The S.S. Rex was Italy's response to the fascination with ocean liners; giant ships still steamed across the Atlantic and through every scenic sea of the world, but they were increasingly filled with wealthy Americans looking for the romance of luxurious ocean travel. Italy, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, wanted a piece of that very large pie. And so the S.S. Rex and the S.S. Conte di Savoia were built to accommodate the wealthiest American tourists; both ship were dubbed "The Riviera Afloat".

Sand was scattered in the outdoor swimming pools, which were themselves surrounded by multi-colored umbrellas of "beachgoers". The interiors were decorated in an ornate, classical style of deep carpets and gold trim everywhere. A plethora of restaurants catered to the mouths of the many guests, while attractions sprung up to fulfill every other desire as well. Nightly performances of song and dance attracted most people, but there were also constant other attractions such as art classes, cooking classes, games of chance, and a dozen other possibilities for guests with money to spend simply looking for a good time.

Gavin and Bella had spent an entire day soaking up Aurora's company before they'd headed to New York for their departure. They'd never gone a few weeks away from her, but they both felt the time was right. She'd have a whole team of bodyguards and friendly faces to keep her company, and Tara had temporarily moved into the penthouse of the Sewing Factory Lofts to live with Aurora for the duration of Gavin and Bella's trip.

Gavin tried to swallow his discomfort at leaving his daughter. Ten years ago, he would have laughed at the suggestion. But with all the work he and Bella had done recently... well, they needed some time alone. Kassandra was traveling with them as extra security, although Gavin wondered if she'd be returning with them. Still, that was a conversation that could wait. 

They'd be at sea for four or five days before landing in Italy; after that, they'd make a short trip to Sicily for a week or so before returning. Particularly, Gavin had plans for the two of them to visit and old friend- who happened to be an old flame. But, for once, there was no rush. Tara had removed their responsibilities for the next two months and while Gavin sincerely doubted he and Bella would leave Aurora for that long, it was nice to have the flexibility.

As they exited the car and walked up the boarding ramp, Gavin extended his hand to his wife.

"Shall we?"

The sun beating down on Bella was intense and warm, a beautiful day really - perfect for the start of a much-needed vacation.  Aurora was going to be okay.  She told herself this repeatedly on the way to the boat but the moment she saw the behemoth all thoughts of her little girl faded away.  Putting her hand in Gavin's she walked up the gangplank in awe.  She'd seen the photos but they had not done the vessel any justice at all.

Many people stood on the deck waving to folks they knew on the shore as the boat made ready to pull out from the dock, but Bella had a mind for only one thing - the suite.  She'd booked it months ago but she'd been dying to see the amazing state-room that the travel agent had gone on and on about.  It was said to be the biggest room on the vessel with a sizable bed that she and Gavin were going to put through the paces if she had anything at all to say about it!

She'd been following the doctor's instructions to the T and while the sudden return of her monthly cycles had been something of a shock, the doctors promised it was a great sign that things were going as they had intended for her.  There was hope now!  Every time she'd made love to Gavin she thrilled with the idea that THIS was the time and the thought of it only made her more amorous.  She was so keen for the idea of becoming pregnant while on this trip that she even went ahead with terribly scandalous plans to make sure Gavin was eager to be with his wife as he'd ever been - a little surprise that he was not likely to EVER forget. 

Bella giggled at the thought of things to come.  Gavin merely looked at her, curious as to what she was actually thinking but not asking just smirking.  Obviously, he knew what she was thinking about and of course, in a manner of speaking, he was right but there was no way in hell that he'd think her capable of putting together something like this.  While their married life had never lacked for excitement in the sack, Bella had surprisingly become absolutely voracious and any moment alone with Gavin was an excuse.  She might have felt bad for him, if he didn't seem to be so amused by her sudden obsession with him.  In many ways, it was like being newly in love all over again!  

It didn't surprise her one bit that when they reached the room she hardly had a moment to put down her things before Gavin was carrying her to the bed in order to "Test it out."

The bed, thankfully, checked out just fine.

