bathroom.

She watched Rafael manipulating dial control. The space inside of the glass started heating up.

"Are you planning to enter the sauna with your clothes on?" He asked with amusement.

"N-no?" Eliana responded, knowing damn well where this is going.

"Then strip," he said with amusement in his eyes.

While staying fully clothed he watched as she's taking off her clothes. Now she had only a bra on herself and looked at him in disbelief.

"Are you going to take your clothes off or are you going to stare?" she asked.

"Staring seems more entertaining," he said while smirking.

First Eliana felt annoyed, then an idea popped into her head. The corners of her lips lifted but it was barely visible as she slowly came closer to her husband.

"Let me help you then"

With that, she started unbuttoning her shirt with a firm decision to not get embarrassed. That's, right. She was in control now.

She took her sweet moment to unzip his pants.

Next thing she knew Eliana was sitting in the steaming sauna with Rafael next to her.

She had a towel wrapped around her waist.

"Rafael, I think I need to leave. It's too hot in here" that's what she managed to say after 10 minutes inside.

She abruptly stood up and was about go out but the world started spinning and if not Rafael's reflexes she would be on the ground right now.

He carried her lip body out of the sauna and lied her on the bathroom floor while he was still holding her. He gently patted her cheeks.

"Eli? Wake up. Are you okay?"

"Wait what happened? Why did I-" she said feeling a little dizzy, she started rubbing her head. There was confusion painted on her face.

"You stood up too quickly" Rafael explained.

Then a bottle of water magically appeared in his hands. "Drink" he instructed. Eliana nodded wordlessly and started chugging on the water. When the cold liquid touched her mouth she realized how thirsty she was.

Rafael carried her to the sofa in a basement's living room, yes that's a thing. They spend the rest of the day there, hugging together and watching Christmas movies.

❤️❤️❤️

Today was Christmas Eve.

"Is that my favorite sweater?" Rafael asked, referring to a dark blue piece of clothing made of the most expensive cashmere. It was far too big for her tiny frame.

"It's super comfy," she said neither confirming nor denying his claim.

She hugged herself and inhaled the sweater's scent, it smelled like Rafael's she couldn't describe it but it was addicting.

"You know I'm right here, you little creep?" he mocked but didn't mind of course. He only wanted to tease her.

"So?" She asked shamelessly.

"Who said you're allowed to steal my clothes? Do you know what I'm doing with thieves?" He said in a threatening voice. If she didn't know him she would run away, but she knew that he would never hurt her.

"C'mon I know you will forgive me, I will pay you back for the sweater" she promised.

"How could-"

Eliana stopped him from speaking by taking his face in her hands and placing a tender kiss on her lips. "You said my kiss is worth millions of dollars I'm sure that sweater was a bit cheaper than that" she smirked.

"And I was right" he whispered breathlessly and pulled her towards the wall, he pinned her and returned the kiss.

"I need to go downstairs and prepare breakfast" Eliana pointed out when their lips parted. She managed to convince Rafael to let them go on without a maid at least for as long as they were here. For Rafael, it didn't make sense but Eliana seemed to authentically enjoy cooking for everyone.

He followed her as she left the room.

"Guys where are you going?" Eliana asked looking confused. It was early in the morning but all three were fresh and ready to go to the city.

"We're planning to go snowboarding? Why, do you have other plans?" Remi asked.

"Yes? Christmas Eve today? What about decorating the house, baking, and cooking, you want me to do this all by myself?" Eliana asked in a hurt voice which prompted both Remi and Casey to loudly protest, Milo was as always silent but today more than usual.

"But why do we even have to do this? Each year our staff is doing the decorating and cooking thing?" Remi asked after Eliana no longer looked like she was about to cry.

"But this year we're doing it as a family" she explained.

"Okay, so what do we do?" He continued his questioning.

"Well, I baked some cookies yesterday they need to be decorated. From some of them, we can make Christmas ornaments for the tree" Eliana explained.

"Let's get to work then," Casey said. She loved Christmas but she assumed that she won't be celebrating in the same way they did when it was just her and Eliana. Casey was overjoyed when she realized that with this issue it was Vincenti's who will have to adjust.

Everyone was shocked to see the great mafia Don in his black shirt with rolled sleeves and kitchen knife in his hands.

Yes, Rafael fucking Vincenti was in the kitchen, helping to prepare the Christmas meal.

Remi, Milo, and Casey would just give him weird glances and pretend there's no elephant in the room but Eliana in her infinite love decided to make an intervention.

"Rafael?" She asked gently.

"Yes?" He asked calmly stopping what he was doing to look at her.

"Why are you holding a knife like that?" She asked after the moment of silence.

"Like what?"

"Like you were trying to cut that onion's throat instead of chopping it" Eliana explained

Casey snorted but Remi let our full-blown laugher.

"Keep laughing and you will eat this carrot raw" Rafael threatened, which made Remi go quiet in a second.

"How do you want me to hold it then?" Rafael deadpanned he hated to be corrected and everyone in the room was certain that only Eliana could get away with it.

"Just like this," she said and gently moved his thumb in another direction. Rafael finished the crazy task of cutting an onion and called it quits pretending he has a very important phone call to make. Everyone was fine with the most dangerous individual in the room gone.

Eliana was in her own world of preparing pierogi filling when Casey's scream got her distracted

"Eliana, Remi is drawing boobs on the gingerbread cookies!"

"Just one cookie has boobs drawn on them" he complained at Casey's overreaction.

"Shut up are you mentally 8?" Casey challenged.

"Why are you wondering if I can join your grade?" He said in a mocking voice. Ok, that was enough for Casey she threw himself at him. Unfortunately immobilizing her was a task too easy for Remi.

"Let me go" she whined.

"Don't you know snitches get buried in ditches?" Remi asked.

"Helpfhmp"

Eliana felt like her sister is trying to call for help. But she knew these two were teasing each other 24/7 and it never got serious so she decided to focus on someone whose behavior was actually concerning.

"Hey, Milo are you okay?" Eliana asked gently but he just shrugged his shoulder so she has left him alone.

However at some point when he was trying to string a thread through the hole on top of the ornament the cookie he was holding broke in half.

It seemed to be Milo's breaking point as well. He dropped the broken thing on the floor and without bothering enough to pick it up he left the room."What the fuck is wrong with you?" Remi asked loudly annoyed by his twin's attitude.

"Fuck off"

Author's note:

Let me know what you think 😌