gangster-hero

Good morning, Sunshine,_ Alessandro whispered, dragging the satiny soft object across the tip of her nose. Curiosity made her open her eyes. A rose. A blue rose. __ figured a single rose was safer than a dozen considering the massacre of the last blue roses I gave you,_ he smiled sheepishly. __appy birthday, darling._ Bree blinked and tried to remember what day it was. The fifteenth apparently. She groaned and pulled the blankets back over her head. She was officially thirty today. __ome on now, up we go,_ Alessandro pulled the blankets off her face and grabbed her arm, bringing her up. __or my birthday, I want sleep,_ she groaned. Gianni had suffered through a painful night as another tooth was starting to come in and thus his parents had suffered as well. __ope, we__e got a long day ahead of us. Let__ go._ __hy?_ Bree yawned. __ecause thirty years ago you were born and my life as I knew it would never be the same,_ Alessandro explained, nuzzling her neck.

Bree turned to him and gave him an uneasy nod. She had no idea if they were gonna make things better or worse, but she had to know for herself what Francesca had gone through, where she lived and why she made the decisions she had. If she could find out more about the ill-fated romance between Francesca and Adriano, maybe she and Alessandro could avoid a similar, miserable ending.

Like, okay, look up at that cloud and tell me what you see,_ Bree said, pointing up at the closest cloud above them. __hat do you mean, what do I see? It__ a cloud. I see a cloud,_ Alessandro insisted. __o, what do you see? Like when you go to a shrink and they make you look at ink blots,_ Bree explained. Alessandro looked over at her. __ow much wine did you drink?_ She smacked his arm. ____l go first. I see a rabbit._ __ rabbit?_ Alessandro asked, laughing. __eah, the top of that one is shaped like ears, long rabbit ears._ __h, I see what you__e doing now. All right then. That one there_looks like_ Alessandro squinted his eyes as if hard in concentration. __n airplane._ __h, yeah. I see that,_ Bree agreed. __kay, what about that one?_ She pointed to a cloud to Alessandro__ right. __hat one looks rather like my wife__ sweet pert little ass,_ Alessandro joked. __fter two kids? You__e delusional,_ she said laughing. __y turn. I think that one looks like_ Bree tilted her head. __y wife__ beautiful round breasts,_ Alessandro injected. __top that!_ Bree said, giggling. __xcuse me, I__ just playing the game._ __o, you__e not. You__e being a horny guy._ Alessandro pressed a hand to his chest as if she had wounded him. __o prove it to you, I say we compare._ He undid the buttons of her blouse and Bree was laughing too hard to stop him.

I know full well what being a Dardano means and so will Gianni and Will, but I want more for him. I want him to know what it is to laugh and to play and to not feel like the whole world is out to get him, to find joy in simple things and not just how many zeroes are in his bank account. And more than that, I want them both to grow up and know that power is not everything. It is necessary, yes and I will teach them how to squash their enemies, how to hit first before they can destroy you but I will also teach them that without love, without a family, none of it means a good God damn. I want them to be worthy of that love when it comes, and to not be so wrapped up in this legacy and this power that they lose sight of love when it__ right in front of their eyes.

Will, was not as taken with the photo of the new baby as the grown ups around him. __t look like Mr. Potato Head._ ____ sure your baby sister will appreciate that,_ Alessandro said with a wry grin. __ girl? It__ a girl?_ Will asked with a grimace. __hat__ right,_ Bree announced as Vanessa and Brian congratulated them. __ can play wif Gianni but what we gonna do wif a girl?_ he asked, handing the picture back to them. __ope, send it backand get another boy dis time.

Her OBGYN, Dr Caroline Murdoch, popped in and asked if she could speak to Bree alone. Bree nodded and Tina left them. "I wanted to talk to you about why you fainted._ Something in her voice made Bree__ body go rigid with expectation. ___thought maybe it was the shock of_ everything,_ Bree whispered. Oh God. Oh God. She didn__ know what she was bracing herself for. __ know you and Alessandro were trying to conceive again. I want to tell you that you were successful. You__e going to have a baby, Bree,_ she said. Bree squeezed Gianni tighter and buried her face in his neck as the tears filled her eyes and streamed from her face. Oh God_Now? She was torn between joy and utter terror. They had done it, but how would Alessandro react when he found out, considering the condition he was in now. They had created another life. Another target for Arturo.