——————— ❖ ———————

Bella woke and felt nothing.  She instantly worried the ship hadn't left dock and sat up.  Gavin, surprisingly, was already putting on a dinner jacket while she remained naked and tangled in sheets.

"We're not moving?"  She asked.

"Ships so big you can't really feel it.  Would take something pretty big to get this thing rocking."

Bella remembered Lucy's journal about the cyclone her ship to Sicily had run into and nodded.  "Let's hope that doesn't happen."

Gavin smirked at his wife in her current state.  She might have kept laying there but her stomach complained loudly and so she slid out of bed and went to shower briefly before opening her trunk and looking through the clothing she'd brought with her ... many of the dresses were red, but not all of them.

"The agent said the food is going to blow our minds.  She said that a gourmet chef is on board - one of the best in the world in fact.  I wonder what's on the menu tonight - I could eat a horse!"  She began to put on her make-up and do her hair.  "You're not going to complain too much if I have you dance with me tongiht, are you?"

Gavin, in some ways, felt like he was on a second honeymoon. The same exotic travels were accompanied by thoughts of their shared future. He had long ago made his peace with the idea of Aurora being his only child; he viewed the recent revelation in New York as simply an opportunity- and he knew how important it was to Bella.

He recent... appetite... was a welcome one; they'd both been running ragged helping the district recover from their prodigious losses, and time together had been harder and harder to arrange. But on this trip? They had all the time in the world.

***

"I don't think horse is on the menu- but just about everything else is. We'll have to try to eat all the crazy stuff, like sharks and alligators and whatever."

He grinned as she slid on his jacket. 

"And sure, I'll dance- if properly motivated."

Gavin, to be fair, was far from the best dancer in the world. But he wasn't the worst, either. Anyone who wanted to impress a woman had to be able to take a few good turns around the dance floor, and he'd spent a lot of time wanting to impress many different women. Now, he'd been focused on the one for half a decade, but that was no reason get totally out of practice.

"I think there's also a poker game that-"

His quick reflexes kicked in as he ducked a flying hairbrush that was aimed at his head.

"-later! Not tonight. Geez..."

Gavin grinned as he flipped through the list of activities.

"Baseball skills challenge. Couples massage. Evening cabarets. A Masquerade. Parlor games... Pirate something.... Poker Tournament... shit, that would be a good take, actually. Wine Tastings... Bella what the hell are 'parlor games'?"

Bella listened as Gavin read the activities they could take part in and she cut in, "OH!  We should play baseball.  We use to do stickball in the streets back home when I was a girl... I haven't played in years!"  She chuckled.

When Gavin came to parlor games she shook her head, "Games you play inside... um like... the one where you act out words and try to get others to guess what you are trying to say with gestures and facial expressions.  Damn.  We'd have a ringer in Neil."  She chuckled, even though it was probably a bit in poor taste to do so.

"Um... chess is one I suppose.  Twenty-Questions?  I spy?"  She looked to Gavin and noted that he had no idea what the hell she was going on about.  "And clearly you have never played any of these."  She chuckled.

"Well, I spy might be a good game for you.  Hell, you could be the best in the damn room at it.  The game goes like this ... I look around the room, spot something and I tell you the color of the object and you and others try to guess what I spotted.  Simple game but, there are ways to cheat a bit - like noting where people's eyes went when they had to find something and when it's your turn to do so... already have something in mind but pointedly look at wrong things before your turn starts so even smart players don't have an edge against you."

She looked back in the mirror satisfied with her appearance.  

"Twenty-Questions requires a person to think of a person, place or thing and then everyone else asks 20 questions in total to try and narrow down what is being thought of.  For example if I was 'it' and I thought of a dog.  You might start by asking if I was thinking of an animal, food, or object.  I'd say animal and you'd be one step closer to discovering I was thinking about a dog."

She shook her head.  "They aren't games of chance but social frivolity... a way to get to know others, to learn about who they are and how their minds work.  Which... come to think of it, we'll have to be very careful lest we shock other other couples." She laughed.  "I'm fairly sure our minds go to places most don't dare."

