Jasmine closed her eyes, waiting to feel the bullets tear through their bodies, Cristiano securely, tucking her protectively and shielding her with his body.

Sammy and Mona burst into the room and skidded to a halt as they took in the scene before them.

"Lights out, bitch!"

Alessandra turned and took a step back as she caught sight of Sammy racing toward her like a crazed banshee.

Reacting on pure instinct, Adrenaline rushing through him, Sammy raised the heavy metal bat and brought it down over her head.

She shot backward and bounced across the floor like a ping pong ball. She went limp, knocked unconscious by the hit smashing into the side of her face and temple.

Sammy gasped, his heart hammering. "Is she dead?"

"Are you alright?" Cristiano asked Jasmine.

She could only nod, her body feeling like a dead weight. Instinctively, she rested her hand on his chest. Cristiano bent over her, still using her body to shield her. A grunt of pain escaped him as he was knocked forward but braced himself on his hands remaining hovered over her.

Attempting once more to stand, he groaned, lifting his body. Once he rose, he pulled her up to stand beside him. Jasmine clung to his firm body, savoring the feel of him alive as she struggled to catch her breath. Shuddering, she buried her face in his chest as she tried to forget all the awful events of the night. His arms wrapped around her as he buried his hand in her hair.

"It's ok now." He whispered reassuringly.

Jasmine nodded, but she couldn't stop the shudders racking her. So close, they had all come so close to dying tonight. And there was one thing she wasn't ready to do, and it was losing him. Now that Cristiano was in her life, she had every intention of keeping him around for the rest of her life. She'd nearly lost him, nearly lost her own life, and she couldn't let him go.

He turned his face into her hair as his hold on her went from one of protection to one of desire. Despite her terror, Jasmine's body reacted instantly to him. His hand tensed on her hair as his body trembled. Clinging to him, her body became limp as he pressed butterfly kisses against her mouth. Jasmine couldn't stop the breath that escaped her as her hands dug into his arms and her knees went limp.

His strong arm around her waist kept her on her feet as he supported her weight. Cristiano pulled away from her, his hands clenched on her. His eyes flashed between their dark charcoal color an intense smoldering black. Jasmine rested her hand upon his cheek lovingly losing herself to the beauty of his hot gaze. They burned her with a fiery intensity that left her speechless and frozen.

In those eyes she could feel, and see, the endless depth of his love for her.

He dropped his forehand to hers. "Yasmina." He breathed. "My Yasmina."

"Yes." She agreed. She was his, she would always be his.

Swallowing back her tears, her heart hammered with an answering need that left her shaken. She would gladly give him anything he asked from her, and more.

"Are you guys ok?" Sammy asked, lowering the bat to rest on his shoulder.

"Fine." Jasmine caressed Cristiano's face once more before turning to face Mona holding a cast iron skillet and Sammy with his own weapon. "How about you two?"

Cristiano kept his arm firmly around her waist refusing to release her.

"I'm fine, thanks to this handy baseball bat." He took a mock swing as if ready to play ball.

"You need bandages for your arm, Mr. Russo." Mona spoke up, nodding at his arm which was quickly soaking his shirt.

Jasmine's eyes widened as cry escaped her. There was a jagged gash and blood stained his shirt causing it to cling to the torn edges of his skin. Nausea boiled up her throat as her stomach somersaulted violently.

"Please Mona, hurry. We need to stop the bleeding and take him to the hospital."

"It's ok." Cristiano assured her as he ran his hands up Jasmine's arms.

Tears slid down her cheek. She hated the pain now blazing from his eyes. He'd been wounded badly, lost a lot of blood, and it was obvious the battle and injury had drained him.

Sensing her distress, he pulled her a step closer, their babies between their bodies. He kissed her forehead. "I'll be fine." He assured her again. "I barely felt a thing."

She knew he lied. Resting her head on his chest, she simply relished the comfort of his body and the love enveloping her like a warm cocoon.

"What are we gonna to do about Cruella?" Sammy announced, referring to Alessandra.

Cristiano carefully assisted Jasmine as she sat back on the couch resting his hand against her huge, round belly. "Are you comfortable?" He asks her.

