Respite

by Lillithoftheshadows

Summary:

Respite: A short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant.
There was only one place left that a young mother could bring her little one to safety, She had no idea if that place was actually be inhabited, let alone if those who were there would keep her safe.
Will someone open the door? will someone take them in? Will someone answer the call for Respite?

Notes:

Please note this story will contain depictions of Domestic Violence, Not to ever romanticize it, not to ever glamourize it.
Please go into this story with an open mind, and an open heart.

Chapter 1: Run away

Summary:

Lauren packs up only the essentials, plucked the dreaming 2 month old girl, and left out the backdoor.
Hopefully this would be for the last time, unsure if her desired destination was even inhabited or welcoming, unsure of anything, anywhere was better than here.

Notes:

This is a fantastical scenario of running away from an abusive marriage.
This is not a true story, but this is a true situation for many people in marriages around this work even in 2024.
Going into this story, please keep an open mind, and keep an open heart.
While I, the writer, have not experienced this exact situation, past experiences have built up the knowledge of what would go into these situations.
What systems and how Narcissistic behavior can fail you and keep you in a dangerous situation.
I am safe now :) I promise.

PLEASE NOTE - The first person perspective changes in chapter 2.

It's the 3rd Saturday of the month, He's out with his friends watching the game, getting drunk and would  be driven home by one of his friends at 2:36am. 
He would come home and plop down on the bed drunk out of his mind and snore loudly that he couldn't hear Eva's cries when she'd wake up from the noise of him banging around the house. 
He wouldn't even notice that there isn't fresh breakfast on the table now with the baby tiering me out. 
There's enough food for him to be able to eat breakfast through lunch.  

I left my phone on the beside table so he couldn't follow me via Life 360, Froze the picture of the baby on the baby monitor, he wouldn't look at the details either.

I only took the things that I need to keep me safe, my IDs, My Passport, the birth certificates and insurance information. 

I'd be saving what cash I could in my "Ladies stuff" in the bathroom, he wouldn't ever look there, I had enough for a taxi, enough for accommodation, baby supplies and food for at least 3 months at this point if I'd calculated things right. 

I managed to fit it all in the baby bag and a back pack, It was too kind even for him to close the house down into a tidy state, photos from the wedding, from the family gatherings, Eva's baby shower and her birth. Everything I'd worked through and built up to keep me safe, and still this place was no home. 

I slipped out the back door which locked behind me and slipped through the garden to the back alley, out of sight of the cameras I knew had been installed around the house, slipping through the blind spots and climbed over the back gate using the ladder so as not to trip any alarms, and ran down the alley way into the next streets over, Out onto the community roads.

I had to do it, I had to run, There was no way we would have been safe back there. There was one place he would never had followed me.

What ever they chose to do with me would be a far better fate than back there. 

I walked as calm as I could to keep Eva dreaming against my chest, her cries would rouse anyone in this neighborhood and surely they'd talk. 

My sweet girl, silent in my arms, her breathing keeping me warm and reminding me why I'm doing this. 

It took no time at all to walk up the main roads to the small collection of road side shops, lit up on the corner by a single light bulb was the pay phone to call a taxi 

"I'm sorry, Where?" 

"The Satanic Ministry, Please" 

"Are you sure dear? It's a private property-"

"I'll pay what ever and more to get there, please, I just need to go there, I have no where else that would take me Please, I need to get away" I had to beg in a hushed whisper, unable to hide the desperation and fear. " I'm doing this for my daughter she's only 2 months old"

There was a moment of silence before a long sigh

"Alright. well, A car will come to meet you in 7 minutes. Will you be safe until then?" 

"I should be, Thank you" 

Hanging up the phone felt heavier than ever, you looked around and backed up into the shadow near the laundromat watching the time on the clock inside the door , counting down the minutes. 

Watching for every car that went past, scared it could be carrying my husband,  I'd turn away from the street so the drivers couldn't see my face. 

Until finally the slow approach and roar of an engine, pulling up the side on the side of the road " Taxi for Laura?" a man shouted out from the window, Not your name but yes, you turned and waved to him, climbing in the back seat of the taxi, keeping my head down "Thank you for coming at this hour"

"Oh it's no worries, My shift ends at 6am anyway" He turned over the back of the seat to get a look at me, a portly older man, balding, he looked kind, though as you learned, looks can be deceiving.

"Aww the little one is so sweet, all tuckered out" I gave him a quick smile before dropping my head again 

"Thank you, I can only hope she's dreaming " 

He nodded and whispered "Lets get you someplace safe, Don't worry, the cameras are off" 

I looked up to him again, a sense of relief, support and safety in those words alone " Thank you" I whispered to him as my eyes welling up and tears threatened to fall. As the taxi drove away, the weight of what you were doing fell on your shoulders,  With all hope in the world that this time, this was the final time, that this was escape. 

---

The lights of the city disappeared as you drove further to the country side, Eva didn't rouse once, Driving did always manage to make her fall right to sleep. 

As the car turned off the main country highway up a hill, lights were dotted along the drive way , leading up to a large complex of buildings, in the center, the large dark wood, stain glass windowed chapel that hid among the hills of your city. 
I remember as a teen growing up kids talked about going up there as dares, saying it was haunted or abandoned, or saying those who lived there were Devil worshipers or crazy sex cult members, but not on really ever knew the truth, over the years more buildings were built there, but no one who resided there would ever made their way into our town, at least, not obviously.

The car pulled up to the main doors and lurched as the driver stepped on the breaks. 

The driver turned around as you were gathering up our bags and pulled out my envelope with cash  "There wont be any charge" 

"Oh please I have to give you something" 

"Knowing that I'm getting you and your little one to a safe place, it's payment enough, I hate to think about what that husband of yours did to make you want to run away"

No way, this man was too kind, you pulled out a $50 note and held it out to him " I insist, i know it's not how much you should be charging, but i want you to have it please." 

He sighed and took the note, lifting up his center console and pulled out 2 $20 notes  handing them back to you "And I insist that you have this to get your little girl something special. celebrate your new life" 

I leaned back and sighed, taking the notes from him " Thank you. truly" 

He nodded and winked at you " Do me one other favor, Tell the Cardinal that Joe says hi" 

I tilted my head . The cardinal? Was he a member of this secluded ministry or just a friend? Someone of such high ranking known to be at this location? It didn't matter now, I collected our bags and slid out of the car into the cold night air. 

The taxi only waited for moments before driving away behind you, The building ahead of me was large and intimidating. Like any other old style church, beautiful. ornately carved with creatures sure to be telling a tale of some kind, up close I could see how well upkept the building was, no cracks or broken windows. who ever lived here certainly cared enough about it. Certainly not like the rumors from the high school days. 

One quick look to Eva, Still blissfully asleep and unaware ,I whispered to her " I promise, I'll keep you safe my love" a kiss to her tiny patch of fuzz on her head and I knocked on the door hard, it boomed and echoed. 

Over and over I knocked, pounding away, minutes continued to pass, and no one came, 

My heart began to sink, if this place was really abandoned, or if everyone was asleep, with every pound of your fist on the door, it felt like no one was coming. 

The words of the taxi driver in my mind, The Cardinal, he must come, was it a cruel joke? was he just teasing me? 

Eva began to rouse from the loud booming, she wiggled against my chest, and began to cry, loud screeching, 

"Shh Shh sweetheart it's ok" I tried to sooth her with my free hand but it was all too much. 

If no one really was here you could at least take shelter in one of the other buildings, I couldn't go back, I'd be dead either way, I stay here and starve Or I go back there and face my husbands wrath. I can't do that, not again, My eyes sting, my throat is burning, My baby is screaming, It's all so much, all I can hope for is an answer.

I dropped to my knees cradling Eva close, tears falling off my chin onto Eva's head and my jacket. "I'm sorry Eva" I whispered to her over and over.

My arm was too heavy and my knuckles burned, I dropped my arm around Eva's Bundle, rocking forward and back, begging for her to calm, but her crying was endless, mixed in with your own crying.

The door shuddered behind you, a loud thunk of a lock and rusted old hinges whined as the door peeked open behind me "Oh my dear!" I looked up from the ground to see an older woman dressed in a robe with her hair pinned in curlers , she dropped down to her knees in front of me and placed her hands on my shoulders " Oh sweet one what's wrong?" she placed a hand on Eva's head but didn't break eyesight with you.

"Respite, please,,, I beg for respite" was all I could choke out through sobs, my throat burned like I'd swallowed acid.

The woman just nodded " Come in" she stood up and took hold of your arms and lead you inside to the chapel, as you'd expected in any other church, rows of pews, dimly lit from the candle lights. The older woman hurried us over to a pew 

"She's hungry dear, it's best you feed her"  The woman sat me down and took the bags from my shoulders and placed them beside me on the pew, 

I looked down to Eva who was suckling at my skin. her cries sounded like the Neh sound. " you're right" I whispered as I undid my jacket and looked around, it was just the two of you here, she looked like an experienced mother, maybe a grandmother, I rearranged my shirts and let her lay on her side as she latched to my breast to feed, the pain still was raw but something you'd become somewhat used to, but it never helped. 

For now she was calm 

"let me have a look at you dear", She tilted my head to the sides, and lifted my sleeves "you've been through the ringer haven't you,

"Now, You can call me Sister Imperator, tell me your name dear? and who's this sweetheart?" She removed her robe and draped it over your lap and your arms to keep the two of you warm and covered.

I told her my name and told her Evas name, 

"Beautiful names, There's no need to beg for help, our doors are open, are you in any state to tell me what happened? you don't need to go into detail i just want to prepare our people to help you" 

 "I had to run," i choked out, "My.. husband.. he's been hurting me, he's...controlling and aggressive, it got worse when she was born. " the tears falling down my cheeks  

She slid to my side and wrapped an arm around my shoulders and placed a hand on my leg "He can't harm you anymore, not while you're here" she whispered to me, it felt was just a gentle embrace, a comforting gesture of safety, you'd heard those words over and over again before, every time you'd trusted those words, every time you'd been sent right back to him, it was hard to trust how much she meant it, but Ethan wouldn't dare come anywhere near this place, if only people knew how much of a superstitious man he was. 

Foot steps tapped up the hall way, imperator lifted her head " Not yet, Prepare a set of quarters with a nursery please"

"Yes Sister, I'm to let you know that Papa has woken, would you like his council?" a small woman called to her, She was dressed in black satin pyjamas, hair pinned back into a braid and simple slippers, unusual for a nun. 

Sister leaned down to whisper "Would you be ok with the presence of our leader of the chapel? He is a man but very gentle"

I took a deep breath to calm my tears and nodded, the Leader, surely he's responsible for his flocks safety, what about a stranger with a baby? "Yes, that's fine, Eva will be done soon" I whispered out

Sister looked back to the small nun and nodded " Tell Papa he's welcome here" 

"Yes, Sister" the nun walked back into the dark hallway, Eva had once again fallen asleep at my breast , her head resting limp on my chest. 

"Oh don't you love the look on a new borns face when they're milk drunk" taking your jacket and flipping it inside out " Would you like to hand her to me and you can cover yourself up? I'm not going anywhere" 

I nodded and maneuvered her out of my arms and the wrap into Sisters arms, still holding the blanket "She will still want her mothers smell, it'll keep her calmer" she whispered cradling Eva like an utter natural 

I shuffled my boob back into my bra and pulled a handkerchief from my pocket into my bra, still dripping with milk, constant reminders your still a cow. 

"She is rather small, Was she born early?" Sister asked, holding her finger next to Evas hand

"Yes, 6 Weeks premature, but she was only in the NICU for a week, She's a fighter" you whispered, pulling the blanket back over her foot,

"Just like her mother" Sister smiled at you, it warmed your heart to hear that someone was on your side. 

A new set of foot steps echoed from the hallway, but faster, heavier, more frantic 

"Sister?" An unfamiliar, accented, voice called, Sister looked up from her spot and smiled 

"Cardi, We have a runaway, seeking refuge" 

I looked behind her to see a middle aged man, dressed in all black, a disheveled presentation as his buttons were slightly undone and he was only wearing one leather glove, slightly messy brown hair peppered with the odd grey streak, One of his eyes stuck out as being stark white, maybe a similar injury to one David Bowie, he looked too young to be a leader of this grand church, surely he wasn't even in his 50s yet, .

The man sighed seeing the state you were in, "A Runaway? here?" and crossed around the pew to stand in front of us, pushed the pew in front forward and dropped to his knees before you, his features glowed in the dim candlelight, certainly handsome,  "And she has brought il bambino, oh dear" he gave a sad smiled at the sleeping bundle in sisters arms, happy to see a child, but sad that she's here under such circumstances " Remember to give the baby back this time" he instructed,  I couldn't help but giggle, she looked like a natural as a grandmother. 

He placed a hand beside you on the pew to keep his balance "I am Papa Emeritus the Fourth, You can call me Copia, My clergy will be sure to keep you safe from what ever you have been through, no questions asked. " 

I couldn't help but smile, it was heart warming despite having heard it before, it felt like a promise rather than just a statement this time. 

"I will only ask, You are aware you've come to the Satanic Ministry? not a Catholic or Christian church" He sat back on his heels 

" I know, everywhere else gave me back to him, he wouldn't dare come here. If God has failed me so, then I'll make a deal with the devil to keep my daughter safe"  I assured him, not a hint of doubt in your voice.

Papa looked to Sister with a disappointed and frustrated look, Sister shook her head and pursed her lips " Well you wont need to sign any contracts or make any deals, We will do everything to keep anyone who seeks help" he placed a hand on mine, but i couldn't help but flinch, He didn't pull away " May I?"  he whispered and gently tugged at the cuff of your shirt 

Sister said that they didn't get runaways very often, nodded, he took your hand in his left, and pushed the sleeve of your shirt up to reveal hidden Bruises, Cuts, remainders of burn marks, Both Sister and Papa let out a long sad sigh, shaking their heads still, I looked away from the both of them, the embarrassment, the hurt, the results of my cowardly nature to stay. 
Papa slowly pulled the sleeve back down over your arm "I am so sorry you've endured this. I can not guarantee that you will never be hurt again, but I will do my best to ensure you will never be hurt in this way, ever" Papa put weight into the last Ever. I couldn't look away from his mismatched gaze, even when a stray tear fell from you eye. 

"Sorry" quickly wiping them from my face " It's been a long day " 

Papa stood up and sat beside you "No need to be sorry. Now, very quickly, Can you tell us what you've done to make sure he wont follow you? Besides walking into the devils church asking for help from the first grandma you meet? " 

I took a slow breath and pointed to the bag " I brought only what I needed, ID, Passport, Cash, birth certificates, I left my phone and any technology at home so he can't track me, no one would have been able to see me leave on any cameras, or track me, I called a pay phone for a taxi here under a false name. Um....Joe.. he told me to tell the cardinal that he says Hi" 

Papa let out a surprised laugh and leaned back "Oh, I haven't been called the Cardinal in a while" the serious nature gone

"Not true" Sister imperator pipped up 

"You don't count, you still believe my father is - "

"There's children around, Cardi" 

He held his hands up in surrender " For later then"  

"So.. is Joe, the Taxi Man.. Is he apart of this church?"  I had to ask 

Papa stretched his arm up and behind his own head, ruffling his hair, debating what are the right words  "He is, but he's a uh... well. he serves in his own ways, It's all we can ask from some who can't commit their life to the ministry. but they do the old ones work where we can't" he chuckles " He does sometimes come here for the odd game of poker"  

I looked to my knees and sighed " if um, if my husband does come looking for me, I can't go back"

"You've done the all the right things, We will not let you go back to him" Sister whispered "Not if we can help it"  

I nodded " I can cook, or clean, I can help out around here, Earn my keep" desperate to be able to give back, you've always learned that life is not a luxury, you must earn your keep

Sister shook her head " Nonsense, you have a little life that needs all your attention. If it becomes too much we can assist with you nursery services. you've been through so much, You've asked for respite, We will offer you anything as if you were one of the members of the ministry" 

Papa nodded "And you are welcome to join us for mass, If you wish to learn more about our church I will gladly teach you myself. Who better than from Papa himself" 

I smiled at him and nodded "God has failed me, everything the church taught me was out of fear, So if what they fear is Satan, Then I'm open to learning about him. Why has his ministry welcomed me and made me feel safer than anywhere else?" 

Papa took my hand in both of his and gave them a gentle squeeze "We let the world judge and misunderstand us, Blissful ignorance, because those who are brave enough to ask are brave enough to learn, and that is what we welcome"  lifting my hand to press his lips to your fingers. a moment of silence between you all.

"Welcome home dear" Sister imperator whispered "Now, let us get you both to your safe haven." standing from the pew, handing Eva back to you.
Papa stood and picked up both the bags 

"Oh please I can carry them-" 

"I can carry a couple of bags, you're carrying little ..uh.." Papa raised a bag over his shoulder 

"Evaleigne. but I call her Eva" 

"A beautiful name" he whispered and nodded "Come now" 

Sister turned and lead you both out of the pews, through the hall ways. Pointing out the artworks and monuments along the way until you came to a wooden door that was ajar, inside a warm glow. 

"This will be your home " Sister pressed the door open, inside was a humble little flat, an open living space with a kitchen area to the far side of the room and a large window leading out to a balcony. there was a couch, a coffee table, a small TV on the wall, a book shelf with a few selected options of books, and a box with what looked like some children's toys. The rooms were warm and inviting.

In the kitchen a simple table,  with 3 chairs, a high chair off to the side "The kitchen will be fully stocked for your needs, but if we missed anything just let anyone know" on the counter was a selection of bottles for Eva. 

"Through there is a full bathroom, and through here is your bedroom, and there is a second room should you chose to have the little one in a nursery room of her own. but for now there is a crib in your bedroom" Sister gestured to the other doors of the room, Papa walked into the bedroom to place our bags down. 

I walked into the bedroom, in the center of the room was a large plush bed, simple covers and pillows, a painting. and to the left was a Wooden crib with a mobile hanging above it, The crib back at home was just a plastic hand me down from my husbands sisters children. better suited for travel than to raise a baby, this was something I hoped my child would be living in. Without a moments thought, leaned over and lowered Eva to the mattress , she was out, comfortable. I took off the wrap and placed it around her, a comfort so she would not rouse in an unfamiliar place. 

Sister imperator and Papa were stood in the door way "Will this work?" 

"It's more than I could ever have hoped for. Thank you" I walked over to thank them "Um. Could I at least give you a uh... a hug?" 

Sister tilted her head and held her arms open "Of course dear"

I leaned forward to hug Sister imperator, she held me tight and rubbed my back, before letting me go. 

Then turned and smiled up at Papa , he held his arms open and I couldn't help but step into his embrace,  his arms wrapped around my shoulders, resting on my shoulder blade and on the small of my back. it was strong, warm, and tight. I could hear his heart beat racing. a Very good hug. 

He stepped back and pointed to the bed " Get some rest, We will see you in the morning. We are just down the hallway if you need any help, 2 doors down on the right is mine, 4 doors on the left is Sisters " 

I nodded and let out a sigh " Thank you, again" 

Sister gently clapped her hands together and nodded " alright, to bed with us all"  

The pair of them waved and nodded . making their exit from your humble flat, closing the door behind them. 

I watched them go, then went to sit on the bed, a bed all to myself, I haven't had this in years. 

Notes:

If you are ever in a position where the need to run away from an abusive relationship or situation ship that puts you in danger.
There are many facilities out there to help you, If you are ever in the position our reader is in, there is never any excusing that behavior, there's no excusing the theft of your autonomy, there's no excuse for abuse.

All you have to do is ask for that help.

If you are in that position, Just know I send you all my love, As this tale is hopeful to tell, you can grow from abuse, from your weakest, you are still strong. you are still brave, so long as you have the drive to stay alive.

Chapter 2: Assessment

Summary:

The first morning waking up in the Ministry, It's going to be hard to break out of routines, Papa comes to check in on you and the little one and to make sure you get the care you need. But you get more than a Physical check up.