She winked and took his arm.  

"Shall we, Mr. Byrne?"

Gavin raised an eyebrow.

"You look nice, as always. And hey, we don't need to rush through all the things in one night.  I don't think that dress you're wearing is ready for baseball challenges, for example."

The dining room on the S.S. Rex was luxurious, but although it was large it wasn't exactly spacious. Columns dotted the large room, whose rows of tables were close together leaving barely enough space for the waiters. Fortunately, it was early enough that Gavin and Bella could get a table without being on top of anyone else. Gavin pulled the chair out for his wife before sinking into his own seat and ordering a bottle of pinot noir. 

As he fiddled with the sleeves extending past his jacket, his blue eyes studied Bella.

"So how are you feeling about... everything? What we learned in New York? Leaving Aurora?"

The last few days they'd been scrambling through their business, with barely enough time to talk.

She smiled at the idea of trying to play baseball in her dress, of course she hadn't meant right now, but it would have been funny to have tried.

It was weird sitting down for a meal they didn't need to rush through.  No child to put to bed, no work waiting for them or sleep that they would regret missing.  Just the two of them, a dinner table, and ... well ... nothing else.  Bella had been eager for this for days leading up to the moment and now she was sitting here with Gavin and it was different somehow.

She blinked, "You know, we talk all the time, and yet somehow it feels like the first conversation we've had in a while that wasn't over some life-threatening or world-altering thing.  I mean... when was the last time we sat down to a nice dinner together when we didn't have to be somewhere else soon after or..."  She lowered her voice, "Kill someone after?"

Their marriage wasn't like other marriages, that was clear to her in moments like this.  Of course, if it were, they wouldn't be on this ship to begin with.  The rest of the world was struggling through a great depression and they... well, they lived like a royal couple of old.

She spread her napkin on her lap before considering his question, "Well... good.  I think.  I'm more worried that in a day or three I'm going to be thinking about Aurora so much that it may put a damper on things, but I'll do my best to muddle through or find something to distract myself with."

Under the table, she put her foot alongside his, resting there in the comfort of his presence as she often liked to do.  She'd realized, over the years that she thought of it similar to how he curled around her in bed at night only this was done in public.  I gentle reminder that she was there to bring him (and herself) comfort.

"As for the other... well, I have to admit, I was shocked at first.  In a lot of ways, I was content with what I knew our life to be.  I don't ... think I actively regretted not being able to have a child anymore.  There were moments, sometimes, when I would see a baby and think about how nice it might have been to see your eyes looking up at me from the son or daughter in my arms... but I didn't really regret.  I like the life we have.  We've always been pretty damn happy." 

She smiled at Gavin. 

"To be honest I shelved a lot of my shit after what my father did to Marie."  Her smile faded some, but that was another topic and she didn't want to tangent away from something so important as their baby - assuming such a thing ever came to be.

"I had always wanted to give my husband, speaking figuratively here because it was before we married, a son because... well, it's what's done.  I'm what I am, and I have no regrets about the choices I made, but ... I'm also a woman.  A wife now.  While I know you never came into this looking for someone who would be at home cooking pot roasts, holding your slippers at the end of a long day ... I had expectations of myself.  Things I had hoped to do with you and really, let's face it, aside from the pregnancy part and some of the earliest bits - well, we got that with Aurora."

"But she's every bit ours..."  Bella chuckled.  "May God help the man she ends up with one day."

She let her laughter die, but her eyes shown with a love for Gavin that was much more than the lust that it had been on the night they first met so long ago - something that only years of being one another constant companions could really bring about.  "But now, now that there's hope, I want this so badly I can't stand it."

Her smile touched her brown eyes.  "So... I hope you'll forgive me for my enthusasim and the lengths I may take us to in order to ensure we have every best chance of giving Aurora as soon as possible.  The doctors are right, I'm not getting younger and we've lost so much time already."

She arched an eyebrow, "What about you?  I know this wasn't just a shock for me.  How have you been dealing with all this?"