Bree grit her teeth and lunged for him but Brian held her back and Will spoke up instead. __ou go away!_ Will cried back angrily. __ know you did sumting dat made my mommy mad at my daddy. Is you fault!_ __ suggest you put a muzzle on your brat and get back in the living room,_ Bernardo ordered. __areful, Father. This is none of your concern,_ Alessandro said. __re you kidding me?_ Bree asked. __f course this is his concern because he__ the only one you give a damn about. You__l do anything for him. Absolutely anything even if it means betraying me or Will or God forbid Gianni._ __hat is not true. I would never__ __t is true!_ Bree yelled. __verything you__e done has proven that._ __ook, every marriage has problems and that is no reason to turn back on the vows you made to each other,_ Bernardo pointed out. __ou made a promise to honor the terms of the O'Reiley/Dardano vendetta. Be careful before you renege on those vows, Mrs. Dardano._ __ou and your stupid vendetta!_ Bree hissed. __egun by a man who couldn__ handle the fact that he couldn__ have what he wanted! God it must be genetic. Well, I guess I shouldn__ blame you, Alessandro. Knowing Bernardo and Adriano, at least you come by it honestly.

What did you do to make him smile?_ __h_ Alessandro bit back a grin and cleared his throat. __ might__e sung a song._ __eally? What song?_ __s his mother, I don__ think I should repeat it for you,_ Alessandro said, his cheeks and the tips of his ears pink. __h come on, Alessandro. The windows didn__ break so you couldn__ have done that bad a job._ __t__ not my ability that I__ referring to,_ Alessandro replied. Bree narrowed her eyes. __ust what were you singing to my son? And so help me if you say anything by Sir Mix-a-lot I__l castrate you,_ __ot quite,_ Alessandro said. __ll right. But, remember you asked for it. Your cousin Max, taught it to me._ Bree crossed her arms over her breasts and waited.

Bree blinked her tears back and shook her head. __ow. Then I guess you really are your father__ son, huh?_ __ou have no idea,_ Alessandro snapped before leaving. Part of her wanted to run after him but a stronger part of her knew he wouldn__ listen to anything she had to say while the red haze was still burning inside of him. He wanted a fight. She__ give him one

Hello, darling,_ Alessandro smiled at her. Oh, that smile. Bree wanted to close her eyes, press her hands against her eyes and keep them shut forever so she wouldn__ see that smile. She must have had the question on her face, the knowledge on her face because as she looked at him now, something flickered in his eyes. Guilt. Oh God. __ommy, look. I make good bouncies. See?_ Will said, dribbling the ball. __ gonna be a basset ball player when I gwoed up._ The little boy__ voice sounded far away as Bree narrowed in on Alessandro and the look in his eyes. __rian. I want you and Vanessa to take Will and Gianni out for a little while._ __h but we__e having a good time out here, aren__ we Gianni?_ Alessandro asked, tickling Gianni who squealed and curled inward. __ow,_ Bree said, her voice tight. Will stopped bouncing the ball and held it against his chest looking at both of them, picking up on the angry tension that suddenly covered them all. __h oh. I tink mommy__ mad._ ____ not leaving you alone in your condition, Bree. Alessandro, we just came from the hospital. Colin__ awake,_ Brian informed him, his voice tight with anger. __ou spoke to Colin?_ Alessandro asked, meeting Bree__ eyes. __ did. And Carrie._ He looks like a cornered animal. And what do Dardanos do when they__e cornered? They lie. They cheat. Oh God. __ine, then can you just take the boys upstairs?_ Bree said, speaking to Brian, but not moving her gaze from her husband. __ome on, guys. Let__ go play upstairs for a while,_ Vanessa said walking past Bree and taking Gianni from Alessandro__ lap.

The pain of it was crippling him. He couldn__ breathe. Be a man! Be a Dardano. Alessandro felt the protective wall shoot up around his heart in one quick instant. Dardanos weren__ weak and stupid like he had been. Dardanos didn__ let their emotions blind them. Love was for fools. Love made men stupid. But oh, she would never make him stupid again. Oh, how Alessandro would make his darling wife pay.

Come see my mommy, Becky!_ Will said and Bree stopped in her tracks. __h hell no!_ she exclaimed staring at __ecky_. Rebecca, the bane of Bree__ existence. The blonde woman smiled mockingly at Bree. __ow ya doing?_ __hat?_ Bree asked but the question was directed at her brother and not the skank in front of her. __o how was Paris?_ Rebecca asked moving right past Bree to practically press her body against Alessandro. __eriously, what?_ Bree demanded, glaring at Brian. "Hey, Alessandro. Great to see you again." __top talking. Stop talking now before I ram your botoxed head through this table!_ Bree hissed lunging at her. Brian grabbed her quickly and held her back. __orry. Bree__ a little bit touchy about that whole Vegas thing I guess. But hey, looks like it all worked for the best, huh?_ Rebecca winked at Alessandro

That girl didn__ have a moment__ peace from the day Adriano Dardano set foot in Galway and started chasing her._ Sister Brannigan said, as she led them around the convent garden. __ice of Francesca to stay still for him to catch her then wasn__ it?_ Alessandro remarked dryly. __mph,_ the nun responded. __y grandfather loved Francesca,_ Alessandro insisted. __ar be it from me to speak ill of the dead. But let__ call a spade a spade, hmm? Your grandfather was a charmer. Now perhaps he didn__ realize just how naïve our Francesca was and how besotted with him she was._ __mm, very generous of you,_ Alessandro grumbled. __ will say that on the times he brought some food he had made with Francesca up to the convent, it was clear he had a wonderful talent in the kitchen. Now mind ye, the Italian food was a bit rich for my taste but still, rather good._ ____ sure my grandfather__ resting easier in his grave now that the holy sister has complimented his cooking,_ Alessandro whispered in Bree__ ear making, her laugh out loud and Sister Brannigan turn to her in question.