Notes:

TW: Mentioned Past Domestic Violence and Sexual assault, Descriptions of Body parts and injuries, Burns, self harm , breast feeding, and poop.
If you are sensitive to any of these topics, maybe best not to read, but if you are ok, please go into this with an open mind and be aware.
This is a story of recovery and renewal, Growing from the pain of your past.

Papa and Sister walked slowly down the hallway side by side

"We've never had someone seek refuge from a situation like hers before. Where do we even begin?" Papa asked with his hands behind his back.

"We offer her whatever we can, we have promised her safety, support, the Christian churches and police stations have failed her. We will not fail her”.

"But there is so much going on for her, her Husband would surely come for her, from what she's told us and the bruises on her arms, he's violent. we don’t have full power of attorney to keep her”.

"Yet she is a grown woman in this modern age, if we can prove the abuse, we can help her legally apply for restraining orders and later, if she chooses, sue for divorce."
"We have that power?" Papa raised an eyebrow looking to her 

"We have the connections" Sister smirked and chuckled to herself “For now we help a single mother who has been abused seven ways to Sunday with a premature newborn. when she is ready to take steps for her safety, we will be there, and we will be patient until then"

Papa nodded thinking it over "It will be nice to have a bambina around the ministry again." Sister grinned and nodded " It will, Eva is such a sweetheart, Oh I hope she stays around enough to celebrate her."

Papa chuckled and stopped at her door " I'm sorry I couldn't provide you with a grandchild before now" 
"Oh stop it, one has just arrived at our doors" Sister unlocked her door and stepped inside

"Goodnight Cardi" 

"Goodnight Sister" 

Eva had woken up a couple times throughout the night to burp, needing a change, as she normally did, but so far, she couldn't tell any difference in where she was, thank goodness it didn't bother her. 

When the sun rose, the sound of only Eva's little coos and the sounds of birds outside the windows was calming, the lack of the loud snoring and heavy lump to Laurens side or even the sounds of the TV and yelling for breakfast was odd to her, it was almost disorientating.
Eva was still asleep so she stood from the bed and walked out into the kitchen, looking through the cupboards they were in fact fully stocked, snacks, sauces, spices, cans and jars , then cups and plates off to the side. 

Lauren found the instant coffee and the sugar, put water into the electric kettle on the counter and let it boil, in the fridge, not as fully stocked, but inside were a variety of basic groceries. including what looked like a couple plastic tubs with leftovers in them?  on the top was written "Chicken Alfredo, fresh vege" another was " Cottage pie".  they must be left over meals from dinners before, a lovely addition. She picked out the whole milk from the fridge and put together her coffee. 

Lauren instincts told her that she needed to make a big hangover breakfast, but her husband wasn't here, there was no hung over man here, the only other mouth she need to feed relied on what she ate. 

So, Lauren decided to make something simple, Fried egg on toast, The kitchen was simple and set up in an order that just made sense. pots and pans underneath the counter, it was nice to just make what she needed, One egg, one piece of toast with a little butter. She cleaned as she went and left it to dry. 

Lauren took her breakfast back into the bedroom to sit on the bed to eat and wait for Eva to wake up. 

The urge to grab her phone and check for messages was quickly dashed realizing she'd left her phone behind, unable to check, she’d told no one where she went, not even her parents, not her best friend, everyone around her was an unreliable liability. No one knew if Lauren or Eva were alright or even alive, Laurens mother had no idea anything was wrong, and Laurens never had the heart to tell her, they're going to find out the hard way. 

Her anxiety was interrupted by the sound of Eva rustling and beginning to cry.
Breakfast on the bedside table, she shot up to pick the infant up from her crib "Oh Good morning Missy, Good morning" she sing sung as she cuddled her " you're hungry huh~ it's been exactly 4 hours since you ate anything oh no~" sitting back down and cradling the infant on her arm, lifting up her shirt and letting her back on the boob , draping her shirt over her head as finished her own breakfast " Oh that's good is it?  yeah, that's good stuff eh baby". The two of them both enjoying their breakfast together in the quiet of the morning. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Half an hour passed when a knock came at the door, Lauren walked out to the front door while bouncing and trying to get Eva to burp. 

Lauren opened the door to see Papa at the door "Oh Good morning, Papa”. 

"Ah, Good morning to you both, I just came to check in on you both” he stood in the doorway, wearing the same clothes as last night.

Lauren opened the door and stepped out of the way "Come in please, we’re doing really good thank you”. 

He walked in through the doorway “Oh good, good, why are you dancing?"

"Oh, this is how you get the gas out of baby so she's not in pain later, her muscles haven't developed the strength to move the gas on their own, not until about 7 months or so, so we have to agitate the little belly to let the gas back up and out” continuing to rub her back, she was looking bug eyed and confused over her shoulder 

"Oh, the poor things, forgive me I don't know a lot about child raising, I was never a father myself" 

"That's alright Papa, I don't know a lot either. I read so much and still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing sometimes" She turned around " Say good morning to Papa, Eva, Say Hi"  

Papa walked up behind Lauren and leaned over to pat her bouncing head " Ahh~ Buongiorno Bambino, Come Stai, non sei così carina?" 

Eva smiled and reached out to him, letting out a small coo. 
Lauren stopped bouncing for just a moment “yeah?"  

Papa reached forward and let her take hold of his finger in her whole hand "She is so tiny; I forget this is how humans begin" 

Eva let out a loud belch, and Lauren felt a warm liquid rush down her back and down her leg, she pressed her lips together and shut her eyes, well this is slightly embarrassing.

"Oh uh... she..." Papa, surprised, turned around looking for the tissues" She threw up" 

Lauren laughed and held Eva out " Did you spit up in front of the leader of the Satanic Church? did you? Good girl" Lauren chuckled, pulling her back in to rest on her other shoulder and turned to face him "It's ok, it’s what happens when she drinks too much. It comes with the title of Mum; The M in Mother stands for Maid after all. "  

Papa rushed over to the kitchen to grab a towel, splash some water on it, returned to them by the front door and dropped to his knee " Can I at least clean you up?" 

"Oh, you don't have to" looking down to him, a little flushed, her husband never offered to help with cleaning.

"It's just spit up, believe me, some of the things around here are worse than baby spit with mothers’ milk, believe me" he widened his eyes like he'd seen some things

She couldn't imagine what he meant at all, it was such a kind gesture, so She nodded "If, you're sure. I'll have to have a shower time when she naps next though " 

Papa gently held her leg as he cleaned the spittle from her calf "I could watch her if you want to shower " 

"Isn't it's Sunday, shouldn't you have mass to be preparing for?" 

"That's in the evening " he bundled up the towel and tossed it onto the table "I don't mind sitting with the bambino while you wash up” standing back up, resting a hand on her back 

"Alright, she should have a little tummy time anyway, I won’t take very long at all." moving to shut the door behind her with her foot. "Can you go to Papa for a little bit huh?" stepping closer to Papa so she can hand over Eva into his arms, he cradled her holding her head, looking a little nervous like he'd not held a baby before, hovering her hands beside her as he adjusted to hold her close "You got her?" 

"Yeah, Yeah I do" he whispered, Eva opened her mouth and reached up to hold onto the fabric of his shirt "Hello there" he whispered, smiling down at her, then walking over to sit down on the couch "Please, take your time, I know from experience that a hot shower can help in more ways that just cleanse herself"  

Seeing him hold her baby filled Lauren with joy, having the support from someone else was still strange to her, All the grandparents wanted to do was cuddle a baby, a grandchild, still all the chores were left for her to do, but he wanted to hold her so he could help her.

"Can... Can I at least make you a coffee?" she offered, making sure he would be comfortable with her, rushing towards the bedroom to find her tummy time book 

"No need, just take care of you, if you need any help at all, just shout, we will be here" he called from the couch, the sounds of Eva's giggles could be heard, she walked back out with the book, her dummy and her stuffed rabbit, 

"If she gets fussy, try giving her the dummy “squeezing Eva's foot and walking to the bathroom, it was such a cute sight to see. 

"Understood" he called from the couch 

Lauren couldn't get the idea of leaving her baby alone for even a second out of her mind, all her care and responsibility had been put on her. Lauren rushed through her routine, watch hair, scrub body, quick leg shave, brush teeth, face scrub down. washing down the scabs on her arms, trying not to aggravate the still rather fresh wounds. Lauren stepped out of the shower and dried herself down quickly, putting her fresh underwear and fresh clothes on, wrapping her hair in a towel, putting her clothes in the hamper by the door and stepping out. 

Papa had readjusted her to rest be sitting on her tummy on the couch, He was sat on his knees at the front of the couch , resting his head on his crossed arms,
Eva was holding her body up on her own, occasionally dipping her body down but regaining the strength to push herself up as best she could, she was "looking" at the pictures on the book with that wide eyed look on her face all over again, but holding his finger while she did. 

"Do you see the cloud? it's a fluffy shape huh. that's where dreams are, when there's so many dreams, it brings rain" He turned to look at Lauren standing at the door frame " She is so strong, her head is so strong" 

Lauren wishes she could capture this moment forever, such a sweet sight, she'll just have to commit the image to memory, Lauren walked over to the side of the couch and leaned down, gently patting her bottom " That's my strong girly huh~" sitting on the arm of the couch 

"Yeah, Mumma knows you're so strong" he cooed and gave her a bright smile. "Do you feel better?" 

"I feel clean, thank you for watching her, my husband wouldn't watch her, so I had to take care of myself when she was napping " Lauren rest on the side arm of the couch

Papa’s smile faded, he shook his head he sat back on his heels to look up at Lauren from the floor "That's not ok, you created a life, a sweet little innocent principessa, your body has gone through so much to create that life, even if she'd come early, that would have been so stressful for you, I know that much. Have you been seen by a doctor for your own recovery?" 

Lauren shook her head " I haven't been able to, It's all about her 24 hours of the day"  

"If you will indulge me, I would like it if you both went to the infirmary for a quick check up, if there's anything that hasn't been found or cared for, we would like to find out how to help you." Eva pulled his finger closer and started to press it to her lips and lick it. "My hands are clean I promise"

"It’s ok, she'll need to be exposed to things as she grows her immune system, I have her medical notes with me though that could help” avoiding the subject about herself. 

" That is indeed handy, but you are in our care, we would like to assess you both"

There was no avoiding it, Lauren leaned down to hold her kicking foot " Alright, uh do we need to make an appointment?"  

Realizing he'd gotten through to her, Papa smiled and shook his head " Nope, if I will let them know to prepare, say in an hour is that enough time? " Papa pulled out his phone to text someone "You didn't bring any other equipment with you for the Bambino though, is there anything missing? I don't know if there's a stroller or a uh... seat for the car in here" 

"No, I haven't been into the nursery to see actually, but I can carry her in the wrap until I can buy a new one " She looked around 

"Oh no need to buy one, we can source one, easily" Texting away like a teenager addicted to their social media " The Ministry has the funds to spare really, I would know, don't tell Sister that I know though" 

She couldn't help but laugh "Shouldn't you know? you're the leader of the church" 

"Sister is here most of the time, sometimes I have to bounce between other ministry's or go on tours."  he shrugged and put his phone away and leaned over to watch Eva blindly look around at anything she could track onto, reaching out and grabbing the book, pulling it to her, 
So he wouldn't be around? he'd be leaving soon? 
"So, she's like a uh... Vice Papa...Mama...."

His face twisted as he cringed and shook his head "No I am not allowed to call her Mama" 

She chuckled, Eva froze in her spot and gave Papa a wide-eyed look " So shocking, I can't call her mama eh" he chuckled, then raised a brow as he realised, she wasn't moving "She's frozen"  

"Hold on a moment" the two of them sat and watched her, until she kicked out her feet and let out a very wet fart Papa sat back in shock "How can a tiny creature make sounds like a crusty old man? " 

Lauren couldn't hold back her laughter, this was normal to her, reaching down to pick her up and hold her out a little, waiting for her to let out the second wind " Babies make the weirdest noises, if she doesn't spit up when she burps, she sounds like she belongs at a pub.  Wait until she starts talking, then it's all over" she kicked her feet and let out another fart " Ok, I'll change her really quick, and we can go " 

Papa stood up from his spot and walked over to the kitchen to open the curtains and the windows “I'll be here" 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wiggly baby changed and dressed for the day ahead, baby all wrapped up against her body.  

Lauren walked out of the room with the baby bag over her shoulder.
Papa walked over to her and held his hand out " Let me take the bag you have the baby" 
"It's ok, I'm used to carrying this wherever I go by now" 
He still shook his head and leaned down to take the bag from her. "I insist, let us go, this place is easy to get lost in, and I will have to introduce you to all the uh... going's on here. My assistants especially, their appearance can be alarming to the uninitiated"

"What, do you summon demons from the pits themselves?"  she joked 

"So, you know?"  he opened the door for her 

"What?" she froze "real demons?" surely, he was joking, that's just not possible

"Well, Ghouls exactly, they do look humanoid, but their features are slightly …inhuman. Their skills and loyalty however are beyond appreciated" he explained

"So, they're tame?" 

"Completely, well... Yeah they're tame, just watch out for Sodo, he's got a 'short' fuse" he winked,
Lauren raised a brow " so either he's actually short, or he get angry quickly?" 
Papa mimed measuring his height, then dropping his hand
Lauren walked out the door and he followed behind her "Watch out for the short one, Got it" 

"The Ghoulettes will absolutely love the baby though, there is no risk of the Ghouls harming the bambino, despite what Christian influence would lead you to believe" He explained

"Not all entities from Hell wants to harm or kidnap my baby, Good to know" She nodded, walking down the hallways 

"I'm sure they'd be more afraid of a mothers rage than they would be of me, given enough time" 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lauren made her way through the hall back to the chapel, in the daylight, The sun reflecting on the trio of stain glass windows depicting gruesome imagery, but she could still find the beauty in this imagery of Baphomet in the centre, Silver looking horned creatures to the left, and a trio of men in long coloured robes on the right. It wasn't clear if there was a story being told here.

Walking still through the other sides hallways, Women dressed in black gowns like nuns’ habits that she'd come to know but they slightly more styled and fitted, much more flattering to their body types or their own individual fashions, their hair covered with similar veils, Men dressed in black simple uniforms or cardinal cassocks.  Everyone that passed them waved and greeted Papa with a happy good morning.  
To the unknowing eye, it did seem like a welcome community of kind people, more people than she could have imagined for this place, it surprised her as well to see how many young people were here. to be fair it's not like Satanism was reserved for older people but still, it was refreshing. 

Papa turned to open a door and stood to the side " This is our Infirmary " Lauren walked in, the room was clean, made of stone, set up like any infirmary would be, a set of beds lining the wall with monitors and curtains, 

"It looks very professional. So, do you have a Paediatrician here? " Lauren turned around in a circle looking at everything. 

"They do indeed” A woman's voice calls out walking out, a typical doctor, White coat, dark scrubs, ginger hair tied back "Hi, I'm Doctor Penny Midford " she held her hand out to shake, which she does " And who's this little one?"  she leans over to get a look at Eva who is face into her chest 

"Hi Doctor, I'm Lauren, this is Evaleigne " wiggling Eva out of the wrap to hold her facing out at the doctor, holding her hand and holds that out too, Penny shook Eva's tiny hand as well " It's a pleasure to meet you Evaleigne What a pretty name, oh what a grip on you” Eva holds Penny's finger and refuses to let go  

"So, Papa what are we doing today?"  Penny stands up, surrendering her finger to the infant, 

Papa was standing by " We would like to get a general check on the health and recovery for both mother and daughter, it sounds like there may have been a traumatic birth and recovery experience, and the Bambino was born 6 weeks early so I would just like to be in the know of overall health status. " 

Penny nodded along and looked to Lauren " Do you have previous records I could look over? I'll do a full check-up anyway but just to be sure what other doctors noticed or haven't noticed" 

Lauren pointed to the bag " They will be in the main pocket, it’s mostly Eva's records “Papa searched through the pocket she pointed to for the papers hidden behind diapers. 

"Alright, well let’s start with Mum and we'll let baby go second" Penny pointed to a booth " Could you change into a gown? I'll take her while you do that"  

She handed over Eva to Penny and walk into a small booth, a pile of folded up cotton hospital style gowns sat in a wicker basket in the corner  

"Papa, you don't need to stick around if you have preparations to make, she will want some privacy anyway " Penny reassured as she cradled Eva on her shoulder 

"Oh no no, I'm here, I am all ready for tonight, Sister is taking care of any other preparations, I am free to keep Lauren safe" he reassured, “But I understand, I will go over here" He pointed to a bed and went to sit on it, away from view. 

Penny followed him over and passed Eva over to Papa to sit in his lap "since you're staying. " 

Lauren walked out in the gown and went to sit on the bed by Doctor Penny, her arms and legs now bare, only the tip of the iceberg

Penny drew the curtains all the way around and pulled her instrument trolley over, she was gentle with her, asking permission to touch her every time, explaining every little thing she was doing, as she had to do Penny asked about her health history, testing her extremities and reflexes for any long term damage,
Penny paused for a moment , gently tracing her fingers over the edges of the scars, over the various fading burn marks on her arms. "I dread to ask, but these burns and scars look too deliberately placed and too frequent to assume that you're this clumsy."

It was going to become a regular story Lauren may have to tell to many strangers, no sense in letting stage fright catch her now
"My husband would get very angry, he'd press the pans I was cooking with to my wrist if I wasn't cooking something he liked, he was very forceful, but I ran them under water like I’m supposed to but they're still.... fresh " 

"So, this was happening recently?" 

Lauren could only nod " most recent was 3 days ago " she pointed to a rather fresh burn on her upper arm, just above her elbow.

"Was this happening during your pregnancy?"  

Lauren looks away from penny and nodded again "This has been happening since we were engaged 4 years ago" 

Penny nodded "Is there any other kind of … violence he committed to you?" 

Lauren swallowed the desire to make excuses for his behaviour, her heart sank as she had never been able to admit this to anyone, in the past Ethan would be spinning the abuse down to pure clumsiness, mental health issues and paranoia. He was quite charismatic and made people believe every tale he spun. He'd even explain away the sexual damage as post birth pain.
"He was very.... forceful. Whenever he wanted sex, it didn't matter what I was doing, it happened even without being able to say no, wherever and whenever" 

"After you'd given birth? it's not safe until 6 weeks passed" She placed a hand on hers 

"I know that I insisted on oral sex, but he says he wasn't satisfied” Lauren could feel her hands shaking as the tears continued to fall, her throat started to burn holding back sobs.
Penny sat beside her "It's ok now. Do you want to take a break?" she whispered
Lauren shook her head no.
"You're safe now, I won’t do anything you're not comfortable with” placing a hand on her back and gently rubbing small circles over her shoulder blades. "Let it out".

Lauren turned her head into her shoulder and let the tears fall , Penny she rest her head on top of Laurens, this ability to let out the years of fear into a total stranger’s shoulder didn't even cross her mind, Lauren felt safe enough to be able to tell someone who could be trusted, Moments passed, and the tears calmed down. But it was out, Lauren couldn't say her conscience was entirely clear but able to feel safe to tell someone who wouldn't think she was just a stressed-out housewife and new mother, all of this helped her to calm down back to reality. 

"We all need a good cry sometimes" she said just to her, "Are you willing to continue? I'd like to see if there was further damage" 

Lauren nodded and sat up, wiping her face with the sleeve of the cotton gown. 

"Alright, Lay back on the bed, pop your legs together, up to your bottom, and relax your knees, you know how it goes" Penny shuffled down the bed and picked up a blanket to drape over her lower half, lifting up the blankets to her knees and leaning down to take a look, "Oh fuck" Penny cursed under her breath "Are you alright if I gently touch your Labia and Vulva? " 

"Yes, it’s ok, I might twitch though" Lauren rest her head back on the pillow looking straight up to the roof, 7 and a half months of exposure like this wasn't anything new to her now

"Ok, I'm touching now"  she called, her finger gently tracing along her Labia Majora, gently touching her labia minora to expose the inside of her vulva, and gently tracing a line down the line of stitches where it'd torn in child birth "One of your stitches has actually popped and caused damage here, There are signs of very rough sex, tearing and more bruising, oh honey did he not know what Lube was?"  