Gavin smirked as her foot touched his. His eyes had flashed for a moment on the topic of a son, but it looked as though he'd swallowed his words before speaking them. He listened, leaning back comfortably, as they spoke.

"This shit you shelved... Marie... Sal. What do you mean by that?"

He glanced down at the menu that the waiters had placed in front of them, although he closed it immediately.

"French... you order."

Staring across the dining room, he spoke thoughtfully.

"I feel the same way as you, I think. Content with how things are. Hopeful about what could be. Worried about how Aurora would handle things, but it also feels like if I hope too much for something to happen then I'm betraying her, in a way. We'll need to help her through this, if it ever does happen. "

Bella glanced at the menu, "You want Filet de boeuf rôti en croûte de champignons."  She shook her head with a smile.  "Nope... never mind.  I'll order it.  It's steak with mushrooms and some breading.  I'm sure it's good.  It sounds good."

She took a moment to decide on her own dinner before settling on a chicken dish and returning her attention to Gavin's questions.  First the easier of the two. 

"Aurora is ..."  Bella considered her words before chuckling and giving over to the truth of the matter.  "So much like you.  It makes me wonder if that's why Marie was harder on you than my father was and if maybe it's why Marie and Salvatore clicked for all the years they did.  Maybe... maybe there was a side to her I just didn't get to know very well.  The side that led to her becoming a Godfather long before I even met her.  A side that is very much like you."

She shrugged.

"Anyway... do you remember that day I told you I let her cut school and took her to the zoo?  I know it was a while ago, but we talked that day, about a lot.  None of it earth-shattering revelations really, though we had this moment..."  She bit her lower lip, thinking back to Aurora's actions and words. 

"I know she sees us as a family, as her parents ... there's no challenging that, but maybe she is going through something a lot of girls do.  I think she's fretting about what others think of her.  She wants something that people can see, something tangible that tells the world she's our daughter."

Bella's gaze became distant as she considered for a moment how that must sound to Gavin. 

"She asked to get a wolf tattoo like mine." 

She looked up at Gavin and smiled ever so slightly.

"We talked for a bit about the nature of the tattoo process, about why she thought she wanted it ... and then, about how very much she's loved.  How we struggle every day to put into her the best of ourselves and hope that she comes out better than the both of us combined.  I told her that, if she still wanted it in time I'd let her get a tattoo.  Small.  Not like mine and somewhere not to be seen by others but for herself, as a reminder of what we see every time, we look at her.  That she is our daughter.  I don't know if that was the right thing to say but she seemed to be happier for it." 

She reached over and took Gavin's hand, "How we help her accept this child and not feel replaced by it is exactly the same way that we made room for her in our lives - by embracing it together.  She has to know she's a part of helping us to make this tiny life into a ... well, into a man or woman one day.  It's not a duty any of us take lightly, but in the same way you looked out for Tara... Aurora will look out for her sibling too.  If that makes sense?  Through thick and thin, they'll have each other's backs and that bond just affirms that she IS our child.  Our family.  And when, one day, we're not there for them anymore... they will still have each other and that gift is, well, I think it's the greatest gift we can give her."

Bella smiled and when the waiter came she ordered their dinners for them before returning to the topic of Sal and Marie.  "As for the shit that was shelved, I suppose I let go of some of my ideas of what a marriage should look like - or more specifically what I, as a wife, should be like.  I wanted to be this person that I thought my father could be proud of.  Shit... I spent my whole life trying to make myself into an image he would find pleasing and love."

She shook her head, her smile fading.  "I kept hoping that maybe if I worked hard enough in school... or, if I became a good enough car thief or enforcer that he'd see something of himself in me and we'd connect in this way that I thought fathers and daughters should.  It gutted me that I never found a way to make that happen.  He loved me, as much as Salvatore could love anyone - but while I was worrying about the perfect wedding to a man my father would approve of and how to be a good Sicilian wife in the Cosa Nostra - it wasn't to achieve my own happiness.  I was still struggling to do something that would be worthy of him really seeing me... no... loving me."