Colin. Just the name made Alessandro__ gut burn. He knew the man wanted his wife, even if Brianna was too blind to see it. The moron had been cuckolded by the paragon of supposed virtue, his wife Carrie and now he had finally opened his eyes and seen what Alessandro had known all along. Brianna put every other woman in New York to shame. No woman could come near her beauty, her passion, her fire. Colin had tossed her aside for the angelic Carrie and now he was changing his mind. Oh no you don__, you miserable fucker. __er friend indeed,_ Bernardo drawled, his Italian accent thick with unmistakable implication. __at__ da truth. He no make her cry all da time._ That was directed at Alessandro, with small dark accusatory eyes. __e nice._ Alessandro couldn__ look at those eyes without feeling a sickening pang of guilt. She__ mine! He wanted to scream. Mine! Mine! Mine! __h yes. Very nice. He was very nice when he held her at the cemetery and very nice when he was dancing with her at Adresca._ That made Alessandro__ head lift in surprise. __h yes, my boy. She__ been there, cleaning up the rubble and word is that she__ working on re-opening it. Her friend Colin has been quite helpful in that endeavour._ __ don_ like how you say dat,_ Will said scowling. __eally young William, I only speak the truth,_ Bernardo taunted. Alessandro__ mind was racing. NO! Not Colin. He could not let that imbecile take Brianna away from him. He__ have to be eliminated somehow. Alessandro began to plot all the different ways he could ensure that Colin Neally stayed away from his wife, permanently. They all involved grisly, violent methods. He could not be allowed to win Brianna.

trailed off as her attention moved from Will taking his juice from the bartender to the glass behind the bartender. There were red dots on the glass. Alessandro brushed her shoulder again and Bree followed a row of red dots from the glass mirror to the wall. Some of the red dots danced over the guests and as an icy cloak of understanding fell over Bree, it seemed to grip Alessandro as well. Then she turned to face him and there were red dots on his chest, as well as her shoulder, which he had been brushing, thinking it was a speck of dust. __ET DOWN!_ he screamed to everyone grabbing Bree by the waist and throwing her down while and trying to be heard over the music. Chaos erupted as gunfire drowned out the sound of music and people fell screaming on top of each other as pieces of the wall and glass from the doors and the mirrors rained down on them. The gunfire raged on and on for what seemed like an eternity. Then there was silence.

You have that look on your face,_ Alessandro said, smiling as he tucked a damp lock of her blonde hair behind her ear. __hat look?_ Bree asked, resting a hand on his flushed chest, propping herself up on one elbow. She could feel the racingheart beneath. __he look of a woman who__ been rather well fucked, darling,_ he grinned smugly. She punched his chest lightly. __go much?_ __ see nothing wrong with taking pride in a job well done,_ he pointed out. __h of course,_ Bree said, laughing and dropped her head on his chest.

Not_ Bree struggled for the right words. __ll my life, I__e just wanted someone to put me first. I thought Alessandro was that man. But even after everything Bernardo has done, I mean, Arturo wouldn__ have ever shot Alessandro if Bernardo hadn__ raised him to be a monster, even knowing that, Alessandro refuses to cut his ties with his father. So_yeah, I guess I do blame Alessandro for getting shot. God, that sounds so horrible._ Bree covered her face with her hands again.

Yeah, well, he__ having a hard time dealing, you know?_ Bree asked uneasily. __hat__ understandable. How are you coping?_ he asked, reaching out and touching her arm. Gianni shifted in her arms and looked down at Colin__ hand. __t__ taking some getting used to. Let__ just say it__ a bit of a relief to take a break for a little while. I__ more worried about the kids though and this is affecting them so I__ hoping to get in to see Dr. Graham. She was a big help to Will a while back._ __h, yeah. I hear great things about her. You know she doesn__ just work with kids, right?_ Bree narrowed her eyes but smiled in amusement. __s that a hint?_ __ot a very subtle one, I know. Hey Gianni, how you doing, huh? Wow, you__e sure getting big,_ Colin remarked. __e sure is. He__ almost standing all by himself now, aren__ you, Gianni? You wanna show Colin?_ Bree asked. __ooo,_ Gianni insisted, burying his face in Bree__ neck. __h, speaking of Mr. Cranky Pants, huh? He didn__ get a lot of sleep last night._ Gianni lifted his head and then looked down, and it was then that Bree noticed Colin still had his hand on her arm. __at,_ Gianni said. Bree cleared her throat and took a step back, not wanting to make the movement seem like she was uncomfortable with Colin touching her.