Lauren couldn't help but giggle nervously " Honestly he believed lube on condoms was enough, but then he stopped using them so no" 

"What the hell?  Don't tell me he insisted that condoms just ruined everything" 

"Yup!" Lauren groaned and looked away

She let out a loud groan " Honey, I'm so sorry" she sighed looking down her legs, more scars and scratches on the inner legs, then draped the blanket back over her legs and stood from the bed "Would I be allowed to take images of these bruises? it may help in the case you chose to pursue legal charges," 

The thought of pursuing legal action, it'd put her in a very vulnerable position, it would make him so angry, who knows what he'd be capable of.
but Lauren nodded and lay down flat, it'd help her case needing to keep Eva in her life, Penny walked out to grab a camera from her cabinet, "Can you take your arms out of the gown? you can keep yourself covered however you want"

Lauren did just that, exposing the scars and scratches all down her arms, keeping her eyes shut as she took pictures.
"Now I know this will be uncomfortable, and we're about to get very close very fast but can I take pictures of your Vulva for the case please" 
"Yeah... if it'll help, promise you won’t sell them" she spread her legs again, and with a few clicks it was over.
"Ok, Thank you, I promise you that this won't ever see anyone who isn't authorized or of legal authority"  

Lauren nodded and sat up, covering herself again " Do you need any samples of any kind?"
"I would like to do a blood test, maybe I'll call you back for some swabs if the blood comes back inconclusive, if that is alright with you" Penny stood up put the camera down and lifted up a small tray with the blood testing vials. 
Lauren held out an arm and let Penny draw 3 vials of blood. Surely, she'd had enough blood tests to save a fat man by now

A tiny cough, turning into a frustrated cry echoing through the chambers, her heart raced remembering Papa and Eva were just a sheet of fabric away, having heard everything, her face flushed bright red, she wasn't alone after all of that.  "You want to see your Mumma huh?  Is Mama able to see you yet?" Papa called out from the other side of the room 

Lauren looked to Penny who nodded "All done here “she called out and stood up, placing a hand on her shoulder before walking out with her chart, the trays, and the camera to her office. 

Lauren sat still on the bed when Papa walked around cradling Eva in his arms " See, there she is", Eva's little hand was reaching out for her as she lay against Papa’s chest, Papa handed her over gently cuddling her over her shoulder again "Hi Baby, did you miss me?" Eva grabbed a length of her hair as she wiggled and calmed from her warmth. 

Papa stayed standing in front of Lauren, fiddling with the fingers of his leather gloves “Um.... everything you said was very confidential, very concerning and upsetting to hear, while this isn't a confessional, you can be sure that nothing will be heard or seen from anyone without the authority, I promise. That is the respect that you deserve, I will not repeat it to anyone." 

Lauren dropped her head to look down at Eva, after what he's heard now how she could look him in the eye. "You'll have to forgive me for not saying anything sooner" 

"Nonsense, you're free to tell me when you are ready. There is nothing forcing you to disclose your fears or your story to us. But you are already much stronger for being able to admit what you've been through" He whispered and sat beside her "You'll hear that a lot around here " 

Lauren couldn't help but smile down at the infant on her shoulder "I had to lie to everyone that everything was wonderful in my marriage, it will take a little time to come to terms with what happened and for reality to hit that I don't have to do that anymore" 

"That must be a relief " He placed a hand on her arm "May I uh..." 

Lauren shuffled to his side, he wrapped an arm over her shoulders, gentle not to bump Eva's face and pulls Lauren to lean against his side. 

"I make this promise to you, My Child, I will do everything within my power to be sure this man who has harmed you, He will never have access to you or your daughter again for my word is my oath to the old one, I will protect you until the day my heart stops beating, and my soul arrives at the gates of hell" he whispered to her this prayer. Lauren sank into his embrace by her side, allowing herself to be vulnerable with a man who for once wants to support her recovery and promises safety, they may have just been words, but they were words no one has bothered to say for her. It was nice to hear, though there was always a part of her mind that makes her question if he'd be able to follow through. 

Doctor Penny came back standing at the side of the bed " Do you want me to go ahead and check over Evaleigne? You can go get dressed Lauren"  

Lauren looked up and nodded "yeah That'd be good."  standing to hand over the Eva to Penny "I won’t be long baby girl" Lauren whispered to her as she went over to get dressed again in the booth. 

Eva was in perfect health, her weight was in the correct percentiles, her height was still a little small, but all her tracking's and development are perfect considering she was a preemie. 
She may have fussed around on the bed and nearly peed on Doctor Penny, but that's to be expected. 
Doctor Penny gave Lauren a pamphlet she wrote herself with the information on what the Ministry's infirmary can provide as well as the mental health and recovery service that can be provided. 
Lauren got Eva all dressed up again in her onesie, and back in the wrap after all the excitement, she fell right to sleep again. 

Papa had taken the bag back again and taken the two girls on a walking tour of the ministry, showing them around the mess hall and kitchens, The chambers, the gardens, the recreational areas, the little commissary that had for basic needs of the clergy, This ministry was well set up to be like its own little town so there was less need to head down to the town itself, a perfect seclusion from the outside world, 

Papa explained that based on the judgment from the outside world, the need to bring in these services to their property was for the clergy's protection.
It makes sense, a sense of safety should be a basic right, but it seems like kindness has been taken advantage of more and more these days. 

 

 

Notes:

Just for Clarity - in the first chapter joe the taxi guy called out " taxi for Laura" but her name is Lauren - She's was using a fake name for her safety so she couldn't be tracked.

Lauren- our Reader/You
Eva/Evaleigne (Ay-va-leen) - Baby girl~ 2 months old, born premature
Ethan- Ass hole
Doctor Penny - Duh, the infirmary's general practitioner extraordinaire.

Chapter 3: It takes a village

Summary:

You're introduced some of the Ghouls of the ministry over a casual dinner before you're invited to join the first black mass of your respite.

Notes:

I prematurely posted this last night instead of saving it as a draft , I've finally proofreader and updated this .
If you saw the original draft no you didn't ;)

Sunday night roast, 

• Leg of lamb
• Mashed potato's
• Roasted vegetables
• Boiled vegetables
• Gravy
• Bread rolls
• Seasonings
• Butter

6:24 

Ethan's parents are going to be here in 24 minutes, My parents will be here in 34. 

The table is set up for 6, plates, forks, spoons, knives. 

Glasses would come from the bar,

They'll serve themselves,

They always do 

Eva's in the bassinette wiggling away.

Good girl.

Check the fridge

6 cans of beer, 12 bottles of ale, 2 bottles of wine, a bottle of juice , and the pumped milk in the ice cream contained in the back of the fridge behind the tiramisu 

*BEEP* 

Potato's are done 

Off the stove, 

Drain the water, Butter, Milk, pepper, salt, mash mash mash, where's the fork? 

Whip, In a bowl

On the table, near Ethan's dad.

Somethings burning.

The bread rolls,

Out now, Ok, 

Hang on, not burned, they seemed 

yeah they're just a little more brown, not as much about Golden, 

Lets hope it's more flavor , 

if anyone asks, they're warm baguettes ok yes . 

On a dish, 

Near my mum.

*beepbeepbeep....beepbeepbeep* 

yes, yes I bloody hear you. 

Leg done

Lamb out, 

Stab it with the thermometer. 

Yeah that's cooked, 

Foil

Eva, yes Hello baby, 

No don't eat your hand, no no no

not nummy

Have the pacifier 

FOIL

Cover the meat, off to the side,

Let it rest. 

Roasted veges,

Out on the counter top, 

Fuck the pots boiling over.

Please no don't waste the peas please. 

Off the heat, drain

They have to be done by now for sure. 

This should be enough 

what's the time? 

6:45 

shit 

ok 

Lamb on the table, by Ethan

Mash is by Ethan's dad

Bread rolls by mum

Roasted vege by Ethan's mum,

Gravy behind that the liar, claim she wont have any.  

Boiled vege in front of me 

uh seasonings 

Salt and Pepper, Butter, in the center, 

Step back and look at it all. yes.. ok 

*BING BONG* 

6:47pm  

They're early

ok

Yes hello Helen, 

Yes She's all good, 

yes Helen she's getting plenty of food

Hello George 

No she's not getting any formulae, you're the one who said it would poison her 

Yes she's small Helen,

she was born 6 weeks early,

she shouldn't even be out of my body yet, 

Please don't pick her up she's falling a-

And you're taking her to the couch, 

ok well she's going to have a cranky night 

Excuse me, 

Just need to clean myself up. 

The bathroom. 

Lock the door. 

4 walls,

quiet,

just me,

the loo

and the the lady on the wall 

Oh she looks so tired, 

She looks like she's ready to go out, 

oh poor thing, there's a lot of stains that've been washed out but I know it's there

Honey it's ok, take a break

Can I?

---

 

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

"FUCK"

You jumped out of her sleep, having put Eva down for a nap and passing out on the bed beside her. 

Eva was shocked by the noise, rousing from her sleep, her face scrunched together as she started to cry 

"Oh, honey I'm so sorry honey it’s ok” Lauren leaped up from the bed, picking up Eva and cradled her over her shoulder, going to the door frame and calling "It's open! come in!" Eva screamed and clung to her shirt, Lauren started rubbing her back and gently swaying her side to side trying to sooth her. 

The door opens, Papa ran into the door of the bedroom, his hands bracing on the frame. " Are you alright? What happened? why is she crying?" 

"She just got spooked, It’s my fault for waking her suddenly ,I was asleep when you knocked, I'll have her down soon again, I promise" She was panicked, suddenly there was a guest and She hadn't had any chance to prepare anything, now Eva was crying it was all so much
"It is no worry at all, I'm used to the loud noises, Can I do anything?" he looked around like a lost puppy for any hint of how he can help, looking for a toy or a blanket or a dummy, something, anything that could help

"Can you take her for a second" stepping close to him and handing him Eva,

"Ahh ok" he held her close in his embrace, leaning down to pat her side gently "Come on little one, It's ok" 

Lauren leaned over the crib looking for the dummy, not on the mattress, Lauren dropped to her knees rushing to find it, of course it had been knocked out through the slats. She didn't even notice when Eva stopped crying, she reached under and grabbed the dummy under the bed, 

"Uh... she stopped" he stood there in shock holding her still, Lauren got to her feet and stepped to his side looking down at her in his arms, perfectly still, perfectly calm and asleep again 

"How did you do that...." she whispered as he gave Lauren a look to say he had no clue at all "I didn't do anything... Should I put her back down?" Lauren stepped back and out of the way, only nodding to tell him yes

He stepped over as slowly and careful as if he was holding a large bowl of water in a room of cats. Leaning over the banister to lower her down onto the mattress, leaning back away.
Lauren leaned against the end of the bed, just watching him put her down, He was so afraid of a baby, this man was the leader of a church the world is afraid of simply because of their interpretations of hell.
And yet he was gentle with her. He slowly stepped back up and held his hands to the side, letting out a breath he held " ok, Lets go, I have someone I want you to meet" he turning to leave , taking a hold of her arm leading her out of the room and closing the door behind them, Lauren did her best to smile, until she saw in the living room 5 people with a grey tint to their skin, horns on their foreheads, and all dressed in black.
Lauren stumbled back into Papas arm and clutched her chest " *gasp* oh fuck, you... oh you must be the ghouls ok " her heart racing, Papa wrapped an arm around her shoulders 

"Sorry, I would have warned you, but the little one was louder" he chuckled and rubbed her arm "Ghouls, Meet Lauren, our guest, Lauren this is the Ghouls."
Lauren waved at them all with no idea how in the world to respond, they did just look like, well, people. "Hi" Lauren mumbled giving a brave smile
"they're supposed to be nameless, but the fans have given them nicknames that just stuck" Papa mumbled as he pointed to them one by one

"Aether" The tall and stocky ghoul waved

"Mountain" a VERY tall and slim ghoul nodded holding a box of diapers

"Cumulus" A shorter perfectly curvy female ghoul waved

"Cirrus" a taller female ghoul guarding a stroller with a bag inside the seat

"Sodo" A shorter ghoul with long hair and a moustache "that's the one you need to be worried about" 

"Oi" he grumbled flipping off Papa 

"Where's Swiss?" Papa looked around 

"He's got the food" Aether gestured to the door 

"Food?" Lauren looked up to Papa 

"Oh yes we brought you dinner" Papa squeezed her shoulder

Lauren looked to the clock "It's 6 o clock, I thought mass begins at 8?" 

"It does that's plenty of time for us to get ready, there's a reason the other ghouls are not here yet" he chuckled 

At that moment they hear pounding footsteps racing up the hall, another ghoul appeared in the door frame " I... It's...so...fucking...hot" panting while clutching a chilly tote bag, bending over forward to catch his breath. 

"And that is Swiss" Papa mumbled 

He stood up " Hello" holding up the bag "Who's hungry?" walking over to drop it on the table 

Lauren looks around to her cabinets then around to her guests, very aware she so did not have enough cutlery and crockery to serve everyone " uh, uh, I don’t think I have enough bowls or plates for this" 

"No need, we got 'em" Swiss pointed to the bag 

"I don't have any drinks for you all just water " 

Aether pulled a bottle of juice from behind his back " Waters great too" he shrugged 

Lauren didn't need to do anything to entertain, this was such an odd feeling, but that's all it was.... odd.
they're prepared, organized, they all took the charge to serve themselves around the coffee table. It only dawned on her what they left behind.

"Sorry, is that a stroller?" Lauren pointed to the stroller now abandoned by the couch

Cumulus pushed it back and forward " Yeah! It's also a car seat or there's another option that lays flat so she can sleep" 

"That's so high end what? that must have cost at least $1000 " she looked up to Papa who held his hands up in surrender " I'm not the one who purchased, that's on Sister, it makes sense that all the functions come in one item if that is what you need" 

Lauren dropped her gaze to the ground, she couldn't have been able to have this for Eva on the money Ethan let her have.
Everything Lauren owned was hand me downs from family, most of the items from the baby shower or the registry were returned by Ethan for the cash. To have such a luxury item, brand new and not needing to repay had her nearly at a loss for words " Thank you I.. " 

"Don't thank us, thank you for trusting us with your safety. " Cumulus called 

Swiss opened the bag " You can thank us by having Beef and Broccoli stir fry with us and tell us about you" the smell of the Savory sauces and the well-seasoned beef wafting around the room was hypnotizing, her stomach growled so loud unexpectedly 

 " Alright mom come on, sit down and eat, it's still hot from the kitchen" Cirrus called walking over to bump Swiss out of the way of the bag.

Cirrus served Lauren a bowl of the dinner to her first, then the others serving themselves. Aether put a glass of juice on the table beside her. Whispering a Thank you to him, he simply nodded in answer 

Lauren hadn’t been able to relax like this and spend time with people since her days in university , everyone sharing a meal, sat on the couch or on the floor and enjoying each other’s company, It was such an odd feeling, she didn't need to cook, she didn't need to worry about everyone's specific needs, make sure the place was spotless and that she were dressed to the nines.

"So how much has the old man told you about this place?" Sodo called out with a noodle hanging from his mouth

"He's told me about the way your Mass's run, The previous Papas, How the clergy learn and work together, Oh about the Ghost project, that the fans fantasize about him being a vampire, what the world has wrong about the satanic church, uh" Lauren looked to Papa thinking about what else he talked about " You're going to tell me about the satanic tenants later right, find me some readings to learn" 

"There's no rush to learn, you’ve got plenty of time to learn at your own pace, you’re welcome to join us for Mass tonight, it only runs for an hour or so really, we could ask someone to keep an eye on the bambino for that time if you feel like you can get away for that time" 

Cirrus shot her hand up " I could stay! I love the little humans"

Lauren smiled so bright " She should stay asleep for a while now anyway; I could check her if she needs changing and try prep things for a bottle too if she gets hungry" 

Cirrus nodded "This isn't my first time taking care of a youngling, but at this age she's going to be very easy to care for, if I can't get her to sleep, I'll call on this guy" she elbowed Aether 

Lauren raised a brow " You're good with babies then?" 

Aether scratched the back of his head " uh, us ghouls all have different abilities, I'm from a line of ghouls with something called quintessence, a lot of it at the moment is used for calming emotions or boosting energy." 

"That could come in handy" Lauren mumbled thinking about the difficult times "If she gets colic, I'm definitely calling on you" 

He just laughed and leaned back " I'll bring the ear plugs" how they knew what colic was was beyond her, maybe mothers cursing the devil for causing it in their children, who knows

Lauren cleaned her plate a little fast and put it to the side " So what else can you all do?" 

Mountain spoke up first "Most of our abilities are based on elemental abilities. I'm an earth ghoul, I have the abilities to influence plant life and the earth around us, our bass player is called Rain who's a water ghoul, Sodo over there used to be a water ghoul but found he has the ability of fire, so he went from being dew drop to Sodo, for Sodomizer"

"Swiss is a Swiss army knife, he's got multiple skills and talents" Cumulus elbowed him "he still needs A little training out of the Feral tick during watcher in the sky."

"Hey, there’s something in that riff that just gets me going you know. But you two can't talk, you both might as well be sirens with the way you two sing, they're air ghouls so they can manipulate how much air it takes for them to hold notes" Swiss chuckled gesturing to the girls. 

"I'd love to hear your voices, if you're a multi award winning band you must be talented for sure" Lauren pulled her knees to hug them to her chest to relax. 

"Well maybe you'll have to come through the practice space sometime" Papa suggested finishing his bowl and putting it on the coffee table. 

Lauren nodded with a smile “I'd like that. Do you have any power, Papa?" 

"He's a hypnotist, He seduces the audiences with his dad dancing " Sodo called out with a smirk on his face. Getting a giggle or a chuckle out of the other ghouls.

Papa rolled his eyes and shook his head" No I'm just Human, I am an Emeritus though, which is what causes my Heterochromia" he pointed to his white eye. "Some call it the mark of the devil. like it's our birth right to be a vessel for the Morning stars whims" 

Lauren nodded along as the ghouls started bickering among each other. 
Mountain ghoul stood up and collected the bowls and took them to the kitchen, when she tried to stand up from the seat to clean, guests don't need to clean that's the hosts job, Cumulus grabbed onto her leg “Don't get up, It's his turn to clean, then its Rains, right?" Looking to Cirrus to confirm.

Lauren sat back down in her corner on the couch, "It's just been so long since I haven't had to do everything for a dinner party really, my husband kept the guests entertained while I kept everything else running, It’s the hosts job to make sure guests are here to relax and not have to worry about dinner for once a week"

The Ghoulettes tilted their heads "Wait so he just socialized, while you cooked and cleaned and kept the baby happy, did he do anything to help?" 

Lauren shook her head "Well he did keep the baby out of his mums’ hands all the time and makes sure she goes to bed on time" she shrugged and sighed " That's nothing helpful isn't it" 

The ghouls looked among one another "Well what did he do for your marriage then?"

"He worked, took care of all the money and the bills, He'd hold her when she was calm and play with her um... he cleaned the car..." She was struggling to think about any of his good values of his. 

Papa shuffled over and placed a hand on her shoulder " I think we can all agree that just because there's a few vegetables, it doesn't make it gourmet"

Lauren raised a brow "huh? My cooking is good" 

Swiss laughed " Nah, he's saying he's a piece of shit even if there's a bit of corn in him"

"Oh, that much is true" Lauren sighed, based on how casually she was able to talk about her husband a spark of anxiety crossed her mind " Has Papa actually told you the details of what lead me to come here "  

A hush took over the room as everyone looked down, that sense of dread was so thick, the room felt like it was full of mud.

Cumulus nodded before finally speaking up " Only the bullet points. We've already agreed that we wait for your say so before we go kill him. We know this isn't the first-place people think of when it comes to looking for help, it’s up to you to tell us when or if you want to" 

It was a relief to know they understood. Lauren appreciated the sentiment and the control from what she could only imagine were emotionally charged beings "I will be keeping that in my mind, but not yet. Not unless he does something like.... goes on TV and says ' I don't know where she's gone, I just want my lovely wife back and my wonderful baby girl' if he does something bullshit like that, then it's open season" 

Swiss sat up and cracked his knuckles "Hell yeah, I'll take watch on the news, he's a human skid mark, it's only a matter of time" 
"Ugh, that just means he's going to become an insomniac again... can't sleep with your tv on all the time you know" Cirrus groaned

Papa leaned over with a dark look on his eyes "Oh his murder would be sweet relief, I'm sure we have better ways to make it so he can't run from the consequences of his actions" 

"I... I don't know about that, I don't think haunting him would do make a difference" Lauren stammered,
"Uh... He's going to get what's coming to him, you don't need to protect him anymore, making fun or planning revenge is good for the soul." 