She sighed and picked up her glass and took a drink, wetting her lips before speaking again, "When I found out about what he did to Marie... I realized that night that it could have been me just as easily, or Elie, or Aurora.  A man who can kill his love ... for whatever reason ... could kill his children too."

That hung in the air pretty heavily for a moment and then she continued, "And that my attempts at chasing my father's approval were not only misguided but... they were going to lead me to disaster.  I wanted to be him for years, Gavin.  I was proud of the things that made him and me alike - when in truth my father was a deeply flawed and troubled man.  He didn't leave scars on me that people could see... but if he'd raised me, the scars would have been on my heart and mind none the less.  Hell... in the short time I followed him around, it affected me."

"In some ways, I wish I had seen that sooner, but in others... I'm glad I didn't.  I was able to love him and have some manner of relationship with him.  I was able to find redeemable qualities in a man who had long ago proudly put aside his humanity in exchange for power." 

She looked down at her wedding ring realizing that it symbolized how she was different than her father - she gave up power to have a family.  To have something very real. 

"I realize now that my mother knew all of this, many years ago.  It's why she never went to him even after she left her own family.  It's why she didn't tell him about me and why she hid Elie away.  It wasn't that she didn't love Salvatore Luciano.  She just realized the only thing Salvatore could ever truly love ... was himself."

She looked up to meet Gavin's eyes, "It's why he treated Elie and I the way he did.  He wasn't overprotective about our dating habits - fearful of men ruining us and breaking our hearts.  He was worried about what people would think of him when men got away with touching something which belonged to him.  He was worried about his own image.  He flat out told me that and still I couldn't see it.  I loved him that damn much.  I wanted him to love ME that much."

She shook her head. 

"I loved Marie like my own mother.  She wasn't perfect, but she didn't deserve what she got in the end and the moment my father turned on her..."

She knew where Philly had stood in that war.  Even if she hadn't been there, even if the architects of it all were gone, it was dangerous to even THINK a sentiment that didn't align with one's own city.  She looked down again.

"I knew when we went into that nursery together that one way or another Aurora was coming home with us.  I had no intention of ever letting Salvatore near her again even if I had to run with her across the whole of the world for the rest of our lives." 

She shook her head. 

"I figured I nearly gave my life to make sure that little girl took her first breath. I wasn't going to let her go into the home of a father her made her mother take her last.  Aurora was never going to spend her life chasing after the illusion of Salvatore's blessing ... his 'love' like I did."

She sighed.

"So the baggage was just seeing my father's face for the first time and setting aside a desire to be what I thought he wanted me to be.  Marie was the perfect wife.  She had a proud Sicilian bloodline, money, power, respect... she gave him a child, cared for his home and personal affairs, and loved him endlessly... but, none of it was enough.  Being the perfect wife was never going to make him or more importantly ME happy.  Being ME made me happy and being with someone who loved ME for me made me happy.  At the end of the day, there are three things Salvatore did for me in this world:  he gave me life, he gave me my freedom to marry you, and he gave me a daughter.  Everything else... all of it, is stained in blood."

It was a heavy topic for such a joyful night, but wasn't that how she and Gavin always seemed to be.  When had they ever had a moment away from the world where they didn't bring some of it with them?  She drank from her glass, weary from dominating the conversation for so long.  It was a blessing her husband was a quiet and thoughtful man... he might go mad for how much she rambled if he wasn't.  Still, she watched the wheels turning in his mind about so much of what she said and she wondered what he was thinking.  She struggled to hold in a smile as she suspected his response to it all would be a simple thing.  He'd probably tell her it was good she'd stopped letting anyone tell her what she should be or do in life.  Hell, he'd been telling her that in one form or another since the moment they met.  Gavin had always advocated for her freedoms.  He was quite progressive in that way she supposed.

"Do ever get tired of me talking so much?"  She said with a smirk.

Gavin drank his wine as he thought about Marie. He hadn't met the Godmother many times, but the few times he had met her were memorable.

"Maybe there's something to that. Marie and I got along very well, with the exception of a few early wisecracks by me at the Tower. Maybe that's why Sal and I got along as well?"