"Yes, why? Where are you going?" Her voice rose in panic, clutching his hands desperately. "Don't leave me."

He stared at her for a minute which seemed like an hour before letting go of a sigh which seemed to come from deep, dark place inside him.

"I almost lost you once again. I will never leave you until my last dying breath, Yasmina." He vowed, kissing her lips. "I need to go see to Alessandra. I will be right back. Don't move."

Her breath caught and she knew her eyes were full of adoration and devotion.

Cristiano left her side approaching Alessandra's body. Although he appeared relaxed, tension hummed through him and undermined his casual posture.

He rested his fingers on her pulse, searching for any signs of life. He was staring off into space, his face blank.

They all held their breaths.

Cristiano looked past her body to Sammy.

"She's still alive." He responded.

"Should I finish her off?" Sammy asked, ready and waiting with his baseball bat.

Cristiano smiled despite himself. "No. She must be taken to a hospital or she will–"

Jasmine arched off the sofa, groaning in pain again.

Another contraction.

Alarmed, Cristiano quickly rose to his feet and kneeled at her feet. "Yasmina?" He asked as panicle shot across his features. "What is it?" He asks, scanning her body rapidly. "Is it time–?"

Jasmine screamed out unable to bear the pain. It was a blood-curdling scream of agony.

The contractions were closer and sharper, and for the first time she felt pressure in her lower pelvis. Her head wildly thrashed from side to side as a long wave of pain numbed her senses.

Mona, who came in the room hands full of antiseptics and bandages froze mid-step. Sammy dropped the baseball bat and plastered his body to the wall.

"They're coming, Cristiano!" Jasmine screamed. "There's no time! They're coming."

"No Jesus. No." Sammy breathed.

Her legs curled up in agony and she cried finding it difficult to breath during the back breaking contraction.

"Mona, boil some water, bring me towels and call for an ambulance." Cristiano ordered, his voice full of authority and taking charge. "Samuel, I need you to come help me carry her to the carpet. We need to get her ready. There isn't much time. We must deliver the babies."

"We?" Sammy echoed in horror, covering his mouth with his hands. "She ain't having these babies here, is she?"

"Come here Samuel! Now!" Cristiano shouted.

Jolted from his temporary shock, Sammy approaches. "Man, I need to keep my big ass-mouth shut! I'm always predicting shit before it happens! She was having contractions right before that big oaf came here with Cruella. . .and I was talkin' about delivering babies and shit. . .and. . ."

Cristiano stood behind Jasmine and hooks his arms beneath her shoulders ready to move her. "You will hold her legs and gently laid her on the floor. On my count."

Sammy grips her legs.

"One, two, three..."

They hold her and slowly carry her to the center of the rug. Cristiano scurries to grab the throw pillows and placed them gently beneath her, head, back and along her sides. Sweat was accumulating along Jasmine's temples and her entire body began to heat up, breaking into a cold sweat.

"There's so much pain. . ." She moaned, her eyes nearly rolling to the back of her head.

Cristiano kneels by her head and gently taps her cheeks. "I need you to stay conscious, Yasmina! Stay with me. It won't be much longer. I promise you, you will be alright! I'm right here!"

He brushed aside a lock of matted hair with gentle hands.

"It hurts." She cried, clutching his hand, her eyes semi-open, panting.

"This will be over soon." He glances over his shoulder. "Samuel! Come here. I need to prepare her for delivery." He says to him. "I want you to hold on as tight as you need to his hand." He turns back to his wife.

"I'm scared, Cristiano." She shuddered, the fear threatening to overwhelm her as the contraction retracted.

His black gaze caught hold of her and enveloped her. "I will not let anything happen to you or our children." He promised. "Trust me."

"I want to push!" Her fingers dug into Sammy's hand.

"Do you know what the hell you're doing, Casanova?" Sammy asked in a strained voice, looking pale and dazed.

"I've read countless books about pregnancy and watched countless hours of footage on delivery since I found out she was pregnant. I assure, I'm more than prepared." Cristiano responded confidently.

Sammy arched an eyebrow, sending Cristiano a knowing look. "Of course, you did." He agreed.