"It's going to take a lot to get out of the habits I've gotten into. I don't really know how to be myself the individual anymore” Lauren sighed " I don't know who I really used to be before I was married off" 

"Sorry...married OFF? " Sodo sat up from his spot 

"It's a bit of a story, but uh, His parents made Ethan marry me after he went home bragging that he'd 'scored' me for sure, they're not Christian or anything but he made it out to them that he had found the perfect girl and he had to have me, then you know how parents talk" 

"So, you didn't have a choice from the start" Sodo leaned forward 

"No, it was all orchestrated but our parents, but I think he manipulated everyone into getting me, Saw me as a... mouldable ideal...wife. " 

Sodo shook his head, his eyes started to glow a fiery red as he looked away, standing up from his spot and walking away from the group to pace back and forth 

"Sodo it's ok now-” she tried to call out.
Papa shook his head "This is him restraining himself, they all are" he whispered to her, now she could see that they were all looking to the ground taking deep breaths. "In some countries and in centuries back, the ghouls were called upon to cause the death of elder husbands who'd bought young children or were arranged marriages, it's a little sore spot for them, since it seems this day and age still hasn't learned that it's wrong

Swiss crawled over on the floor over to her side, " scooch" he mumbled, Papa pulled her into the centre of the couch as Swiss sat in her corner, wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her close into his embrace, just holding her there, Swiss was warm, he was strong, and she felt the need to just relax into him.

Mountain leaned forward and pulled the table away from the couch, The rest of the ghouls stood up from their spot, Mountain sitting on her other side, moving her legs to rest across his and holding her arm, the Ghoulettes sat in front of Lauren, resting their head on her legs, stroking their hands up and down her legs slowly.
Aether left to lean over the couch and rest his head on her shoulder, stretching his arms around Swiss and Mountain. 

Whatever it was about having five people holding her at once, the tension she'd been holding in her shoulders and her spine had relaxed, the tense muscle pain in her neck and in her spine/hips releasing like butter melting in a pot. Could it be their abilities trying to help calm the anxiety?  or could it just be the exhaustion being squashed by the compression 

"Papa, I think we have to excuse ourselves from mass " Swiss called, his head resting on hers 
"That would be up to your captive in there, Next mass will be Sunday evening" Papa called

Laurens eyes felt heavy, but she called out from his chest "nnnnnnooooo I want to go" 

Everyone chuckled under their breath breaking the tension, while Papa was trying to cool down the spitfire ghoul.

"Well, if you do want to go, we should start to make our way down to the chapel. it is about an hour until call time, and I still have to do my Papal paints" 

Lauren groaned and wiggled in Swisses arms " Can this happen again please? where have you been all my life"  

Aether mumbled into her shoulder " We were in the Pits of hell poking politicians’ butts until about 5 years ago” He chuckled and rubbed her shoulder once more before standing up and moving away to prepare the empty containers in the bags for recycling.

The Ghoulettes shuffled back and let her legs go "Could we meet the baby before we have to go?" Cumulus asked, Mountain shuffled to the side, standing up and walking Sodo out of the quarters.  The energy slowly coming back to her like she'd woken up from a daydream. 

Swiss finally letting her go, holding her hand as Lauren get back up on her feet making sure she doesn't fall or stumble. 
There was a lingering sensation through her body, almost like she was drunk on wine, but none of the downsides like loss of inhibition or judgment, 

"Yeah, if she's really down, I should be able to check her before we go with no issues " Lauren let go of Swisses hand and walked toward the bedroom "just give me a second to check on her" 

"I will be sure to see you after Mass" Papa waved to Lauren, "I'll see you there" she called in return.

Lauren ran through the basics of how to check and change Eva's diaper, how to feed her, but Cirrus did know a little about caring for younglings, she had about the same experience as a teen-age babysitter you'd have hired from down the street, 

If Lauren could go for one hour trusting someone else to care for her little girl, that would feel like the first step to learning to trust again.

Some of the sisters had brought her some clothes earlier in the day, by some miracle they were her size
Many of the clothes were a selection of hand me down habits and dresses, some pants and jumpers, comfortable clothes that had been outgrown or donated to the other siblings’ wardrobes. 
Lauren had thought it be best to dress like she was going to church, a dress and a cardigan, her hair tied back, and a comfortable pair of shoes and stockings were her pick. 
Cirrus told Lauren it looked nice, maybe a little over dressed, causing her the need to stop Lauren from changing into something else more casual

Swiss waited behind and escorted Lauren down the halls and to the chapel, where the crowd of siblings were gathering.
It looked like any other church gathering she'd had to attend, though with all the black clothing it looked like a funeral and candles, but there were too many smiles and excited chatter. 
Swiss took Lauren to the front of the church to sit in the front, usually reserved for senior members of the clergy, but for her first mass there was a space for her. 
Lauren was there to sit and observe. Lauren was always one to give something a try at least once.

When the bell tolls above, signalling 8pm, Mass started with the senior members of the church walking out to take their place at the front pews, then Papa taking his place on the stage. Though he was almost unrecognizable from the man on the couch an hour ago. 

He was draped in embroidered teal vestments, black and gold embellishments framing the robes he wore, on his head, he wore a skilfully crafted and decorated Mitre, MUCH too lavish for the catholic pope for sure. 
But the most prominent detail of his change were the black and white paints, drawn along what would be the nil spaces in his skull, Where the jaws separate and cross his mouth, The sockets where his eyes hide and pop at the same time, The white eye of his nearly glowing out from the black.  

He looked Powerful, Intimidating, Wise, on stage he became Charismatic, Confident, speaking with no hesitation or falter in his voice. It made her really want to listen and take in every word he said. 

Papas’ sermon was on the importance of undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit. Wisdom that is pure, based on experience and fact, research, the desire for truth. and the harm that lying to yourself can bring, not just to yourself but to others around you. Spreading incorrect information, using the anti-vaxers who would tell the scared and naïve that vaccines would cause more harm than it does as an example, and how holding information back from those who you love and trust can harm you, put you in a dangerous situation,
Papa reiterated to the audience that his door was always open, any member of the senior clergy was open to giving council to all of those who seek it.   
"You are walking your own path” he called, holding a beat of silence " Anyone else's approval is not ever needed" 

Papa finished his sermon with a prayer to the old one, the whole clergy repeating "nema" as he closed his book and exited the stage to join the front row of the clergy.

Sister imperator walked up onto the stage "Thank you Papa for your powerful readings. Now” Sister read out a list of notifications for the clergy, including acknowledgment of their new guests to the ministry, we are to be welcomed and if approached, cautiously.  It was appreciated. 

Sister dismissed the clergy; they all stood and made their way out towards the dormitories or to the front to Papa. 

Swiss stayed sat with Lauren while people were clamouring around the front blocking her way out. "What did you think?" 

"It was fascinating. It wasn't forceful, it wasn't fear mongering, it was informative, it felt powerful, Wise, carefully thought through" Lauren looked over to Papa speaking to a group of nuns "is that what he wears for all formal events?" 

"Well sort of, he has a wardrobe of different uniforms, but for mass that is what he's asked to wear, if he's not presenting, he wears something more casual so he can sit through readings without sitting on those stupid gems" Swiss shrugged 

"And the paints?" 

"The symbol of Papa, the Papacy, they are unique to every Papa, A unique reminder of mortality and all will come to an end one day. Though Copias is the most different from recently passed papas "Swiss pointed up to the paintings on the wall "Papa III" "Papa II" " Papa I" he was right they are all so different, but they all look like some form of a skull. 

"It's so... Handsome" Lauren whispered to herself. 

Swiss leaned forward and whispered "Told you he was a hypnotist" 

Papa walked back with Lauren through to the living quarters, both tired from the social interactions of the day. Papa wished Lauren a good night and hoping he will see her at mass again soon. 

Inside Cirrus was sat in the dim light, Eva cradled in her arms, feeding her a bottle prepped earlier "That's a girl, oh look, Mummy's back" 

"How was she? was she any trouble? " Lauren walked in and sat on the couch with her
"None at all. she needed one change, and now she's feeding. Tiny humans need to feed a lot huh" 

Lauren nodded and sighed "they really do. I'm just surprised she's taking a bottle, she never had when Ethan would feed her." Leaning over Cirrus' shoulder to tickle her fingers over her head " If you're comfortable here I'm going to change into something to sleep in" 

"Go ahead, she still has another couple ounces to go, so were good here" Cirrus was content in her spot on the couch.

It felt good to be able to rely on other people to keep her child safe, Lauren rushed to change into a pair of loose Pyjama pants and a t-shirt, hanging up the lovely dress back onto a hanger. 

Cirrus walked to the door rubbing her back “One belch and she'll be ready to go to bed, and you should to, go on, I'll get this one settled and you get some sleep while you can, then I'll be out of here" 

Lauren climbed into bed, unable to sleep while watching Eva in the arms of the ghoul, Cirrus was still a stranger, yet she was doing so well with Eva, it was nice to be able to reply on someone to help her out. 

Eva burped and was let back down in her crib "Good night, Lauren" Cirrus whispered as she walked out of the bedroom. Lauren could hear the front door closing soon after,

Sleep took over quicker than she imagined, her dreams filled with the memories of her college friends on the floor, the ghouls dotted in the crowd, talking about what kind of person she was going to become. or were. 

 

 

Notes:

Cirrus is one hell of a baby sitter ;P (SORRY)

Chapter 4

Summary:

TW: Described domestic violence, Described Rape/Non Consensual sex, Self Harm.
To ensure you are safe and set up a contingency plan, But it takes more out of you than you were ready for.
it's become regular for someone to bring you dinner, but this dinner was a welcome surprise. learning more about what made the ministry so welcoming to your call for help.

Notes:

This is a heavy beginning for a story, and again I have to reiterate this is what I WISH victims had access to. The ministry is a powerful place, we all know this.
Also have to note - this is a lovely AU where all the papas are alive and just retired~

Monday, it was best to get this underway as soon as possible

Sister Imperator helped Lauren to record and prepare a case detailing the accounts of what happened, what caused the bruises, cuts and burns, the damage in all the photos. Doctor Penny was present as a trusted professional who could be trusted to correctly detail the extend of the damage, along with a psychologist who was a part of the ministry, Doctor William usually working from the local hospital, Along with two police men from the towns precinct, both apart of the Ministry as well, everyone in this room could easily have been passed on the street and not had a second thought that these people were connected to the ministry. 

An IT Sibling had been brought in to access their joined cloud to obtain copies of the video footage from the security cameras kept around their home without being noticed or identified by the average analyst, no notification of access to the account from a new computer would be sent to any email, it's like she was going through the back door. Lauren felt like one of those hackers on TV, minus all the matrix code or fancy screens and hard hacking. To lighten the mood, as if he’d read Laurens mind, he did mumble "I'm in" like it was on tv, the nerves of the situation got to her but that put a smile on her face.

There were security cameras in every room, recording whenever there was motion, it captures the videos and audio, was time and date stamped. Ethan insisted on this after a break in when they were at her parents for Halloween. She'd complained to Ethan it made Lauren feel like she was on the Truman show, or if someone could have hacked in and watched them in their most private moments, exactly what they were doing now. 

Lauren gave times and dates of attacks that she could remember, June 23rd, May 18th, August 5th, October 15th, they were looked up easily and played on the screen.  Footage of Ethan grabbing her and taking her on the dining room table, Lauren remembered that night thinking it was spontaneity, what she'd been deluded into thinking was romance. As the footage kept on flashing on the screen, they could see how much more forceful he was on her as time passed, the nights of cooking where he'd press the burning hot pans to her arms, her arms tingling from the memory, watching him get worse and worse, even as her belly grew bigger and bigger, at least he took the care to not harm the baby,

The footage of Lauren and Ethan bringing home Eva from the hospital for the first time, Floral dress, hair tied up. It should have been one of the happier memories to have, but she couldn't feel anything, Lauren was silent in her chair, unblinking, hot tears falling down her face as she watched, unaware she'd been shaking in her seat. 

"We can stop at any time" 

"No" Lauren choked out in a harsh sob, taking a shaky deep breath "I need to see it", her throat on fire again as she held back the screams from echoing through the room. 

2 months of footage passed, 3 weeks of oral sex, unsatisfying, then the Thursday of week 4. The night he grabs Lauren, "It's not enough, your mouth isn’t enough" her cries, her screams, her begging to stop, the blood on the bedsheets, the sounds of Eva screaming from the noises waking her up. 

"Stop" Lauren whispered along with the footage, the feeling still fresh in her mind, it took her right back to being face down in the mattress, in the burning pain, feeling like she was being cut in half right up her core. "Stop please stop" her voice at the same time as the recording. 

Lauren was frozen in place, transfixed on the screen, her whole body shaking, her arm burning, her legs twitching, inside all her felt was rage, the same pain being played right there in front of her on the screens, the muscle memory twitching where she felt the pain all over again. Lauren hated herself for being so brain washed, Who knows when Ethan would lose control and harm the baby, It was her fault for bringing her into a home that would surely harm her,  to a father who would hurt her, not ever an if but when, even now growing up, she will have to live with the choices that her mother made, the choice to stay with him, putting her in harm’s way because she were in love. She was blind. 

"Stop! Lauren Stop! " Doctor Penny yelled grabbing her hand, Lauren snapped from her trance, looking away from the screen and to the other people in the room. Penny pressed tissues to her arm that stung, Lauren cried out from the searing pain, unable to hold any of it back anymore, her cries from the shock turned into loud sobs, Lauren broke, she fell out of the chair and collapsed her knees on the ground, falling into Doctor Penny as she followed her down. 
Sister imperator stood from her seat and crossed from behind her desk to sit by her side, her hands on her shoulders, pulling Lauren back to lean against her, letting out the sobs, encouraging her not to hold back a single tear, coaxing her head to rest on her shoulder, rubbing circles in her back and over her shoulder blades. 

Lauren sobbed hysterically until her voice gave out, until it hurt too much to even breath, her eyes bright red and puffy from the tears, her face and chest flushed and hot. 

Penny kept pressing tissues to Laurens arms until a proper bandage was brought to wrap around her arms, the tissues were soaking red, Lauren had scratched her arms until she'd broken the skin, no one had noticed in time, thanks to the need to hide her 'coping mechanisms'. 

It was agreed that Laurens statement of accounts would be kept quiet for now, no action would be taken immediately despite the damning evidence, All advice had been to see what he actually does, there's been no call to action on 2 missing persons, no kidnapping story, no break in, the news was quiet, so whatever he would do, it'd be exposed as a lie and police would have him arrested on the multiple accounts that faced him. Rape, Battery, Assault. But she insisted to stay hidden, anonymous, to be kept like they were in witness protection. The intention would be to notify authorities Lauren and Evaleigne were alive, safe. but she wanted him to know nothing, to stay hidden.

Lauren was taken to the infirmary to be assessed for the scratches on her arm, officially being diagnosed with Post Partum Depression and Anxiety, Lauren were cleared of any psychosis or any other mental health issues that would give reason to send her home to her husband, she was however requested to attend therapy sessions at least twice a week. Lauren Agreed.

A week has passed since Lauren arrived at the Ministry, 

She'd been making an effort to take Eva for walks around the ministry and to socialize as She were supposed to do with a newborn.
The nursery also had been made to feel more fit for a baby, a wall painted the typical pink and grey, and decorated with toys and a photo of the two of them that one of the siblings had taken for them together after a trip outside to get some fresh air. 
The wardrobe had been filled with fresh clothing for Lauren and for Eva, Lauren had the input to the style she'd wanted to try, though most of it was functional for breast feeding or for quick changing or washing. She was making the space granted to her her own. 
Ethan had not put in a missing person’s report, there was no noise from him about her disappearance. but her security camera cloud footage had been wiped soon after she'd had it hacked and backed up. 

Cirrus and Swiss insisted on having a Picnic out on the fields one sunny day, Lauren over prepared, making her Egg sandwiches, Potato Salad, vegetable sticks and cherry tomato, Chicken sliders - though she did only make half a batch - and little cupcakes for desert. Loading up the stroller with the food and taking Eva through the hallways, the stroller was going to become her go to tool now to get anywhere in the ministry, having the ability to lay her back down in the stroller made for a great portable bed or a mini play pen. 

It was nice to get to know the ghouls, though it did always cross the back of her mind they're making friends with infernal beings from hell, they were so good with Eva, Even trusting Swiss to give her a bottle, she lay back in his legs as he was worried about her gulping the air, but once he got the hang of it the smile on his face was something she'd never forget, even when he chanted " chug chug chug yeah Eva chug that good stuff". 

That evening, Papa was the one to bring Lauren dinner, it was becoming a regular thing, who ever brought her dinner would stay and debrief for the day behind them. But she was grateful for the intelligent company, 

When Papa knocked on the door Lauren were in the middle of giving Eva a bath, he was a little early, "COME IN" Lauren called from the bathroom, Papa walked in and put the dinner bag on the coffee table 

"Hello? " He called out popping his head into the bedroom first, 

"In the bathroom, Eva's getting her bath, we won’t be much long- " there was a loud splash as something was thrown into the bath and Eva let out a strained squeal " never mind we might be a little bit longer, Eva that's so gross, not in the tub! “Eva had pooped in her bath seat and Lauren used the hose attachment to rinse her down. 

"I brought dinner, there is no rush" he called and prepped the dinner at the table, normally the two of them ate on the couch but tonight he set up the table like a lovely dinner for two. It was just a gesture, everyone deserved the dignity of sharing a dinner at the table, and he could see that they were really enjoying the space. It would be nice for the two of them. 

"Evaleigne Don't kick- " there was a loud splash and a groan from her “And now I'm soaked too, thanks baby" 

Papa chuckled overhearing this, he walked over to the linen cupboard and pulled out a fresh towel, walking to the bathroom and poking his head through the door, seeing Lauren on her knees over the bathtub in shorts and an oversized shirt, her hair tied back out of her face, water pooling at her knees and feet, already having soaked the towel under here. 
Eva looked over her mum’s shoulder with her little visor on her head to block the water and sat up in her chair, sat in waist deep bubble bath, she clapped her hands together and giggled at Laurens defeated form, such a sweet sight that a father should be proud to see. 

Papa leaned over and dropped the towel on to the counter. "I've brought you a fresh towel since Hurricane Evaleigne seems to have been isolated to this bathroom." 

Lauren looked over her shoulder, holding the side of the bathtub "Oh thank you for that, I didn't think she'd kick this much. she must be getting tired. last wind of energy before bed.... I hope" she pointed to a plush pink towel on the toilet seat "could you pass me that towel please, Eva really likes this one, for some reason" leaning over and pulling the plug from the tub and letting the water drain. 

He handed her the pink towel, and she wrapped it around her, lifting her from the tub, into Laurens arms, unaware just how her shirt from the front was soaked but she was covered by the towel enough from the towel that papa wouldn't be able to see anything through it.

"Say Hi to Papa, Eva" Lauren picked up her hand and waved her little arm around, he leaned forward and waved back at her "Ciao Evaleigne, are you all clean now, did you get your Madre all wet as well huh?". "Yes Papa, If I have to be wet, Mamma had to be wet too" Lauren replied in a squeaky voice, flailing her arm around like she was splashing. Eva had a big smile on her face from all the bouncing around. 
Papa chuckled and stayed by the door frame and leaned back as she walked out of the room to get her dressed up in her sleeping clothes, "Won't be long" Not looking away from her to see how the table was set up. 

The smell of dinner had already wafted around the quarters into the bedroom, a Chicken meal "Mm, What's for dinner Papa?"  Lauren called as she wrestled with Eva's kicking feet to get them into her onesie. 