He raised an eyebrow as the topic of the tattoo came up.

"Isn't she a little young for that? I'm not saying that in a holier-than-thou way... I just mean, won't it get all stretched out as she grows? I guess somewhere small would be okay. As far the rest of that, I agree with you."

After the waiter left, Gavin listened carefully about Sal.

"I'm not sure if he could have pulled the trigger on you or Elie.... but I know I never could. That's why we worked to get you here in Philly, and why we're sticking in the same crew until the end- for better or worse."

He sighed, finishing his wine. Shit... that went fast. It was easy to drink when Bella was talking.... jeez, good thing he didn't say that one out loud. Just meant that listening and drinking went a hell of a lot better together than talking and drinking. The waiter refilled his wine and he grinned at the question.

"Not yet, at least."

He was quiet as he reflected on what she said.

"I don't think you're wrong about Marie or Sal. But, for what it's worth, I do think they'd both be proud of you. Ironically, I don't know if you'd truly have Sal's approval if you ever needed his approval, if that makes sense."

Gavin sighed as the waiter refilled his wine and he raised his glass toward his wife.

"Here's toward fucking up our kids lives less than our parents fucked up ours..."

Bella smiled and raised her glass, "To our children... and our grandchildren.  May they never know the tragedies that lead to their happiness and may they have oceans of the later."  

She sipped from her glass.

"As for Aurora's tattoo... I'm thinking maybe it's something we do for her in her teens.  I was considering taking her to get it as maybe a sixteenth birthday gift.  Maybe all three of us could go and get something done that matches.  I think that would mean a lot to her.  We've got a lot of time to think about it.  For now she's not in a rush after I told her it involved needles."

She chuckled.  "That girl will knife fight but one trip to a doctor's office and she's a wreck." 

Bella looked around the room.  For a moment, Gavin might get the feeling she was looking for something or someone she knew but her eyes eventually settle on the stage where the dinner hour entertainment was getting set up.

"They really do think of everything on this ship."  She said turning back to Gavin with the sort of grin that HE normally wore when he was up to something.  It was positively a like a cat who'd gotten a mouselook.  

"So how are you feeling about Tara being Godfather and my new position?" 

She seemed to withdraw from whatever made her smile like someone who had accidentally touched a hot pan.  Abruptly her face returned to its relaxed state and she was on to another topic. 

"We haven't talked much about it cause it was all tied up in Jack and Will's passing and the loss of the pier... but the sadness of it all aside, how are you feeling about the changes?  Any regrets?  Hopes?"

"Honestly, I've nearly gotten the tattoo myself a handful of times; I just always told myself it was your thing. So yea, I'll go with you when she's 16. But we'll tell her about the plan now, so she knows about it. Maybe it'll make her feel better to know it'll happen."

Gavin found himself smirking as Bella looked around; she seemed excited to be here, and he was glad for that. But he frowned as the topic of changes came up.

"I'm happy for Tara. Proud of her, obviously. But I don't know if it was what she really wanted. I think if she had the opportunity to trade lives with me... for her and Will to be happily married and me pulling late nights in the office... well, I think she would. I think she'd feel different about things if Will were still alive, maybe. For now, she's just throwing herself into her work. I'm glad she has Aurora, and I think this time will be good for her. She's part of our family, of course. Just don't know what'll happen with her."

He sighed.

"As for your new position, well I think it's a natural one for you. Depending on the job she needs done, of course. You're a natural choice; the two of you have been in each other's business back when you just started your crew in Detroit- maybe even before that. My only hopes are that she can build Race Street back up and that we all die with grey hair- but I guess we'll see what happens."

"How do you feel about your new position? If it's not to your liking, we could try out some other ones tonight."

Gavin flashed a wolfish grin as he continued drinking his wine.

Bella's grin matched his and her voice went soft and husky as she replied conspiratorially, "I fully intend to test the limits of your creativity on this trip Mister.  If I don't make you blush at least once, I'm going to feel an utter failure."