Cristiano kneeled before her legs and spread them. As he slipped her panties off, he instantly saw blood soaking through them. He flickered a glance at his wife's pale, tear-streaked face and than he caught Sammy's huge wide eyes–He made the sign of the cross over his chest.

Cristiano sent a silent prayer to God as Mona came into focus carrying towels.

He gladly accepted them and rolled one to help prop up her pelvis behind her back. He flicked another in Sammy's direction. "Wipe her forehead and keep her calm. Mona I need gloves and that warm water. Make sure you sterilize scissors for me before you bring me the hot water."

"The water is ready, I will be right back." She scurries from the room, before taking a fearful glances at Jasmine.

"Arrrrghhhhhh!"

Frustration washed over him as he watched her writhe. Her anguished cry made him feel helpless. All too soon the tension increased in the room.

Sammy was trying desperately to catch the sweat pouring from her brow with a towel. "You're sparkling all over the place, Jazzy!" He says in a sharp lisp.

Jasmine closed her eyes, screwed up her face with fierce concentration as another contraction crashed like a wave through her. Her fractured cries pulsed in the air and then it became very urgent as she pushed.

"I feel like I'm going to die!" She cried, straining against the pillows and arching her back.

"Keep pushing, once another contraction comes back!" He urged.

Cristiano's breath caught in his throat as he saw a dark slick of hair appear.

"Yasmina, push again. You're crowning. Take your time, gather your strength and give me an almighty push with everything you got. I can see the baby! Mona!" He called out.

"I'm here! Coming!" She carried a large pot of boiling water and places it at his side. "Here are the gloves."

Cristiano quickly slips them on and spreads Jasmine's further apart.

"Did you call for an ambulance?" He asks her, concentrating on the crowning of his daughter or sons head.

"Yes, I did. They are on there way." She assured, taking a cloth and dunking it in the hot water. She hands him the cloth.

Cristiano allowed the towel to cool before pressing it to her center to wipe at the blood forming at the tear caused by the baby's head.

"Another is coming!" Jasmine cried.

"Push!" Cristiano, Mona and Sammy shouted all at the same time.

The dark slick of hair grew, followed by the appearance of a bruised and bloodied baby as she pushed again.

Jasmine's terrifying scream vibrated through the windows and sensitized their ears as she strained with all her might. She felt her sensitive skin rip as her baby forcefully exited from her womb and into the world.

Their first child slipped out into Cristiano's arms.

She collapsed back, spent and exhausted, faintly listening to Sammy's words of encouragement and the damp cloth cleared the perspiration accumulating over her face and chest.

"You did it Jazz! That a girl! We got one out of the hole! One more to go!" He exclaims.

Cristiano's throat was so tight he could barely breathe, his heart clenching as he held his son.

He quickly turned his son and cleared out his mouth to open the airway for the first breath of life. Cristiano's fingers moved with remarkable dexterity over the tiny baby, his dark head bent as he focused intently on the task on hand.

The infant opened its mouth and howled.

He was so careful as if Vincent was made of porcelain rather than flesh and blood and neatly made a cut to sever the cord.

Mona was ready to receive the baby with a towel draped in the cradle of her arms and quickly cocooned Vincent in her arms and smiled tenderly.

"Your son, Jasmine. Your beautiful son Vincent." She says with tears shimmering in her eyes and edging closer for Jasmine to see.

Jasmine smiled faintly, her head laid back against the pillows. "Vincent?" She asked.

Silently, Cristiano watched her touch a finger to their newborn's cheek.

She stiffened as her abdomen clenched and her hand fell away before she could hold her newborn son. Thrashing her head from side to side in agony.

Cristiano moved into action, cupping her knees.

"It's Valentina's turn, Yasmina. You must push as another contraction begins–"

"I can't anymore. I don't have the strength–". She moaned, shallow breaths gasping through her teeth.

"Yes you do!" He shouted. "You are more than halfway there. This will be over soon and you will be able to nurse the twins and hold them to your chest." He used another clean towel to blot the blood seeping from her opening.

There was so much blood, Cristiano had to stay calm and keep his worry subdued. Her face was completely void of color and paler than porcelain.