"Chicken Cordon Blue, steamed beans, Mashed potatoes and Ambrosia for desert."  He called as he went to plate it up on the table, putting the ambrosia in the fridge, taking out a bottle of fresh lemonade and poured those in a glass. 

"Oh, that sounds so good" Lauren called, buttoning her onesie up and walking out to the living room "Do you want to say goodnight to Papa honey?" cradled in her arms walking up to Papa who held his arms out to take her,
"Buona notte e sogni d'oro, luce delle stelle" he whispered to her gently stroking his thumb across her cheek. "Possa il vecchio vegliare su di te nei tuoi momenti più vulnerabili" Eva was already so tuckered out, she fell asleep right in his arms.
Finally, Lauren turned to look around at the dinner setting and let out a gasp "Oh Papa this is beautiful, the dinner looks so delicious, the kitchen must have some restaurant trained staff" 

Papa chuckled quietly with a smile on his face, looking up to her and whispering "I'll go set her down. you dry up" rocking her as he walked into the bedroom.

Lauren looked down at herself and blushed, covering her chest, and rushing to the bathroom to change her shirt, there wasn't anything else in the bathroom, so she threw the floral wrap dress on that she wore for the picnic back on, she quickly brushed out her hair just to be presentable for dinner. 
Lauren returned to the lounge and looked to the dinner table, there's just one thing missing, looking through the drawers of the kitchen for a candle, a holder and a match, she'd been told to keep a stock in case of storms knocking the power out. she set the candle in the enter of the table and light the wick before blowing out match and setting it behind her

Papa walked out of the bedroom shutting the door behind him "Oh, well isn't this romantic” he smiled "I'm afraid I'm not so dressed for the occasion” he gestured to the black shirt, Teal Cravat and the rat shredded pants. 

"You look just fine, it's just dinner" 

Papa walked over and pulled a chair out from the table "Per Favor" 

Lauren walked over and sat in the chair, Papa pushing her back into the table "Thank you" 

"Prego" he mumbled walking over and sitting across from her. "I know this isn't our normal set up, but I thought it'd be nice to sit at the table for once instead of the couch" 

Lauren smiled taking the glass "It's nice, feels like a proper dinner “holding the glass forward to cheers 

Papa held his forward "Alla tua bellezza, alla tua salute, alla tua sicurezza" he spoke before clinking their glasses together, no idea what he was saying, there was something about the Italian language that just felt naturally romantic and a little bit (ok a lot a bit) sexy

"Salute" Lauren whispered, unable to break her gaze from the man across from her, before taking a sip of her drink and starting their meal "So tell me about your day, did you get up to anything interesting?" 

"Oh, it was boring, just meetings here and there about the next tour, writing this coming mass' sermon or communicating with ministries overseas. What did you two get up to?"

"Swiss and Cirrus insisted we had a picnic, A couple other ghouls joined us as well, Sunshine and Rain, and I think I met your eldest brother"

"Primo?"

"I think so, he just looked like a lovely old man so I couldn't be sure, he had the eye though, he was really good with Eva"

He chuckled " I should hope so, the last bambino we had around here was when we still had an orphanage, he looks like he should be the most intimidating of all of us, but he's a giant softy, if you're here long enough maybe he can be a grandfather figure for Eva " 

Lauren smiled thinking about her walking through the garden with Primo, holding his finger, it’s how she had hoped Eva would have grown up with her father in the picture, but with safety in mind Lauren just couldn't picture her dad being in Eva's life anymore, how long would she have to hide. How much would they miss from Eva's life. 

"I hope she does have some positive role models in her life." she mumbled before munching on beans. The taste of dinner was so much different from the ones she'd had this past week, this was carefully made, not just mass produced, it tasted lush, the chicken was moist the cheese melty and the bacon adding that zing you needed all in one bite. "I'm going to have to ask the kitchen for the recipe here, it's incredible"

"I can give you the recipe, it’s from Switzerland originally, one of the cardinals there made it for a conference dinner, said it could be made with Venison or Pork as well " he chuckled 

"Wait so the kitchen didn't make this?" Papa shook his head 

"You made this?" Papa Nodded 

Her heart pounded, not only had he brought Her dinner, but he also MADE the dinner himself for the two of Her. This was a proper home cooked meal. A gesture usually reserved for her to make for her parents, and yet here it was being gifted to her.   

"I'd be happy to make this for you whenever you ask. so long as it's not in the middle of mass" He offered finishing his potato 

"Thank you, Papa, really. I don't know what to say" 

"You've already said Thank you" he chuckled and leaned over to hold his hand over hers " You've been through years of habits that are hard to break, and now with an added responsibility. We are making sure that you are getting the care you were denied for so long, and rest assured that there are no other intentions besides sharing a meal with mature and adult company."

That had crossed her mind, Dates usually lead to sex, this setting and Papa’s reassurance kept the air calm. 

He let go of her hand as the two of them continued to eat.

"Would this be a good time to teach you somethings about our church?" He offered, changing the subject, as he finished the beans

"MM! Yes please, I seem to absorb the most detail over a meal, hang on" Lauren stood from her spot and rushed to grab a notebook and pen

"I can provide you with proper readings tomorrow, but good to make your own notes" he leaned back in his chair and crossed his leg over the other

Lauren sat back down and scribbled to make her pen work, giving him a smile when she was ready 

"Ok, well, like in the Christian bible with Moses and those commandments, we have 7 fundamental tenets, a uh, principal or a belief if you will. 
The first: One should strive to act with compassion and empathy towards all creatures in accordance with reason. That one is rather straight forward.
The Second: The Struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institution.  If a law is unfair, it should not be upheld. But remember justice is not revenge, the line between them is thin and sometimes easily crossed."

A thought crossed her mind "Like batman? is Batman a satanist?"  
Papa chuckled and raised his brows thinking about this "I guess he could be, depends on which Bruce Wayne you're thinking of " 

Papa leaned over to take her hand, again and look her right in her eyes.
"The Third: Now this is an important one to remember, One’s Body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone. Your body is sacred, it is unable to be tarnished by anyone else unless you allow it. Now I realize that must feel incorrect at this time dear, you will come to learn that you have been hurt and used, but your body will heal, just like it will after giving birth, Physically your body has been used, beaten and torn, but over time your body will heal because you are not broken, you are not tarnished, You are beautiful" 

Lauren couldn't help but smile, he was right there was a ping in the back of her mind that her body had been destroyed, some scars wouldn't go away. It would take time to see any healing effects, right now she walked with minor pain as comes with early motherhood around her body, nothing regular pain killers couldn't help her with, and she didn't know what was normal and what wasn't, thankfully there was Penny who could answer any question or query she had. But the point still stood that he was making, all this physical harm will heal, the pain will go away, her pain and her trauma does not make her who she is.

The way he was staring right into her eyes, right into her soul, not breaking the contact until he was sure it had sunk in. Holding it for a few brief moments 

"Do you understand this, Lauren?" he asked in a hushed tone 

Lauren nodded and the smile squished into her cheeks. "I do, Papa" 

"You can call me, Copia when we're alone, Copia is my name" 

"Thank you Copia" Lauren whispered as he let go of his hand 

"There are 4 others, are you ready to hear them" sitting up in the chair again 

"Yeah " 

"Ok, the 4th can be confusing at this time, The Freedom of others should be respected, Including the freedom to offend. To wilfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo your own. “ 

"Including the freedom to offend... So, he was free to take control of me and hurt me? "

He looked to the roof of their quarters behind her thinking for the right words to say " Ehhhh.... No. he wasn't, our morals will allow common Sins, Gluttony, Pride, Greed, Sloth, Envy, Lust, and even Wrath. But there is always a line that can be crossed, that is where the 6th tenet comes into play. 
People are Fallible, if we make mistakes, we should do our best to rectify it and resolve any harm that may have been caused. 
Even here we have confessional, if a sibling takes something too far, they come to confessional to admit what they did in privacy and should they be seeking advice on how to fix it, as Papas and senior clergy members, we are there to assist. If they take it too far and to need to face punishment, coming through confessional allows for a slightly lighter punishment, but they accept what they did and take their punishment with less shame.
Your husband made no effort at all to rectify or resolve any harm he caused, he held no regret for what he did leading you to take the steps you did. That is the line he crossed. That is why we take the action to protect you and Evaleigne "  

A sense of relief leaving her shoulders, "And the last two?"  Lauren whispered, forcing herself to continue to eat before dinner got cold.

"Mm, Beliefs should conform to our best scientific understanding of the world. We should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit our beliefs, that is the 5th. 
The last, every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word" 

He spoke with such confidence, He'd grown up under these tenets and principles, and it showed how he spoke with no stutter or pause. Not only had it been committed to memory. 

"It all makes sense to me, sounds like...Common sense to me" Lauren mumbled into her drink. " At least now I do understand why this is the best place I could have come to, it’s in your nature, yet the world sees you just for evil." 

"Only those brave enough to seek us out, to learn about us and our beliefs, will get to see the true people behind the horns" he chuckled, standing from his seat to take the dishes 
"Let me help you" Lauren stood as well and grabbed the glasses, Papa chuckled and nodded " I'll wash, you dry" 

The two of them shared the load, it was just a 3-minute chore, but it felt nice to stand side by side with someone who was willing to work with her. 

"So later on, you'll teach me about the ways of Satan and how you worship and all that?" 

Papa smiled down at Lauren from over his shoulder " When you ask, I will teach, whatever you want to know " 

Lauren nodded, taking a risk to ask something that may have been rash "And if I chose to join the ministry?" 

His smile got bigger " We would welcome you with open arms, but you must be prepared for the life it would bring, the judgment and prejudice from those who live in ignorance" 

Lauren shook her head " those people don't matter, all that matters to me is Eva, raising her to be a strong woman who can make her own choices. It's why I told Ethan we wouldn't have her christened in a Christian church, I wanted her to have a choice, I didn't know enough, and what I did know told me the world was to be run by fear of being perfect for someone who died over 2000 years ago and that's specifically why you must worship him like it's year 33..." 

Papa pulled his wet glove off his hand with his teeth, tossing it to the side then placing it on her back " That's what I like to hear, it is your decision at the end of the day, take some time to make your choice" 

"I will" Lauren whispered, she had only been here for a week, so She shouldn't rush into a potential life changing decision, Lauren didn't when it came to running from her husband, at least she knew that she was around supportive people. 

Papa’s phone chimed, a text came through, her took his hand back and pulled his phone from his pocket, looking at the screen his smile dropped, and he let out a long sigh " Are you alright if we have a little more company?  Something happened."

"Ethan?" 

He raised his brows and nodded "10 minutes" 

"Then we should have that desert now" Lauren smiled, pulling two bowls and spoons from the cupboard.

"That's a fantastic idea" 

 

Notes:

Ethan has done something, but will it be enough to spoil the evening?

Italian Translation

Madre - Mother
Buona notte e sogni d'oro, luce delle stelle -Good night and sweet dreams, starlight
Possa il vecchio vegliare su di te nei tuoi momenti più vulnerabili - May the old man (one) watch over you in your most vulnerable moments
Per Favor - Please
Alla tua bellezza, alla tua salute, alla tua sicurezza - To your beauty, your health, your safety
Salute - Cheers

- Please note those are indeed the Satanic Tenets. I am a Pagan with with Satanic values, I research this on the regular as apart of my own practice. I always recommend doing your own research, not just what you would find on Pinterest.

Chapter 5: Now we wait.

Summary:

The ghouls bring a breaking news article to your attention, Your Husband has made his move, it has put more people than just you at harm, Something doesn't sit right, but it makes planning your next move a lot easier than you had expected.

Notes:

TW: Descriptions of vehicular accidents, fire, murder, disrespecting the deceased.
God it's hard to do Trigger warnings without spoilers.

Swiss was the first to arrive with Aether, Mountain and Sodo close behind. 

"It's on the fucking news already, look at this bullshit" he growled grabbing the remote and turning the tv on and to the news channel.

Sister imperator walked in wearing a robe like she was ready for bed, Papa stood from his spot in the chair, taking her empty bowl and putting it aside, going to stand behind Lauren while she says on the couch still. Sister sat beside her.

"An update on tonight's breaking news, For those of you just joining us, Sedan Versus Gasoline tanker, A family returning to town on a the southern forest motorway crashed into a parked gasoline tanker while the driver was sleeping off the side of the road, the road was unlit and a layer of thick fog covered the area, Emergency services are fighting the blaze left from the explosion, 3 victims were pronounced dead on the scene, 2 of the bodies burned from the blaze that was so hot they were unrecognizable by the time emergency services made it to the scene. The Survivor has been sent to the hospital sustaining minor burns as he was able to escape the car before the crash. At this time, we have been able to release the names of the victims. Lauren Holloway nee- Sullen, her 2-month-old daughter Evaleigne Holloway, and the driver, Stanley Marcus. The Survivor, Ethan Holloway has agreed to speak to local news once he's been- " *BZZT* 

Swiss turned off the tv and dropped the remote down on the couch between Lauren and Sister
Lauren sat there, her hand shaking, not looking away from the black tv screen, this is what he's done, what he chose to do, this is what he could have done to her. it was extreme, it was dramatic... it was Ethan.

"It's utter horse shit, They're going to herald him as some sort of survivor widow" He was seething, growling as his breathing was heavy and slow, his eyes pinning to thin lines, grumbling in an infernal language.
Mountain and Aether stood on either side of him, keeping their composure but she could tell for sure they too were just as pissed off both their arms crossed over their chest.
Sodo shook his head " fucker" 

Papa shook his head, turning to his ghouls " Sodo, go to the police station and see what you can get for the report they're creating. Aether, To the hospital, obverse the damage and again whatever report they're creating. Mountain, go to the crime scene, see what you can figure out about this area, Tire tracks, sabotage, anything else." 

"And me Papa?" Swiss asked standing to attention ready to do whatever it took 

"You, Swiss, will have to wait, right now you're on the edge of feral." 

Lauren turned around and pat Papa on the hip "There's something Aether should try find out though if the bodies went to the morgue, they said the bodies were burned beyond recognition. So, who was in the car?"

Aether lifted his head up and took in a deep breath 
Sodo tilted his head to the side looking away " Gasoline fires burn hotter than a crematorium, at this point any DNA evidence would have been burned away, no blood or tissue"

"But how long did it take to get there to the point they were able to recover the bodies? Where was the crash, that's what we need to find out” Lauren asked looking to Sodo who took a deep breath comparing the knowledge he knew

"Gasoline burns at like 1950 degrees Celsius, Crematoriums burn at 1200 but crematoriums take about 4 hours to burn down the whole body to ashes. " Sodo looked to Mountain who shrugged "I don't know anything about fire, why are you looking at me Sparky?" 

"Alright, gather what information you can, you have your tasks, you are not to be seen, report back here when you can."

The three ghouls nodded, Silver moulded masks apparated over their faces, moulded hair, noes, horns, their eyes all that was visible, but the mouth was missing. "Yes Boss" they all said in unison, they all dissipated in a puff of smoke.

Swiss left there on his own, his breathing calming down now but the rage still circulating from his aura. "What do you have in mind for me Boss?"
"I will let you at him, when I'm confident that you wouldn't just rip out his throat or sever his jugular veins. When you're calm, and when Aether returns with a report, then you can go at the place you can't be tracked" the grin on Papa’s face grew dark, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"His dreams" Swiss growled with a smirk on his face, He nodded. Papa leaned back and let go "Take a walk for now" 
Swiss nodded again and stalked out of the apartment. 

Sister Imperator took the opportunity to lean over a place a hand on Laurens knee. "We have the contingency plan in place, the emergency services are aware you and Evaleigne are alive, it's likely at this point they are looking into who really was in the cars, how he got the bodies, how he managed to pull all this off. In the mean time we let him dig his own grave, in this day and age we wait for him to paint himself as the innocent man, when the seeds have been sewn that they think he's a hero gets all the pity from the town, we wait for the time to reveal the monster his wife ran from and how he's manipulated everyone to believe his lies. Then we'll watch his world burn around him" Something about the way she spoke with such certainty made Lauren think this wasn't the first time she'd been a part of something before. 

"There is something I need to ask you now though; do you want to make contact with your parents" 

A shiver ran down her shoulders, Lauren could see it now, her mother curled up, hysterically crying into her armchair. Her father pacing up and down the hall, silent, unreadable. a police man sat on the couch waiting for her to calm. 

Lauren knew the grief or fear was a ramification of her and Eva getting to safety, but what Ethan has made the world believe that her only daughter and only grandchild were dead, burned beyond recognition, she would never see their faces again. 
As much as she wanted to go to her, reassure her that they both were safe now, she just couldn't trust that they would be able to keep her being alive a secret, in an emotional time like this it's highly probably they would explode at him, especially if he was in public, they would blow everything up. 
Not telling them would kill her inside every day that passed, but it was a pain that would have to endure 

Sister pats her knee " I know, it's a complicated decision" 

"No, the two of them are too emotional, they'd start their own war " Lauren screwed her eyes shut and groaned, dropping her head back 
Lauren felt a leather finger moving hair out of her eyes, she opened them to see Papa leaning down over her.

"No matter what, it’s never going to be the right time, I know how it feels to work around unpredictable parents" 

Sister Imperator cleared her throat, Papa raised a finger to hush her without breaking eye contact. 
"This evening the raw shock and pain of losing her child will be the only thing she feels right now, I fear that if you go to her now, she may believe that she's hallucinating or refuse to believe you are real. It may do more harm than good."
He was right, somehow, he was always right, too much emotional whiplash like that, she wouldn't act rationally or logically.

He rests a hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed
"If you would like we can send someone to keep an eye on them in case something happens. No interference or interaction. Just monitoring and reporting" he suggested 
You nodded "That would at least … help." the image of her mother crying couldn't get out of her mind, lifting her head, a tear fell down her cheek for her " I just wish I could ... send her a letter let her know I love them, I wish I'd done it before I'd left" 

"Maybe you still can" Sister thought, pressing a finger to her lips as she thought " if you write something saying you'd taken Eva away for a while, needing to get away from Ethan, but you were safe, we could have a ghoul slip it into her mailbox, like it'd been sent before this accident, plant a seed of deception" a wicked smile grew across her face 

Lauren did like that idea; it would give her the idea that Ethan wasn't the loving husband he'd made the world believe he was. 

Papa shook his head "No, no, if that'd happened to me how would you react? wait don't answer that" he groaned waving her off. "Not only would it cause more pain for her, but it would also sow seeds of conspiracy in her mind, who knows what she'll do with that. " 

"Papa is right." Lauren sighed, being able to do nothing in this case, having to just wait and let people hurt, it was frustrating. 

"When the ghouls return, we can create a proper plan of attack, we will know his every move, Police will have communication with us and give him the nightmares he deserves, in the meantime, we keep an eye on news reports to see what media discovers or releases first.  Sister called in Swiss to return, he'd calm down enough to come back in and take Sister’s spot on the couch, he picked up her legs and draped them over his, wrapping a protective arm around her shoulders, He was still grumpy, but protective

"It is however late, I am not as spry as I once was, update me if there are any critically urgent updates. Oh, and Cardi, get her a mobile phone so we can contact her " she chuckled, patting Laurens shoulder before she left

Papa blinked, dumbfounded "why haven't we got that sorted yet?" 

"I don't need one, I'll be too tempted to check in on the family myself and possibly out myself" Laurens shrugged," if they can track my social media activity, they can track my location" 

"Not unless you give into those VPN adds on you tube and stuff" Swiss mumbled,
Swiss turned the news back on again turning the volume down so as not to wake up Eva. 

Papa groaned taking a seat in the armchair he'd had brought in. "and now we wait " 

Over an hour had passed when Mountain finally returned, Eva had woken up for a feed Lauren was content on the couch with a blanket over her chest.

