Marie sipped on the whiskey.  She noticeably was becoming more relaxed and less guarded the more she drank.  She leaned back in her chair and asked, "So you don't think you will be settling down anytime soon?  Does that mean you do not want a family in the near future?"

Molly began to clear away the dinner dishes and Marie thanked her before dismissing her for the evening.

Gavin leaned back in his chair shortly after Marie did. He didn't want to insult her by being overly familiar, but he figured he could relax as much as she did.

"People in my line of work don't tend to settle down, as you know."

He glanced off to the side for a moment, thinking.

"My understanding is that Isabella can't have children. It's not something I was ever planning on. As you heard, my experience with family has been..."

He trailed off, shrugging. 

".. I just don't have any experience or interest, really. Hasn't it been hard for you? Trying to handle your business while also raising a child?"

Marie smiled and nodded.  "Yes it is true that Isabella can not have any children of her own, but she may want to adopt someone.  The maternal drive for a young woman can be quite powerful."  Marie tapped her finger against her glass.  "As for my experience with Aurora, I will not deny that it has been hard."  Marie's face lite up brightly.  "However, I do not regret it in the slightest.  It has been worth it."

Gavin nodded at the idea of adoption. Honestly, he hadn't thought too much about it. He had just barely gotten used to the idea of being formally attached to Bella, so he figured he'd take it slow. Still, now he was thinking.

"You don't have to answer this... of course... but do you want her in the life- our society? When she gets older? Or are you hoping to shield her from it?"

Marie pursed her lips and looked in the direction of Aurora.  She let the silence hang for a moment.  When she replied it was softly, "Realize that this life is the life I grew up in."  She looked at Gavin and continued, "My father is a Don in the old country.  To me it is normal and natural.  Now as a girl I was shielded from the most brutal of things, but it was no secret it was happening.  The thing was that everything was done with the family in mind.  My father had no issue with taking a life if in doing so protected his family.  However, killing was usually a last resort.  Dead pawns can't be used."

Marie took a drink of her whiskey and winced a bit as it burned going down.  "Will my mind change in this matter as she gets older?  Perhaps.  I honestly don't know.  I will cross that bridge when I get there."  She cocked her head to the side a bit and asked him, "Are these the thoughts that make you hesitate in this area?"

Gavin nodded slowly.

"Maybe. I'm not sure what kind of child a person like me would... well, you know."

He sighed, raising his drink again.

"To be honest, I didn't expect to live this long. To ever commit to anything beyond Philadelphia... so I don't know. Most of the time I'm just making things up as I go along. My sister is the plan. I just have things... happen. So maybe I should just let them, right?"

Marie did not answer his question.  Instead she just looked at him intently.  "I must say that I was surprised to learn that you had proposed to Isabella.  I had heard that commitment was not really your thing.  What changed?"

Gavin didn't change his posture, but he forced himself to stay more mentally alert. He liked Marie- he trusted her... but the 'pawn' comment had reminded him that he was sitting across a chess player.

"I did, I suppose. I'm still not much for commitment, but I like her. I like being around her, and we have fun. I care about her."

He shrugged. He'd cared about other women, too. With some, including his contact here in Chicago, they'd purely had fun together. With others, Gavin had cared for them... although he'd been blind to really seeing what they wanted from him- for him. With Isabella, things had just clicked together. He couldn't totally explain it, even if he wanted to. 

"It just... works. Between us."

Marie sat her glass of whiskey down on the table before commenting, "One thing you will discover in a long-term relationship is that people change.  You will change, Isabella will change, and your environment surrounding you will change.  It is very likely that there will come a point when you find that things are not just working between the two of you.  What then?"

That question was the heart of commitment.  She knew from her own relationship with Lucky that their marriage would never have survived had they both not been committed to each other.  The conscious decision that says no matter what I will never leave you. That was love.  Love was not the feel good, make your toes curl, lusting desire for one another.  It was a choice and Marie wanted to know if Gavin was willing to choose Isabella when the lusting had dimmed and the fun turned into work.  Was he really willing to sacrifice his selfishness for her happiness?  

Gavin listened carefully, frowning at the possibility, but appreciating the advice of the Godmother.

"We work it out, I suppose. I care about her. She cares about me. Even if something gets between us, I'd like to think we could meet in the middle."

"There will be a lot of meeting in the middle."  One thing was for certain when it came to Gavin and Isabella, they were fighters.  Marie was certain that if this was what they both wanted, they would fight to the bitter end to keep it.  She supposed that would be enough.  Actions always spoke more than words in her opinion.

Marie stood up, clearing ending the dinner.  "I have enjoyed having this time to get to know you better,  but I am afraid that I must retire for the evening.  If you have not secure accommodations elsewhere, allow me to offer hospitality.  You are more than welcome to use the guest house anytime you are in Chicago."  She smiled genuinely. 

Gavin stood and bowed his head respectfully.

"Thank you, Godmother Lucania. I appreciate the offer, and I may wind up taking you up on that, but I think I need to go make sure that Evelyn- my contact- will avoid any legal entanglements that prevent her from being able to assist with my future business."