The sounds of sirens wailing in the background could be heard.

Sammy jumped in uncontainable excitement. "Thank you Jesus! The ambulance!"

"Come now, one more push and all this will end." Cristiano urged, in a low, calming tone, but the worry in his voice was layered with tension.

"You better get this baby out of your Vijay-jay and finish this fiasco of a day! I haven't had a martini in hours and I'm about ready to pass out!" Sammy ordered, having the audacity to look angry. "Push. It. Out!"

"Our daughter, Yasmina. We need to bring her into the world to live." He reaches over and gripped her fingers with his bloodied gloves. "Valentina is waiting her turn."

The bright blinding lights of red and blue flickered through the windows brightening the room.

The ambulance arrived.

Jasmine and Cristiano exchanged an intimate look. She read the alarm in his expression yet his encouraging smile captured her attention. As the pain receded, allowing her to think more clearly she saw her future in his dark bright eyes. She saw her children shining from deep within their dark depths. She saw herself there too. She read the ferocious pride in his gaze and the awe.

This man cherished and loved her. Urgency radiated from him as love poured from his soul. Jasmine's breath escaped her, unable to look away from the burning intensity of his dark eyes.

"It will be ok." He assured her.

Tears swam in her eyes. She blinked them back focusing as she admired the masculine beauty of him.

Her heart in her eyes.

Hopes and dreams rapidly flooded her mind. She, Cristiano, and their twins would be a family. She would be loved and cherished. They would share a home, a future that was as bright as the stars.

Meeting his unwavering gaze again, she knew. She could do anything. She had come this far in the past year, and she had so much more planned in the future ahead. The fear, the pain, the uncertainties, and the waiting, all of it would be put behind them.

It was time for a new beginning. It was time for a new story, a new chapter for them where they would be together forever where their love would never dissipate but grow stronger every day.

Jasmine was able to regain control of her struggling composure, the energy she felt slipping from the tips of her fingertips, and focused on their love and the happy beginning waiting just around the corner to begin.

"I'm ready." She says loudly, bracing herself for the next contraction.

"That a girl! I don't know how much more I can take doing the good work of the lord with all this juice squirting out of you!" Sammy announced, pinching his nose.

If Jasmine wasn't on the verge of another contraction she would have slapped him.

Instead, she grips Sammy's free hand tightly, knowing she was leaving bruises by transferring her pain in her death grip, arches her back, spreads her legs as far as they could and pushed.

The pressure and pain was agonizing as the entrance of her opening stretched to accommodate the tiny body that was waiting to squeeze through.

"I can see her head, Yasmina!" He laughed, and it was full of relief. "She is almost here. One more push and she will enter this world. You're doing beautifully, my love."

Jasmine pushed with all her might and cried out as she felt her daughter slip through her opening. She collapses on the pillows, her eyes heavy lidded.

She was ready to pass out faintly listening to the first feminine sounding cry coming from her daughter Valentina. The loud sounds of retching to her left canceled out the cry. Managing to move her head she caught sight of Sammy vomiting, his back facing her.

Although she was dead tired, the urge to laugh was bubbled inside her. But she didn't have the strength.

"Stop it at once!" Mona admonished, disgust could be heard from the tone of her voice.

"I can't–". Sammy continues to vomit. "The blood and the baby guts. . ." He manages to say between gasps. "I can't take it! I'm gonna die–"

He is cut off mid-sentence as his gag reflex kicks in once more.

Loud banging emerged over the intense sounds in the room.

"It's the paramedics!" Mona exclaims.

Jasmine closed her eyes, the rise and fall of her deep breaths slowed, acutely aware every muscle in her body feeling like jelly. She was weak but happy. The pain had receded to a slow dull as sense of fulfillment filled her.

It was over. She did it.

It was time to live.

A soft caress her face automatically fluttered her eyes open.

Cristiano was grinning down at her, brushing a strand of her hair off her face. Her eyes warmed as they are filled with love.

Love for him.

His hand stilled on her cheeks, lost to the beauty and strength of her. It wasn't only her outer beauty entrancing him but the pure wonder of her soul. She was the bravest most courageous woman he had ever met.