It was a short report besides an enormous gasoline explosion taking out the earth around the crash site for nearly a 20 foot area, the tire skid marks clearly showed the car was veering to the right suddenly, like he'd jumped before he could even see the truck, as soon as he was gone that's when it crashed into the truck, It was an area with no phone signal, so how emergency services found out about it must have been a local on a landline. Still, it would have been hard for them to find the crash site and it would have taken them at least half an hour to drive to the site even at top speed, another 15 minutes or so to even be noticed or located, maybe another 10 minutes to realize it's not a forest fire. They're giving about an hour of burn time for the bodies, clearly Ethan did nothing to rescue any of the people in the trucks. 

When Sodo returned, he dropped a file on the coffee table, the explosion was reported by a local farming couple up on the hills, they thought the gas station had blown up, Fire rescue got there first with their CO2 foam extinguishers. Ethan stayed hidden in the bank for exactly 3 minutes when they got there, Put on the whole hysterical husband routine, begging to get into his car to save his wife, Even the firefighters questioned why he hadn't tried that before they arrived,  
The police knew Lauren and Eva were alive, Police were already dispatched to homeless shelters, the red light district that "totally didn't exist" in their town and checking missing peoples reports from the last week that matched Lauren and Eva. Something still felt like they were missing an important piece of the puzzle. 

Finally Aether returned just before 2am. Ethan had sustained superficial scratches to his face and arms from jumping out of the moving car at speed,  the initial burns from the explosions would be superficial and fade over time as he wasn't splashed with any gasoline, Nurses expressed concerns about a concussion from the fall, internal bleeding or smoke inhalation so they would be keeping him for observation.
There were less doctors who were aware of the circumstances, no nurses knew of it so he would be getting the special treatment from them.
Down in the morgue, a Coroner determined that the family stand in bodies were in fact too burned to pull any DNA from them, no viable former breaks or anything that couldn't have been caused by the burns or the crash, Even at that heat if not at the full 1950 degrees, the bodies burned easier than they had expected, putting it down to possible alcohol ingestion. 
The driver however wasn't burned as bad, they could ID him through teeth and what tissue was left in the cab of the truck.
Whoever was in the place of Lauren was a perfect match height wise, build wise, they were in fact a female who had given birth but that was all they could determine. The infant however was identified as a 1-month-old boy, that much could be identified, the teeth were pulled but came up to no matches, likely a baby being raised in very poor conditions, never documented.
This made Aether visibly uncomfortable, Lauren offered to let him hold Eva, which he accepted gladly. She was alive, she was loved, all he could wish for that little one who'd been burned.

Sodo confirmed Ethan was asleep when he left, with that Swiss promptly disappeared for his own mission.

"So, what's the plan? What do we do next?" Mountain asked, leaning forward on his knees from the ground. 

Lauren held up a note pad "I thought about what happened, what he did and what he could get out of it" She pulled the papers back to the front 
"Life insurance on Eva and I has a policy up to $1 Million dollars each. A give a little to cover funeral costs - minimum $10,000 unless he's greedy it could reach up to $30k. Charity cases are likely to shower him with gifts, the community will too, he'll likely be gifted a new car from the gasoline company if it's shown he had no connection to setting up the accident. Fuck knows what other charity bullshit. Plus, who wouldn't want to comfort on a newly single widow with a tragic backstory. "

" So can we intercept your insurance company? report insurance fraud before he can get any money" Sodo asked

Papa shook his head "Not yet, not unless he does in fact lay a claim, let’s keep an eye on that one though. Wait until he's got what he thinks he deserves for a new life, we find out what he does with this attention and the story, and when You're ready you can come forward and out him as the monster he is, unless he does that himself" 

"It sounds like a good plan. Honestly in my wildest dreams we wait until he does an exclusive story for some big news company, we hijack the airwaves like that Max Headroom thing from the 80s, make sure his adoring pity party is watching and crush everything he's built up" 

Papa pursed his lips together and raised an eyebrow, genuinely thinking about how to do that

"Wait, can you do that?" Lauren leaned forward to him,

"Well. considering how the airwaves are all digital now it does make it a little more difficult. Don't discount it though, we can look into it for sure, The Siblings in IT are quite talented" 

"Well what other options are there?" Lauren asked, social media was the obvious option, but it was unpredictable and quick to be discounted as fake. 

"How do you feel about crashing your own funeral?"  Mountain suggested, now that was a good idea

"I have one better idea" Aether called back looking over a tablet as he checked news sites, "Crash your public candlelight memorial, it's already being organized by the local community, everyone is gathered outside of your home or whatever public place it's held. Sure, there would be some sort of live stream or media coverage, there always is these days. If there's some sort of photo montage display, we hack that and play the footage or photos of your attack, out him. They won’t believe it's you unless you were there in person" 

Papa’s grin was dark, sinister, "Have I ever told you how proud I am of you all?" looking to all the ghouls, Patting Aether on the back.

"No but it does stroke the ego pretty good” Sodo grinned leaning over Aether shoulder and looking at Eva for just a moment, fixing the blanket to cover her feet.

Lauren could in fact picture it, Hundreds of candles set up in her garden, everyone holding a stick candle in the dark of night outside her home. She could hear the hymns being sung or Angels by Robbie Williams being played over speakers, something cheesy. The photos of her changing suddenly to the pictures of her bruises, her cuts and burns, she could hear the gasps, the murmuring, leading to the shouting, the rioting, him getting grabbed and chased away from his own house. was it too cruel to picture her local town reverting to medieval torture? it shouldn't be funny but picturing him being dragged behind a horse down the street felt somewhat cathartic. 
Lauren didn't want to be hailed as a hero, but she sure as hell would be proud to get him out of everyone's affections.

"Either way we have to wait and see what actually happens from here out" Lauren shrugged and sighed, leaning back into the cushions. 

"There's already a 'give a little' set up" Sodo held up a phone with a web page up. It had a photo of the 3 of Lauren just after Eva had come home and $3648 donated already. Sickening messages wishing him well and sending his condolences. "It begins"

"The point stands, we observe, we sit, we wait for the time to bring him down" Papa ordered "Mountain, 5am, pull Swiss out if he's not back by then" he called as he stood from the chair, walking over to Lauren and holding his hand out to her, implying she should stand "For now, you need to get some sleep" 

Aether stood up slowly and walked into the bedroom with Eva "I'll put her down and be out of your way".
Mountain and Sodo walked out of the apartment, for the night, Sodo complaining about how he would have been better with the nightmares. 

Papa watched them go as he lifted Lauren off the couch "Now, If I may, I confess to you, I am concerned about you being alone tonight with your thoughts. Eva may be a good distraction every few hours, but I fear your own subconscious will betray you" 

"Are you asking to sleep over Papa?" Lauren tilted her head to the side. 

Papa let out a nervous laugh "I only mean it so I could be close by to you...uh...should you be unsafe on your own... from. I don't want you to hurt yourself, ok?" 

Lauren squeezed his hand and gave him a gracious smile "I know what you mean Papa, I don't mind you staying though, I have gotten used to having the bed all to myself " 

"Not to worry, I will sleep in the rocking chair, I have fallen asleep in my office chair many times, at least your chair has back support" he chuckled and gestured to the bedroom "Go get dressed for bed, I will return soon. Maybe if you wouldn't mind preparing a bottle for when Eva eventually wakes up " 

"Ah yes I can, give me about 20 minutes. I like to wash my face before I sleep" she suggested as Aether walked past her 

"G'night Lauren" he mumbled walking out of the apartment, "Night Aether" Lauren called, Papa followed him “20 minutes I'll be back" 

Lauren waved at him and changed from the floral dress to her a night slip that came down to her knees, Easy and comfortable, her hair tied up. 
Lauren quickly prepared a bottle to just be warmed up ready to go if he needed. She got comfy in bed with a book in the lamplight waiting for Papa to return.

Every time Eva would start to cry She'd be woken up to find out what she needed, but Papa would shush Lauren and tell her to go back to sleep (unless Eva needed a change) but she couldn't help but sit there and watch as he'd care for her as if she were his own, as he walked around the room cradling her in his arm, leaning on the door frame, watching her making sure she had fallen back to sleep with the dim light behind him, it was a sight she thought she'd never see. Maybe it was a dream
Her newborn daughter being held in his arms, watching her with the unconditional love only he could give her.
But he wasn't her father, her father was a murderous monster, why couldn’t someone like him be her father? 

Something about this sight made her chest ache, the love she felt for the people in front of her, the appreciation for the support and help she’s been shown, but that ache was also dull, stinging, when the demon in the back of her mind told her all of this would never have been possible if she hadn't run. 
Lauren rolled onto her side and buried her face into the pillow. 

The mattress beside Lauren sunk in as Papa sat beside her, placing a hand on the back of her head “See, she is right here. here's your Madre”. Lauren looked up from the pillows and lift her head over Papa’s thigh, resting your chin on his leg to be face to face with the underside of Eva's Socks "mmm Hi baby " Lauren mumbled, trying to wake up "Is she ok?" 

"She's Perfect, I think she just needed some time with you instead of Strange old' Papa"

"Oh, honey" Lauren whispered, propping herself up on her arms to look at her, leaning her head forward to press Eva’s foot to her noes " I'm never going to be far away from you" 

"If you're out of eyesight, you've gone too far" he whispered

All Lauren could do is rest her head against his thigh in her sleepy daze and whisper " Ok, I promise I’ll never be too far away honey" 

The sun rose way too soon, the sounds of Eva gurgling away in her crib, the TV on in the lounge, multiple voices chattering away, Shit. He didn't tell anyone there would be company this early, Lauren wasn’t ready for company. Lauren rolled out of bed and quickly threw her slip off, pulling a long wool skirt, a bra and a T Shirt on before walking out of the room quietly and going over to the kitchen, grabbing out the tray of eggs and the left-over vegetables and ham from the fridge.
Putting on the kettle and pulling the coffee out and the sugar onto the counter. 
Zoning out the bickering and the muttering over in the lounge, just get something cooked and ready and on the table. 

"Lauren?" 

"Hmm?" Lauren turned to see the tall figure leaning on the fridge, his arms crossed and staring down at he, 

"What're you doing with those eggs?" 

"Making an omelette for everyone" she mumbled, mixing all the pieces together in the bowl

"Lauren?" 

"Yes Ethan?" 

"Oh for f...  Lauren, Lauren come here “he held her shoulders and back her away from the counter 

"What why, I need to make breakfast for everyone before Eva wakes up" 

"Yeah, but to make an omelette you need to use eggs " 

"I have eggs " Lauren pointed to the carton of eggs on the counter

"This is a tray of ice" he shook his head and sighed, taking hold of her shoulders he walked her over and sat her down on the couch " Lauren do you know who's here? Watch her" he ordered walking away 

Lauren looked to the side to see the older man sitting beside her, still too tired to make out an exact match but who else would show up at her place this early unannounced?  " Hi Dad" she shuffled to the side and into his embrace " oh” He’d lifted his arm up and wrapped it over her shoulder, Lauren placed a hand on his chest and rest her head on his shoulder. "When did you get here?" 

"She's not quite awake yet, get her a drink and a wet towel." her 'dad' called pulling her closer  

Someone tapped her hands and put a hot mug in her hands " You didn't need to do that, thank you" Lauren called, taking a cautious sip. 

" Is she still asleep Papa?" 

"I think she is actually. it's not a hex it's not a - Lauren look at me" a pair of fingers hooked under her chin lifted up to look at her dad " It's not drugs it's not dark magic. She's just tired." he let go of her face and dropped it on his shoulder again " Drink your coffee Lauren" he squeezed her shoulder  

Lauren kept sipping her drink, comfortable in his arms, while everyone else around her was busy complaining. Until Lauren had come out of the haze of sleep, that muggy feeling as though she'd woken up from an odd night’s sleep. 
coming to her senses she relaxed her legs out across the couch, finishing off her coffee and looking around. Lauren wasn’t weren't in her house, she were in her apartment, it wasn't her husband’s friends in the lounge, it was the ghouls, and she  weren't in her dads arms.
Lauren turned and looked up to see an unfamiliar man dressed in a suit, The same miss matched eyes as Copia, He had no hair and a stern look on his face
"awake now are you?" 
Lauren nodded, her cheeks flushing hot red. 
"I'm awake now" Lauren whispered. "Sorry for calling you Dad"
"Va tutto bene" he waved a hand, "It's a lasting first impression however" 

"Don’t worry, Papa Secondo is used to being called Daddy" Sodo called bringing out a giant omelette and a bunch of forks 

Papa growled and rolled his eyes "It's nice to meet you, Lauren. Call me Secondo. Please"
Copia walked out of the bedroom stretching his backwards, hearing his joints click. "Ti sei presentato velocemente" Copia yawned, Cirrus brought him a steaming cup of coffee.

"Hai detto che era un'emergenza, sono venuto il più velocemente possibile" Secondo held his arm up. 
"Togli le mani unte dal mio ospite" Copia mumbled leaning on the arm of the chair 
"È stata lei a venire da me, mi ha persino chiamato papà"  Secondo smirked. 
Copia rolled his eyes and sipped his coffee "I see you've met my brother" 

Lauren looked between the two, the resemblance honestly not very visible, the only similarity being the Italian and the eyes. "You have a brother?" 

"Si, 3 older brothers, each more annoying than the previous” Copia chuckled behind his coffee

"Don't listen to him, so do we have any updates on the trophy husband overnight?" Secondo called

"Not more than what was reported last night."
"Police have been to all the homeless areas and wherever they were going to investigate to see if anyone was missing that would match the bodies, but they've got sweet fuck all " 
"Are they checking where he could have been coming from? They said he was coming back to the town... the next town over is an hour drive away, He wouldn't have gone that far for a pair of bodies" Copia called

"He did just murder 3 people," Aether stated as a matter of fact 

"And 2 people don't even get to be buried with their real names, " Mountain added with a sense of dread "he probably drugged them, so they don't even know they'd died"

Something about the whole situation just didn't click, no homeless people were missing, he jumped out before the car even started turning towards the truck so he would have had plenty of time to swerve out of the way to stay safe, that much was obvious to how it was staged. The facts ran over and over in her head, The bodies of Lauren and her child burned hotter and to the point of no possible identification, the driver in the cab could be identified because his body didn't burn as much as the others but all of them were burning for the same amount of time. A question shot through her mind,

"What's on your mind, Cara?" Secondo asked quietly 
"Non chiamarla con nomignoli" Copia snapped
"Sono stato educato" Secondo argued back
"Sei inquietante" 
"Lasciala parlare! " Secondo looked down to Lauren again " he's grumpy in the morning, Tell me, what's on your mind?" 

"What if they're not looking in the right places! “Lauren question looking over to Copia wide eyed,

Secondo tilted his head trying to think "Well you did say they could be looking in the other town " 

"No no no, what if the people in the car were already dead?"  Lauren moved to sit on her knees looking to Copia desperately 

"Like...they'd been drugged?" 

"No....What if he dug up corpses.... People already dead and buried and their bodies done with" 

The room was silent, unmoving, Lauren whipped her head around to look at Sodo "Things that are dried or decaying burn easier right?" 

He nodded slowly, a horrified look on his face “that would...explain...the condition" 

"Can you go back to the police and tell them to check the graveyards for any disturbed or exhumed graves?"  Lauren asked

"Yeah, I’ll. I’ll go" he apparated the mask then teleported out of the room.

Copia dropped his face into his hands with a long sigh. 

Aether stood up " I'll go tell Sister if she's even awake" 

"Take the long way " both Copia and Secondo groaned. 

Aether stalked out of the room. 

"I know it's a long shot, it's a crazy idea but I didn't think he was capable of murder, has anything been organized?" Lauren asked to Cirrus who was scanning the news

"Yeah. Tomorrow night, small towns work fast. Being held at the park in a Gazebo by the lake" she called "looks like at least half the town plans to go "

Lauren shuddered looking down " That's where we got fucking married..." she mumbled.

Papa dropped a hand onto her knee "And that's where he will be served his justice" he met her eyes. " You will go there, in our company, we will expose him for the crimes he has committed. Let’s find out what they have planned for the memorial and use it to our advantage. It's become as public as can be, with the current cover from media it's likely journalists will be there as well. He will not go home the surviving hero people want to make him out to be" 

"Then let’s get to it"

 

Notes:

Just a heads up: I have some deleted scenes which I may publish as a collection of side ficlets.
Ethan is an utter piece of shit.

Chapter 6: Revelations

Summary:

The stage is set, the candles are lit, all you have to do is sit and wait for your cue.

Notes:

TW: Confrontation. Panic/Anxiety attack , Vomit.
I have been so looking for to writing this chapter.

The sun had set over the town, people arrived in groups, their families, their friends, their support groups, their churches, All dressed in dark colours.

The townspeople gathered around the Gazebo, 3 photos had been blown up and placed on easels, a Photo of Lauren from her wedding, all dressed in the white dress Lauren had to borrow, A photo of Evaleigne at taken a week before they left home, and a photo of a portly man with a moustache, wispy brown and greying hair, a bright jolly smile on his face.
The gazebo had been filled with flowers around the perimeter, with 3 chairs kept empty, Each with a white Lily on the chairs. 

A screen had been set up, playing a montage of photos of Lauren and the truck driver growing up, going through school, graduating, getting married, having children, for the driver, meeting his grandchildren, his children graduating. All photos of a life cut so short. 

A string quartet had dedicated their time to play a set list of songs arranged for strings.

It wasn't unusual for there to be strangers at this memorial, People had driven from out of town to attend, People she'd never seen before.
Including the media, 3 different groups of journalists were here to cover the ongoing story, Taking video, and hosting live streams on their website. 

It would have been a beautiful service.

Lauren had dressed in the black dress she wore to the first mass and the heels, but her hair had been kept down, a Veil covering her face, No one would question it at a service for the mourning.
Aether and Cirrus were beside her, a glamour up to have them appear perfectly human. Aether appeared to have Jet black hair combed back, clean groomed facial hair.
Cirrus looked similar to Lauren, wavy brown hair, dressed in black, wearing a matching veil over her face.
Evaleigne had been left at home and was being cared for by Cumulus.
Easily able to blend into the crowd. 

Lauren could make out the chattering among the crowd talking about how Lauren and the driver were such lovely people, sharing memories of the interactions they had. Lauren could find members of the town she remembered,
Mrs. Gamble from the library,
Mr. Novak from the corner store.
Mr. and Mrs. Kepner who would walk around her block every day after 4pm,
Their usual smiling faces, painted with sorrows, These people had brought her meals and gifts when Evaleigne was born, When Ethan should have gone back to work, these people showed up and offered their time to help with the baby. Ethan made Lauren believe that they just wanted to spend time with a baby, not for her, no they didn't want to support her, they would just want to cuddle a baby. Could things have been different if She'd accepted their offers of company and help? 

Cirrus gently elbowed her " Look" she whispered, pointing to the gates of the park as a trio of cars drove in.

From the first car, an elderly woman and a pair of adults , one man and one woman, the woman carrying a toddler, Lauren didn't recognize any of them. This must have been Stan's family. Innocent people, they shouldn't be mourning, they shouldn't be here in black, those tears should not be for grief. 

In the second car, her Mother and her Father, arm in arm, consoling one another, her mothers eyes were red and puffy, like she hadn't stopped crying since she found out. She was carrying something, she couldn't make it out in the darkness, her father was putting on a stoic brave face, as he always did, but this unreadable look was one She'd never seen before, it was unlike the look he had when he watched his favorite sports team performed embarrassingly bad, When the company he worked at for 6 years filed for bankruptcy, and he had to start all over again right before Christmas.
Aether wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled Lauren close, both for a comfort and to hold her back from running into their arms prematurely, His arm was warm on a chilly autumn even, his touch helped her come to her senses, to make this work Lauren had to wait for the right time and wait for the other ghouls to make the first moves.

Lauren had to trust that the ministry had made their way to the IT Desk, into the perimeter and security, keeping watch. Lauren knew that Sister and Papa were also here in disguise, Mountain, Sodo and Swiss were dotted among the crowd, they all knew what they had to do. 

"How did you know the deceased? " an older lady approached the group of 3 strangers, Ms Fredricks, she was a teacher at the local primary school,  "Uh,,, Stan was a regular at our little cafe on the motorway. Lovely man, just came to show our respects"  Aether responded. 