She winked at him and sipped her glass before leaning back.

"But ... about your sister."  She knew that wasn't the place he wanted to go with this conversation but there was no rush.  Dessert could wait until after dinner and dancing.

"You might not be aware but... there is, or was, another man.  A serious relationship I think... and she's, well, given me some orders I haven't been putting my full heart into following because I'm worried she's giving them for the wrong reasons."

She took another sip wondering how Gavin would react to her admitting to NOT following Tara's orders to the letter.

Gavin raised an eyebrow.

"The cop? What does she want you to do... I'm assuming not kill him?"

Bella nods.  

"The cop."  

She sighs.

"She wants to me to orchestrate him finding a whore to fall in love with."

"That's romantic, in a way. She still believes in love, she still believes the cop should be happy..."

He shrugged.

"Just not with her. You've got to respect her wishes, I think. Especially if she ordered you directly. Especially after the Irish thing aftermath. If you want to push back at her and force her to explain her thinking, I think you can do that- but if you ignore it forever or ignore her a second time I think she'd be pissed."

Bella arched an eyebrow, kinda shocked.  "I can't believe what I'm hearing.  You're actually advocating that I take a widower who loves your sister and help trick him into falling for another a woman using a situation which I know he's likely going to walk right into - without a thought to what he wants or how that could turn out for any of them?  How would you feel if you found out someone had manipulated you into a relationship?  I can't imagine you taking it well."

She shook her head, "Look - I can't believe I'm saying this - Kacey's a good man.  He very nearly walked away from his whole life to pursue your sister, but he's got scruples.  He... ah shit.  Think about it this way, Gavin ... what does she care if he's with someone or not?  She left him behind.  Won't you at least concede that it's possible she just trying to shield herself from falling in love again and that scares the shit out of her considering how things went with Will?"

She sighed.

"I remember that pain so well... I see it in her eyes every day I work with her Gavin and you... you saved me from self-destruction.  Now, I know Tara isn't me, but what if pain is pain?  What if she needs someone like Kacey around even just for a little while so she can get her head on straight?"

She shook her head again - her face softening a touch, "I don't want to fight on this trip and certainly not about Tara's love life.  I'll follow orders like a good Soldato... but I'm stating here and now that I think meddling in a man's love life is a messy business.  Manipulation has never lead this family anywhere good and I can't see it going well if there is even a CHANCE that she may still love him.  Can you imagine what it would do to her if, when she's done mourning, she accepted the truth just in time to watch him get married off to a reformed prostitute she had me set him on?"

She shrugged.

"I'll talk to her.  She's not going to like it.  She'll shut me down and maybe even get mad at me just for assuming I know shit about what she's feeling.  I haven't wanted to touch anything related to her and Will with a twenty-foot pole for a reason... she knows so much about Will and I and I just... it feels wrong."

She relented a bit more, "But, with any luck maybe the two of you have some similar traits and once she's done being pissed, she'll think about it with a clear head.  I'd just hate to think she decided to pursue a relationship with Will over Kacey because she thought it was 'best for everyone' instead of what would make her happiest and Tara... well, sometimes she can be a bit of a martyr for others."

Bella took a drink.

"I can't believe I'm advocating your sister reconsider dating a man in law enforcement.

She nearly laughed at herself.

Gavin shrugged.

"It's my plan. And I can't speak to Tara's thinking. It just seems like she wants the best for him. And she's not forcing him to feel anything, just presenting the opportunity to him and seeing if he bites. It sounds like's she's just arranging introductions- not brainwashing the guy. I'd be pissed if someone manipulated me into a relationship... but if Tara had said 'Go in there and get some ice cream' would that have been manipulation? We still would have made all our own choices, no?"

"And yea, I hear you saying he's a good man. But he's a cop. Cops don't date Godfathers. And if he left the force to be with her, she'd see herself as corrupting him."

"So maybe she's trying to arrange something for him because she's worried he makes her vulnerable... but isn't it also possible that she just wants him to be happy?"

Gavin finished his wine and leaned forward.