Ms Fredricks nodded "I taught Lauren when she was 7 and 10, she was a wonderful student, I still have one of the paintings she did of a frog. If I hadn't retired from teaching I was hoping I'd have taught her children."
It was supposed to be a gecko...

"Those are wonderful memories to have" Cirrus spoke, placing a hand on her shoulder " She sounded like a wonderful person" 

"Oh she was, I'm sure Mr Marcus was a wonderful customer. He looks so kind" she gave a sad smile " Thank you for coming" she whispered shaking all her hands down the line. Lauren couldn't look in her eyes as she shook her hand, there was still a sense of guilt in her chest, She was hiding in plain sight, yet no one could tell it was Lauren thanks to the veil. 

The third car finally opened up, Ethan's parents, Ethan's brother, Ryan, who walked with his mother Helen, George, Ethan's father, helped Ethan clamber out of the car, Arm in a cast, holding onto a crutch to help him walk. He's been all dolled up for the occasion, but she can see the scrape on his face, who knows what other injuries he's hiding. 

As they walked to the front of the gazebo the crowd hushed, sniffles and foot steps on loose gravel were all they could hear. her eyes never leaving Ethan, The last time she saw him he was walking out the front door, shouting that he was going to be late, it was the semi finals.
The look on his face now was beyond fake, it was the look on his face when he was hiding something, he looked only to the ground but his eyes were shifting so much like he was looking for every single pebble he was going to walk on, his eyes were clear, not a single tear had been shed, not even a fake one, his free hand was shoved deep into his pockets. 

The families stood at the front of the crowd, a Priest of the local church stood in the center of the crowd.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of our county, to our visitors and to those joining from around the world, Thank you for giving her time to come together to remember the live tragically cut short. The lives of Lauren and Evaleigne Holloway and the Life of Stanley Marcus."

The priest continued to speak on all the lives, Stan sounded like a lovely man, loved his family unconditionally, his trains and his travel, Stan was welcome in all his communities, never a fault to speak of, but this was a life she didn't know. 

Then he spoke about how Evaleigne was so little, so loved by her family, her grandparents, and the community around her. How much potential she could have had when she grew up, She could have been a doctor, a lawyer, a prime minister, but that potential was cut short. Lauren knew this was not real. her little girl was safe, in the ministry in the arms of a ghoulette who would protect her through everything, no one would come close to her. She's asleep, she's safe. Reminding herself over and over.
Cirrus grasped her hand, sensing the possible spiral this would send Lauren down.

Finally they talked about Lauren, talked about where She went to school, her time in all the school choirs, What She studied in university then her meeting Ethan, her wedding, her struggles to conceive , which was a lie She'd been taking birth control because She was trying to get settled in her career, It was the only lie She'd told Ethan, he never really questioned it when she said it was just a vitamin. 

"Please join us in a moment of silence while we reflect on the lives we have lost in this tragic accident" he called as he stepped down from the stage. The string quartet started playing Bridge under troubled waters by Simon and Garfunkel.
It was like she pictured, Images of Stanley, Lauren and Eva playing across the screen, Silent videos of Stanley hugging his daughter when she graduated, Images from his wedding, standing with friends at parties, walking his daughter down the aisle at his wedding.
Then it turned to photos of Lauren, similar photos for her, fake smiles, hiding truth, always by Ethan's side, no photos from her university groups. None from her school days, these pictures had been carefully picked out by Ethan, how he wanted her to be remembered as his wife.

Videos from the wedding, from Christmas, bringing Evaleigne home for the very first time, The videos change. the security camera footage, Lauren's cooking, Ethan leaning over her shoulder, grabbing the pan and pressing it to her arm, The crowd gasped, confused and shocked, They could hear Ethan panicking "What's this? what the fuck is this?" The photos of her arms, burns, bruises and scars, Flash to another video him grabbing her while she's sat at the dinner table, dragging her into the kitchen, the audio cut on and Ethan's voice echoing how he was telling her to stay still and take it, her begging him to stop. The crowd was beside itself looking at everyone. Lauren could hear her mothers voice crying out, her father yelling at Ethan "What did you do?" "This is fake, they're taking it out of context!"  The videos kept going, who's ‘they’ Ethan? 

"Lets go" Aether dropped his arm from her shoulders and took her hand, charging through the crowd to the gazebo. People were too fussed to notice or argue when they'd been pushed aside, all of them confused about what was happening.
Mountain and Swiss walked up in front of the parents holding a poster board each, the two of them walked up over the candles and flowers, taking the image of Lauren and Eva down and replacing them with the images of another woman and a little boy, then moved to stand behind the pictures . The crowd erupted in chatter.
Aether walked Lauren up to the gazebo and held her hand as she carefully stepped over the candles 

"What is this some kind of protest" Someone shouted 

"No. This isn't a memorial" Cirrus called as they stood at the bottom of the stairs. 

Lauren stood at the center of the stairs, where She'd stood 4 years ago and gave her vows to the monster before her in the crowd. Lauren ripped off her veil, the crowd letting out shrieks and cries. her mother dropped to her knees, bursting in tears, her father frozen in shock 

"I am Lauren Sullen, My Daughter, Evaleigne, is very much alive. I was not in the car when Ethan Holloway drove my car into the back of a parked gasoline tanker." 

"You fucking bitch" Ethan lurched forward towards her on the stage, the crutch clattering to the floor, his face bright red with rage.
Aether stepped forward and grabbed Ethan's free arm holding it behind his back and holding him in his place "Shut up, you've done enough" Aether growled 
Sodo stepped in to take his place in front of the gazebo. 

"These two people " Lauren gestured to the new pictures. " Passed away years ago, Ethan stole their bodies from the ground and put them in my car. Ethan drugged Stanley Marcus and set the scene to fake my death and His 2 month old daughter's death, and murder Stanley Marcus. All to cover up the tracks of his years of manipulation and violence, taking what he thought was his with not a single care for his wifes care. Ethan had me so scared and brainwashed I couldn't even tell my parents what was happening." her eyes locked with her fathers, the tears flowing

"Two weeks ago I ran away from Ethan. I took Evaleigne with me because I had no faith that he wouldn't harm her because she wouldn't stop crying. Ethan didn't wait 24 hours after the fake crash to claim life insurance on Eva and I!" Lauren couldn't falter or stutter in her words, tears threatened her voice. 

"I ran... the church has failed me, the shelters failed me, everyone gave me back to this monster and let it continue to happen for 4..years... so I ran... to the Satanic ministry"  The whole crowd echoed with gasps and chatters.

The sounds of slow footsteps echoed in the gazebo as Papa appeared behind Lauren, dressed in his black, teal and gold vestments, his face freshly painted placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I was ready to die if it meant getting my daughter away from him, I would have died in that house if I'd stayed, But these were the only people who helped me, kept me safe, the only ones who really listened to me." 

Ethan was furious, screaming strings of curses at her, calling her a dirty whore, a stupid bitch, nothing she hadn't heard before. He was struggling for control.
her father turned to him and kicked Ethan right in his lame leg, knocking him to his knees. Aether just stood there and let it happen, her dad grabbed him by his hair and yanked his head back to look him in the eyes "How could you do this to my girl! You lied to us you fucker!" 
Ethan's own father just stood there, there was nothing else he could do to help. Guilt all over his face.

"You bitch, YOU'RE STILL MY WIFE" 

Lauren held up her hand, removed the wedding band and threw it at him in the dirt " Right here, I said my vows" until death do us part"....and you murdered me" 

The police charged in and grabbed Ethan by his shoulders and dragged them away.  Hopefully it would be the very last time Lauren would see him, until She'd see a mugshot. It still felt hollow...seeing him being taken away, she knew he was getting what he deserved, she still couldn't feel any satisfaction about him being taken away, because she knew this battle was far from over. 

Both of her families stood below her, in tears, confusion, and grief. 

Lauren had said her piece, Ethan, was being taken away. She turned to look to Swiss who nodded. Lauren jumped down over the candles and ran forward, dropping to her knees in front of her mother, Wrapping her arms tight around her, "Mum I'm so sorry I'm so so sorry I had to I had to do it to keep Eva safe I'm sorry" She was so cold, violently shaking, hysterically crying.

"Honey I'm sorry, I never saw anything I never knew I can't believe, I'm sorry you didn't feel safe enough to come to me about this. I'm sorry" she cried into her shoulder, wrapping her arms around her waist holding Lauren close. Her father dropped to her side and held them both. Letting them all cry. 

Lauren felt a warm hand on her shoulder ,She looked up and behind her, Papa. "It's over now" was all he said.  

Her mum looked up "Is this...who took you in?"  Lauren nodded.
her father stood up and took his hands "Thank you.. Thank you for keeping my girls safe" his voice cracked while trying to keep his composure

"She came to us for respite, It was within all our morals to keep her safe"  Papa stated shaking her fathers hand and placing a hand on his shoulder "your Granddaughter is perfectly safe as well. please know that" 

"Thank you" her father whispered, finally letting his emotion show. 

Sodo came up to her group "HIS family wants to talk to you Lauren... " 

Lauren shook her head "Not now... I don't want to hear it" 

Laurens mother finally calmed enough to take her hands "you can come home, stay with us now, he can't hurt you anymore" 

"Oh mum...I ... I already have a home" Lauren gave her the best smile she could

"With the Satan worshipers?" she looked to Papa 

"Yes Mum, Please... I haven't been brainwashed or anything, they haven't done anything to make me stay. They're the first people who've treated me with respect and dignity and no prejudice" 

"You're not just scared because of the trauma?" 

"Mum.... really …I can explain everything at a later date, I need you to trust me... This is the best place I could be. " she held her mum's hands and looked right into her eyes. Her expression softened, tears falling down her cheeks, she knew Lauren was speaking with full confidence. She knew it was her truth 

"Can... Can we at least still see you?" 

"Of course you can," Papa said. " You're very welcome, it's perfectly safe." 

She smiled and looked to Papa " Thank you", letting go of Laurens hands and stepping forward to hold Papa's hands.
"It's our pleasure," Papa reassured her.  

The ghouls had come down from the gazebo and were helping to usher people away from the park,
The journalists were relentless, charging up to Lauren, cameras flashing and microphones shoved in her face "Lauren, How did you run?" "Lauren Did you kidnap her baby?" "Lauren what really made you run" "Lauren was he unfaithful to you?" "Lauren  Why the Satanic church? "  Papa waved them off, grabbing her shoulders " Lets go" 

Lauren looked to her parents and called "I'll come see you I promise!" she shouted, watching as the journalists moved quickly onto other members of her family, vultures.
Papa and the ghouls walked Lauren out of the park, back into the darkness, the ghouls walking around her, ushering her to the car parked outside the gates, Lauren ducked back in through the doors and slid on the leather seats, Cirrus to her right, Papa to her left.
Swiss and Aether in the front seats.  The others in a second car behind them. driving away as fast Aether could. 

Lauren clutched her chest, her heart was racing, pounding hard, her skin felt ice cold but sweat was dripping down her face, her hands were shaking violently as Lauren held the skirt of her dress, trying to catch her breath from the running, but her throat felt tight. Cirrus placed a hand on her shoulder "It's ok now,, breath with me, come on Lauren, breath " she whispered, trying to get her to take deep breaths

Papa grabbed a magazine from the front pocket and waved it down her face . "Lauren, Talk to me what's wrong " 

"I'm going to be sick" Lauren choked out, covering her mouth, the feeling of all the blood draining from her skin, like her body was so heavy out of nowhere.

"Pull over man" Swiss yelled as Aether swerved to the left and stopped the car suddenly, Papa opened the door and stepped out, holding out for Laurens hands and pulling her forward over the seat, she could only hold it for a moment longer before she started gagging, leaning out of the door way, she threw up into the gutters of the road.
Cirrus shuffled behind her and grabbed her hair out of her face, tying it behind her head, then gently rubbing circles into her back as she coughed and let it out, Papa holding her hands to stabilize her while stepping back to avoid being vomited on ,
"What's going on Boss?" Aether called , Swiss was searching the glove box for a rag and a bottle of water, he poured the water over the rag and squeezed it out through the window, holding it up for Cirrus to take.

"She's having a panic attack " Papa stated looking to Cirrus, 

"Does she need a hospital?" Aether tried to look over his shoulder 

"No, she just needs a minute"  Cirrus called, grabbing the rag from Swiss and leaning forward to gently wipe over Laurens brow

Her breathing was still too quick, Lauren dropped her head down, every part of her body was so heavy, Lauren felt so faint.
Papas reached under her armpits to hold Lauren up still, he pulled her forward so she can rest against the door frame, Cirrus handed Copia the rag and he held it to her forehead "It's over Lauren, He can't hurt you anymore" 

"But I hurt everyone else!" Lauren cried out. 
Copia leaned back in surprise to get a look at her, he wasn’t anticipating her to be so concerned with everyone else's safety besides her own 

"No, you didn't honey," Cirrus whispered, placing a hand on Laurens hip. 

"Everyone is so hurt because I'm alive, their son is going to prison, everyone is hurting because I didn't let it happen" her cries echoed out into the park. “They’d feel better if it was all real”

"But if you hadn't, they wouldn't know, who knows who else could be hurt if you hadn't done that" Copia ducked down trying to look straight in her eyes "They will hurt for a while, but they know what happened now, People are probably relieved to know that you and Eva are alive.. They would have gone on believing it was just an accident, instead they know exactly what he did. They all know how he hurt you, and why you risked everything, how he desecrated the graves of those who'd already passed, and how he murdered a sweet innocent man. They know that now" 

It didn't stop her heart from pounding in her chest, It didn't make it easier to breath, it didn't stop the cold shakes Lauren had, and it definitely didn't stop the heaviness causing her to fall forward , Papa caught her, wrapping his arms around her torso, "Lift her up" Copia mumbled, Cirrus took her legs and pulled her back into the car 

Lauren was still conscious, still breathing ,she could still tell what was going on. Papa shut the door behind him

"We good to go, Boss?" Aether called

"Yeah, for now." he wiped the cold rag across her cheeks and wiped her mouth. " Let's get her back, Get Doctor Penny up and tell her what happened. We'll be home soon Lauren, I promise"  Papa held her in his arms as they drove through the streets. the lights of the streets calming her down, she counted her breaths for every 4 lights. It helped just a little bit.

"For those who are just joining us tonight on the 10 o'clock news, Ethan Holloway has been exposed for orchestrating the vehicular incident that took the life of trucker Stanley Marcus, as Holloways supposedly dead Wife, Lauren Holloway- nee Sullen, appeared at her own memorial, Holloway has been arrested for the murder of Stanley Marcus, The domestic violence of Lauren Sullen and the endangerment of their new born child, along with a list of other charges involved in the crime.
Lauren Sullen had run to the Satanic ministry after local authorities and other safe havens had failed to protect her before falling pregnant with her daughter, Evaline, (They always say her name wrong...) Sullen insisted that the Satanic Ministry was the only one keeping her and her daughter safe. Jenny Rodgers has more - "

Papa turned the volume off as he walked over and handed Lauren a glass of juice, Eva was back in her arms, Doctor Penny was checking Laurens vitals.
Having calmed down from the panic attack, safe in the place she called home. It all happened so fast, it still hadn't sunk in that she even left the ministry tonight.

"You're going to be asked to testify in the trial, We've given them her file. All the evidence against him" Copia mumbled "We will be right there with you, No matter what you do" 

Lauren nodded " Thank you Papa" she smiled at him, putting on a brave face 

Doctor Penny sat back on her knees, writing down in her notebook what she found "Papa, can we get her a phone so she can communicate with us when she needs it?" Penny stood up and started packing up her bag

Papa nodded " I'll get onto that"

"Then if you'll excuse me, I have a report to write. I'll see you at breakfast Lauren, Goodnight Papa" 

"Goodnight Penny, Thank you" she called waving as she left.

Lauren moved Eva so she could rest up against her legs, like she was sat up looking at her "he's all gone. we can start out new lives here baby. We get to have a better life now" her eyes moved to Papa with a smile 

Papa couldn't help but smile, placing a hand on her foot "That's right, Eva. You get to live a better life around people who only wants to see you thrive" 

Lauren turned Eva around to lean over her knees, Eva gurgled and reached out to Papa, he held up his hand so she could hold his finger in her hand.

"Lauren" Papa mumbled looking her in the eyes "You have an entire community around you to help you raise Eva, for as long as you want to stay, you'll have our help and support. Even as a Single mother, you won't have to do any of this alone. " 

"I know Papa. If it's alright, I think we'll be staying a while at least, I … I don't think I could do it out there on my own. All I'd get is pity, people seeing the scars and the burns, not the fact that I have a purpose now" 

"I can't deny that you will get some of that from here, but as time goes on we all grow, become new again" Copia wiggled his finger Evas grip

Lauren thought about what a life here would look like, dressed in a habit, attending mass, maybe she could work here, she had a history that would be helpful.
Lauren could actually see Eva growing up here, running through the halls, learning from the siblings around here, Playing with the ghouls. Could her parents come to visit? surely. She'd never really pictured herself as a religious woman, never saw herself being someone to live by those rules. From her time here it's been made to feel like everything she had is a choice, she had control, no "you need to do this" or " you've got to do that" you always had the final say so. 

" Can I become new again... here at the ministry? " 

Papa shuffled closer to her " If that's what you really wish. I would love nothing more than to watch as you make her life here, and to see little Eva grow up within our community, She's already made such an impact, And I know Sister would love nothing more than to have such youth in the ministry again"

All she could do was nod " Well I hope you can get used to me, I would love to live my life here at the ministry, I want to join the Satanic faith, everything I've learned so far has only rung true to me"

Papa nodded  leaning down to look in Eva's eyes "We can wait until Eva grows up to make her choice as well. Consent is important"  

Eva reached forward, wanting to go to him, so Copia reached over and picked her up, cradling her against his shoulder " Papa is going to take good care of her from now on Eva" rubbed her back gently. 

Lauren dropped her legs to rest on their sides, " Forgive me Papa"

"Have you sinned? I'm proud of you" 

Lauren giggled and shook her head "not that, Whenever I see you with Eva, how you look at her, hold her, interact with her. It's how I hoped I'd see Ethan taking care of her. You're more of a father to her than he ever was" 

Papa looked at Lauren, the paints hiding the blush on his cheeks " really? I've never really Interacted with infants, I did do some reading for how to care for them when you came here though"

"I can't explain it, the sad part of me is reminded that literally anyone else here would be a better father figure to her, but when I see you interact with her, I feel like.. well... " her words failed her

" I'm flattered, really. I'm glad I can give you this memory for her" all he could do was smile, turning to glance at eva "I think Eva has fallen asleep on me again " he mumbled "I'll go put her down" 

"Thank you," Lauren whispered. Papa stood up and walked out to the bedroom to put her down. 

It was way too soon, It was so easy to talk to him, Eva got on with him so easily and so well, He was strong, supportive, it's way too soon to admit it... Lauren has a crush on Papa,

It was way too soon, Lauren knew not to get her feelings confused with her recovery. Let alone him. Lauren doesn't want him to think she couldn't live without someone by her side, yes its been so long since she hasn't had anyone by her side and she was still learning about who she was. But she couldn't deny there was an affection for him, and not to get his support and reassurance confused for deeper feelings. If this is just a crush, it'll fade. 

Eva was still her first priority, her second had to be herself. 

Give it time.

Chapter 7: Taking Risks

Summary:

8 months have passed since Lauren and Eva came here, While Eva is figuring out how to do some basic human things like holding up her head and what toy is the best one to fit between the couch cushions. Lauren is finding a way to rebuild a schedule in her new normal.
The ministry has provided her with the fascilities she needs to heal from her past.

Notes:

** REWRITTEN ENDING **

"So what have you been up to since we last talked?" Geraldine, one of the ministry's therapists that had been assigned to Lauren asked, sat in her comfy chair across from her, in a matching reclining chair, Eva was being watched by Sister Imperator who has promptly become Evas third Grandmother over time, Eva seems to bring out the sweet side of everyone, including infernal monsters from the pits of hell. 