"Look, if I'd died in your arms on that stairwell in Garrett's house... and you married Will... my ghost would have always been between the two of you. I'm not saying you wouldn't have married or been happy, but I would have always been there because you picked me. And for better or worse, Will would have been the back up plan. Well, you picked me... and I lived. Tara picked Will... and he didn't. Maybe she doesn't want to take someone she considers a good man and make him not only corrupt, but a substitute for someone else?"

He sighed.

"I think she's in a similar place to you, when you thought Elias had died. Give Tara time, and I'm sure she'll bounce back. But I don't think it's going to be with someone that she knew before."

Gavin cracked a grin.

"And this isn't a fight- this is just being a family, eh?"

"I can't argue with you about the backup plan thing... it would have been like that... but that's not to say we wouldn't have been happy."  She shrugged.  "Life is messy.  Sometimes, good men die and sometimes we don't know everything about a person we think we do and maybe... just maybe ... it wasn't meant to be.  I can't even approach that topic with her right now.  It's too much like saying Will had to die and of course I don't feel that way at all, but he had a son and he never told anyone about him.  Not you.  Not me.  And I sincerely doubt he told Tara or she would have meddled cause unlike you - that's what she does."

She crossed one leg over another.  "And your comparison about the ice cream shop is wrong.  It's more like..."  She looked thoughtful, "What if your sister arranged for one of her men to search the country for an assertive, attractive woman with a taste for mischief & murder, with scars all over her body, and an abusive father she had major issues with still ... oh and she asked said man to make sure he put me in a state that left me looking like a wounded animal for you to fuss over."

She arched an eyebrow.  

"Don't get it twisted.  If she asked me to introduce him to girls that would be different and of course I wouldn't mind.  But that isn't what happened.  She asked me to find women with a mind to leave their career and turn them into damsels in distress so he could play hero.  Which, now that I say it out loud, I should have told her if that's all she really thinks that's all it's going to take to win Kacey's heart she's got a sorry sense of who the hell she really is because I'm pretty sure he didn't fall for her trying to save her.  I mean..." 

She reconsidered her statement, "Yes.  He does seem to go for the type and Tara was acting the part when they met but it's not all that she is and surely Kacey sees that after all their time together.  And if she thinks that he doesn't... well, that just breaks my damn heart.  Not over their relationship, I mean that is sad, but because my sister thinks so little of the person she is to others.  She's a Godfather, she's a force of nature, I look up to her..."

She pressed her lips tightly together now re-evaluating just how deep Tara's wounds really ran.  Finally landing on, "Tara may have a lot more scars from your childhood than I ever considered."

Gavin drummed his fingers on the table.

"Yea, once Aurelio gets figured we need to chat with him. I just don't get that situation. I don't see Will leaving someone pregnant or abandoning them afterwards."

He sighed, returning to the subject of Tara.

"And all Byrnes have scars. Tara had to put my mother back together whenever things broke down, and she was constantly walking on eggshells to make sure things didn't go to hell. Part of me wonders if that's how she became so controlling... I'm sorry, such an effective administrator."

He smirked.

"Talk to her about Kacey for her opinion; I can guess what she's thinking, but I can't read her mind. Except in this particular circumstance, where she's saying something along the lines of 'if you spend any more of your vacation talking about me instead of having fun I'm going to order you to shoot yourself.'"

Gavin poured a third glass of wine; the two of them had nearly finished their dinner during the long conversation.

"So. Dancing? A walk on the deck first? Or something more adventurous?"

All Byrnes have scars.

Gavin had his from his father. 

Tara had her scars buried deep in her psyche, likely relating to men and women and their relationships. 

I have mine from the bullets I took protecting Marie and Aurora. 

Aurora struggles with her identity as our daughter, even if just a little.

But our baby won't. 

Right?

Bella uncrossed her legs and forced a smile. 

"Dancing or adventure.  Your call but I want to get up and move.  Let's shake off the heavy topics cause you're right.  We're supposed to be having fun and not worrying about how to fix everyone else.  If we wanted to do that we could have just stayed home."