"Well, Last week I had to sit down with the prosecution team in Ethan's trial to talk about my testimony for domestic violence, abuse and the  multiple sexual assaults. I don't think I would have been able to get through it without having talked to you first. She, um …Tanya?, yeah Tanya, she got me to describe what happened in the 4 years since we were married, how we met, when we got engaged and married. Our relationships with the families. She ran me through how the trial was actually going to run, what I'm allowed to do, What I should avoid doing, how I should answer, How to handle the defense. They even asked about why I chose to go to the Satanic Ministry and why every other option had failed me, leaving me with no other option but to go to what could have been just an abandoned and dangerous building filled with squatters or dangerous people." Lauren shrugged “We still have time until the trial so I guess the weight of it still hasn’t sunk in that it’s actually going to happen”

"It won't until you walk through those doors to the courthouse, believe me. What's going through your mind when you think about the trial and what could happen? Do you think you'll be able to make it through the trial confidently or do you have some lingering anxiety about being in the same room as your ex husband after all of this time?"

Lauren nodded her head side to side, neither agreeing or disagreeing with those statements " I think with a solid case it'll be just fine, I mean the evidence is clear and legally obtained in every day, but the whole cross examination is a bit daunting to think about, a total stranger whose goal it is to work with Ethan questioning my every word or hand gesture, asking why hadn't I left sooner, why didn't i just talk to my parents, why not call the police, trying to wind me up you know, I'm still all ...Postnatally Depressed  and emotionally charged, I'm bound to cry on the stand if they overwhelm me"

"Mmm, I can promise you they’re not supposed to be overly dramatic and yell at you like on tv shows, all parties involved in trials are expected to act professionally and with decorum, should the defence not behave you have got to hope for your lawyer and the prosecuting team to come in and object to any leading or hearsay bullshit " Geraldine explained while making note after note.

"That's like...rumors and putting words in my mouth, right?"

"Yeah, If it has no factual evidence to prove it as true, It's dismissed as Hearsay, but something about her testimony could be considered that as well. You have all the evidence against him, you have the scars and the photos. There's no way he's not going to prison for minimum 20 years for the aggravated and sexual assault with weapons. Murder - he's facing atleast one life sentence with that, so anything else on top of that will be faced concurrently. "

Lauren took a deep breath, relaxing in her chair "That's what I'm holding on, though there's something no one has talked to me about honestly... "

"And what's that?" Geraldine closed her book and put it to the side of her

"Custody... Does Ethan still have the right to request Eva comes to visit him regularly? I'd still have to see him. If he's sent to prison, I don't want her to keep it in her mind that not only is her biological father in prison for murder and all that , but what if he manipulates her when she grows up. "

Geraldine let out a long sigh and took off her glasses, staying silent for just a moment while she thought of the right thing to say " It's going to be very likely that he has to waive all rights to parental custody as apart of his sentence, That comes down to the what the court determines, you can sue for full custody which you are very likely to get as the mother of the child, he's already been proven to be a danger to people and very likely to reoffend. In that case, he has no right to control her. There's no need to take Eva to see her father. It is to keep her safe. Some people will claim you're being a bitch because you're keeping his daughter away from him, That's always bullshit. Someone is always going to be a dick like that. That's just the state of the world now. But you're doing what you can to keep Eva safe. When she's older, if she wants to meet with him while he's in prison, would you still let her go?"

"I would, I wouldn't hold her back from knowing who her biological father is, as she grows she'll to make her own choice on if she continue to want to know him" Laurens face twisted as though it was hard to say those words, like she was expected to say them “when she’s old enough to understand though, I’ll be the one to tell her what he did to us.” 

“You have plenty of time to tell her what happened, have you thought about what you’d say?” 

Lauren nodded, taking a deep breath, she spoke as if she’s practiced these words over and over in her head and in the mirror- because she had been “He’s in jail because he did something horrible, and he did that horrible thing to me, and it’s possible he could have done that horrible thing to you. And I will never let that happen”

"That's all any child could ask" Geraldine smiled, leaning over to place her hand onto yours, the warmth and her touch, just a nice reassuring gesture "you’re doing everything with her best interests and her future in mind, you’re doing great Lauren."

"Thank you Gerry" Lauren mumbled

Geraldine nodded, straightening back up in her chair and putting her glasses back on her nose"The biggest thing to take away from this huge change in your life is allowing yourself to move on from who you were before you took your life back. We've been talking about you taking the time to heal and learning who Lauren is now that you've taken your life back into your own hands. now that the family around you has dramatically changed. So, where are you? What's going on? " she opened her notebook back to a blank page, ready to listen

In the process of therapy, Lauren has been looking back at the different Laurens there were, as Lauren grew up she were always changing and growing and would always be a different person, this exercise is to identify the different aspects of her personality as her life has dramatically changed, while She's learning about this little human she made, Eva's learning about her too.

"I still catch myself jumping into host mode whenever someone comes for a meal or to spend time together, Usually I can distract people by giving them the baby and going to get them what they need"

"Do you still feel that it's your responsibility to ensure people are happy?"

"Yeah, that's more stressful than making sure Eva doesn't roll off the couches or off her mats, that one's easy. If I see one person on their phone or twiddling their thumbs, it's my fault they're being left out. that just weighs on my shoulder still. But it's easier now when someone wants to help with the dishes in their own way" Lauren chuckled, briefly remembering watching Swiss lick stuck food on plates. " or if Papa offers to bring around dinner I won't complain when he offers to cook, He's a wonderful cook. Almost once a week we have dinner together"

"So you're getting used to releasing the control of being the actual host?"

"Yeah, I realize that what Ethan was doing, acting like a host and being present to the guests, he was actually just another guest in the house, he made no effort to help or organize except to make the decisions."

"and....well... How did that make you feel?"

"Angry, looking back, hindsight will always make me angrier than I was at the time, because back then I wasn't allowing myself to think about anything else, I wasn't allowing myself to ask for help because I'd settled on the idea that he was never going to help, and of course that our parents had done so much for us growing up that it's time to give back. I was talking with my mum about this and she told me that whenever someone offered to go to the kitchen to help me, He'd tell them that 'I got it, no need to help' . I resented our parents so much because of that, even if they'd come to offer the help, I surely would have said 'Thanks but no thanks' but there was never an offer, So all I felt was angry. "
Lauren slumped back in her chair and looked to the side, being able to admit that and acknowledge that she was upset. For so long she thought she was just fine, thinking it was just what a wife did.

"He'd taken away your opportunity for choice, it's natural to look back and feel anger and embarrassment. Can you think of any examples as to where else he'd taken away your autonomy?"

"I keep thinking about that, like was it little things when he would make the decisions before I got a chance to give it , he'd do things without asking and i just accepted it, before I got pregnant with Eva there were things like inviting people around without telling me, ordering food or drink for me at dinners, Buying furniture or throwing things out he determined we didn't need anymore, It was little things that added up you know? to anyone looking in, that's like...nothing.it wouldn't be and obvious sign something was a problem, they might think we were so in sync. until it came to dinner when he left it to me, if I didn't make something he liked that's when the burns happened and I think he was sort of setting me up for failure there. "

"Do you still have the anxiety around making the right foods? not just for guests but for yourrself "

"Uh, I don't know. but Eva and I are making the effort to go to the cafeteria for meals more often so there isn't as much need for choice until Eva gets into solid foods" 

"I get that, it's all about what foods you get and what nutrients you can share with her" she noted this down in her book "What about when you have guests?"

"I've gotten used to the fact that the ghouls will eat near literally anything, there's no allergies there's no complaints, They’re letting me cook something more often so they've turned it into a potluck, so I'll make something to go along with whatever they bring, they LOVE the potato salad or any potato meals I make, I usually stick to something with vegetables while they bring the main meal and sometimes deserts, I usually have a tub of ice cream in my freezer though" she shrugged "If it's another sibling joining me for dinner it's usually a serving of what came from the cafeteria so I'm not complaining. It's made it very easy now, Though Papa Secondo has requested to have me host a “post mass Sunday roast” sometime. That might put me right back into where I was before"

"It does sounds like you've made a lot of progress being in your newer surroundings" Geraldine was leaning forward in her chair

"Thank you"

Going to therapy has been a huge help with finding coping mechanisms for managing the depression she still felt, the anxiety that plagued her, especially surrounding Ethan and the legal charges she'd have to be involved in, Reconnecting with her parents and hopefully their introduction to the ministry,

They still held their reservations so they still haven't physically come to the ministry at all, But they have seen images, pictures and videos of the two of them interacting and getting involved at the ministry. They even entertained meeting with Papa and Cumulus for dinner one evening. It did go well! it did actually go well, Papa was very open to answering questions and confirming or denying mysteries, he handled it very well, even when her mother asked about orgies or animal sacrifices, Lauren however wanted to hide in the cupboard under the stairs when her mother wanted to bring out her baby photos to compare pictures of Eva. So they're warming up to it. They will need more time.

Now that Eva was more than 6 months old, which would normally be the time She'd start navigating back into a job and start sending Eva to a daycare, Lauren had started working part time as Papas Assistant for a few hours 3 days a week to help Papa with managing the admin side of his papal duties, It helped give Lauren a sense of purpose besides Eva, and a sense of earning for the boons she's been provided.
Lauren still hasn't taken any vows into sisterhood of the ministry, Papa keeps saying take your time, But Lauren would regularly attend Mass, her research about the ways of the ministry has continued still.
Papa has made it clear he wants to make sure that her decision to swear her life to Satan is made with a clear mind, and not just a desperate need for a total change in her life.

Eva was growing up so fast, it felt like the time had passed in an absolute flash, Eva was now sleeping on her own in her nursery. Lauren kept a baby monitor nearby whenever she slept, but she was able to make it through the night if she followed a certain routine. Eva started to recognize other people and became accustomed to being around large groups of people, and the ghouls never scared her, in fact she interacted with them the best, like the Uncles and Aunts Lauren could only wish she had.
Eva had even met the other previous Papas, Primo was the most grandfatherly figure in her life, Secondo was very much a hard ass with the ghouls and his brothers, but it seemed he had a soft spot for her, he would let her sit in his lap and would read to her.
Terzo loved to step into the role of uncle, not grandfather, he’s much too young (at heart) for that , the most energetic of the bunch, he seemed like such a natural with play and enrichment for the growing infant. Terzo would jump at most opportunities to have Eva involved in activities just so he could see her smile and hear her giggles of joy. “Such pure innocence in our fucked up world” 

As time went on Lauren started joining the siblings and the clergy for meals, taking Eva in the stroller down, making a few friends along the way who would offer to feed Eva a bottle so Lauren could eat without juggling the two, Socializing for Eva was an important part of her development, despite being the only baby in the ministry for now.
Every so often she would go along to Sunday mass, but on the times she wouldn't go, The ministry had a group of siblings who were previously trained in child care that would offer to come and babysit her while Lauren went to mass.
The Ministry even built a creche in one of the unused training rooms, It would be small at first but there wasn't a lot of need for it as only a few siblings had expressed the desire for children of their own but so far none had acted it, so it felt like a luxury that this had been created just for her.

Now that it was early winter a lot of her activities were kept inside so the creche was a welcome source of enrichment for her while Lauren went to therapy or while she was working with Papa.

"Copia, Have you seen this request from the French ministry for funding for their Valentine's day ritual?" Lauren called as she walked into his office with this weeks sensitive expenditure requests and other forms needing his signing off

"Hmm? I was made aware of it, but the form has finally come through?" he looked up from the article, his reading glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"They're requesting $30,000 to hold the festival" she announced looking at the totals

"Ey? That doesn't sound right, Can I see that?" He held out his hand as she passed over the request " They don't have more than 400 in their clergy, let alone in all of France, that funding doesn't sound right, do they intend to host another country's ministry as well? "

"They haven't specified it in the request, by the math there at $50 a head, $30,000 is covering 600 people" Lauren stated looking at the copy She'd accidentally printed

"No, Send this back and ask for more detail, why should we provide them that much funding for an event that isn't catering to at least 2 ministries worth of people. Get more information" He shook his head and handed it back

"If they're charging that much they should be requesting you go as well. " Lauren joked taking the page back and putting the rest of the pages down on his desk

"Exactly! if they get that much money, it should be for 601 people!" he stated with a grin on his face

"Yeah! Where's your invitation?" The two of them laughed together as Lauren sat back at her desk, having learned how the ministry plans and runs their events, reading through the details of expenses. She'd come to get an idea as to how the event should be running, but this calculation just didn't sit right in her mind.

"Do they intend to combine the ministries from overseas and host the worlds largest orgy?"

"That's not a hard record to beat, they don't need to combine other ministries to be able to do that. Contact Cardinal Raymond to get more information. I'm not approving anything over $10,000 without a full run down and a personal invitation " He pointed to Lauren with his pen giving the instruction. This had become her regular routine.

"Of course not because then you have to explain it to Sister and that's already a nightmare, "Excuse me Sister, France wants 30k to hold the worlds biggest orgy" " you fake gagged looking away from him

"If they can put it down on paper so she can read it and I don't have to say it, that would make things so much easier" Copia groaned as he leaned on his arm against the desk, “ It's not a difficult topic but it's not....pleasant to discuss with her" he groaned dropping his face into his hands "Yeah i would prefer not think about that "

Lauren stood up from her desk, walking over to the mini bar in his office making him a small whiskey neat and popping it on his desk beside him "Thank you" he mumbled and took a sip, "Lauren, Are we still on for dinner tonight?"

"I would hope so, you said you were making a Fettuccini alfredo, I've been looking forward to that" Lauren made herself a seltzer with cordial before sitting back down

"I just wanted to make sure, I will make it with chicken since you shouldn't be eating seafood just yet, when you can I'm making you the best Shrimp Carbonara you've ever had" he waved and finished off his drink quickly.

"I will hold you to that" Lauren looked back at him "do you want me to make the Ambrosia again?"

"Would you? I loved that with the freshly cut strawberries as well it was beautiful"

"I might have to run down to the kitchen actually but I should be able to make it in time"

"Fantastic" his phone dinged and he checked the message "Oh speak of the devil, Sister will be by soon with Eva"

"Ok, are you going to be ok without me?” Lauren asked as she packed up her jacket and shut down the computer 

"I'll be fine” he lied ” I'll see you tonight around 6" he called pointing to his pile of paperwork, Lauren packed up the last of her supplies for the day, making him one last whisky before meeting Sister and Eva out in the hallway.

Making a trip to the kitchen to get Yoghurt, Cream, Chocolate, wafers, and fresh strawberries, it was an easy dessert but it was so yummy after dinner.

"And so, He's standing on the stage, carrying a supermarket paper bag, and he calls for voice effects so that he sounds taller!"

"What?! Someone just needs to bring him a box!"

"Oh he refused , he would wear heels, but a box was too much!" Papa laughed, you were resting back against his chest while sitting on the couch laughing about his older brother's goofs on stage and not just what was captured on camera to share. 

Eva was sat up in her little play space with toys she'd be gumming on , stacking and knocking them down.

" Wait what was in the bag?" Lauren looked over her shoulder at him

"a Kazoo! I don't know why but he had the bright idea that during Ghuleh he'd pull out this fucking kazoo and the crowds would respond to it positively, now people believe it is apart of his personality"

"Like how people think you have pet rats?"

"I had pet rats growing up but I have to be realistic with my duties as a higher clergy member, it's not fair on the animals if I'm away for months on end and they’re stuck here at the ministry."

"What were their names?" Lauren shuffled a little in his embrace, holding her mocktail close to her chest

"Crema and Biscotti , Toni -For Rigatoni , and there was this one little asshole, he had a proper name but when I would get angry at him I would just call him Marvin"

Lauren snorted at the look on his face, his brow lowered, looking off into space. "Marvin?"

"Fucking Marvin, He wouldn't sit on my shoulder unless he was under my collar and scratch my skin, biting at the freckles. He was a menace" he tickled his fingers up her arm, into her shoulder and tickled her neck, Lauren clamped her shoulder into her neck, giggling away at the tickling sensation

"If you can imagine what it's like having a little furry thing in her neck it's not pleasant" "

"Does a Rat feel uncomfortable? they look so soft?"

"Oh no, Most are, but something about Marvin's fur was so scratchy. like this" he held her shoulders and leaned his head into her neck, pressing his prickly unshaven cheek to her neck, it tickled even more than it could have scratched.

" AH" Lauren squeaked with laughter, her face flushed bright red "Papa!"

Papa rest his head on her shoulder and pressed a kiss to her neck to “make it all better” before leaning away from her

Eva squealed with her, holding up a plastic donut at the two laughing grown ups on the big chair "What's that Eva? What's that" Papa called holding his hand out

Eva leaned forward, dropping the donut and propping herself on her hands and shuffled forward, Lauren gasped watching her, "Eva come here" Eva kicked her legs forward and one by one she started to crawl to her mama on the couch, Laurens heart fluttered and the smile on her face was so bright " Eva! Oh my god Eva you're crawling!" she squeaked leaning down to pick her up

"Has she not done that before?" Papa asked, sat in shock behind her.

Lauren held Eva above her who was kicking her feet and hands around, "No she hasn't! This is the first time! "

"What a clever girl! " Papa reached out and Pat her head gently " You're so clever Eva! "

Lauren shuffled forward out of Papas embrace and stood up with her, putting her on the ground in the lounge and stepping back , holding her hands out "Come here Eva, Can you do it again?" Just like that she was off cautiously crawling towards Lauren as she got used to her new-found motor skills and holding her whole weight up on her little hands and knees, Lauren leaned forward and picked her up when she was close enough "AH! Oh Eva!!!"

Papa had pulled out his phone and started recording the two girls as Eva got used to her footing, filming this so he can show it to the ghouls later.

"Don't go too fast honey, let me keep up!" turning her around and walking to the other side of the room as she crawled faster, getting used to her footing as she moved around through her toys to her hands "Woah!" Lauren picked her up and fell back onto the floor holding her above her "Evaa- vavavoom!" she was letting out her gurgle gasps of giggles as she kicked around in the air, Lauren lowered her down onto her arm and hugged her close, then sat up holding her to her chest.

Papa put his phone down on the table and went to sit down beside them on the floor, playing with her feet "Aren't you such a clever girl Eva!" Lauren looked back to him and leaned against him again

" So clever, you're such a clever girl" Lauren peppered her face with kisses before sitting back, a thought popped into her head "Oh no...I'm going to have to get baby gates and corner guards....and door locks " Lauren looked around her lounge, at all the corners and all the openable doors and cupboards  she could hit her little head on, damaging her still forming frontal lobe 

"Whatever you need, we will get it to you" Papa looked down at Eva from over her shoulder, his hands on resting on her arms

"Thank you Papa' Lauren looked up at him, Eva reached up and smacked her hands on Laurens face " hey!" you gave her a look " I know I'm excited but I think it's past bedtime for you missy moo" Lauren held her close as she stood up from her spot, she was already changed and dressed for bed so it was just a matter of getting her into bed.

"I'll tidy up" Papa called and grabbed the bowls

"We still have some ambrosia actually, how about seconds?"

"Oh why not~" he chuckled. "Who doesn't love a little gluttony?"

"People on diets" she could hear him laugh as she put Eva down in her crib in the nursery. "Goodnight honey, Sleep well" , she leaned down and kissed her on her forehead, she was going to cry and pull herself up to try get Laurens attention and get her to take her back out to where the people are, but Lauren knew it was just a matter of keeping her there and in the dim light she'll tire herself out and pass out for the night soon enough. If Lauren continues to coddle her she'll just stay up for hours and be cranky the next day. It still tugged on her heart strings as she cried out for mum. Lauren walked back out into the lounge with the door open ajar, taking the baby monitor with her and putting it on the coffee table.

Papa had served the last of the ambrosia into the bowls and had sat back down on the couch, waiting for her to sit next to him, Lauren shuffled to lay back down against him and took her bowl, "Thank you" digging right in.

"I'm going to have to ask you for the recipe, this is just so good"

"It's just yoghurt, whipped cream, and whatever chocolate or fruit you want." Lauren shrugged, looking back up at him

"I doubt I'll be able to make it as sweet as you though" he disclosed, looking down at Lauren with a smirk and winked

"Well it has Yoghurt in it, it's not supposed to be that sweet. out of interest, what kind of sweet am I?" playing along with his quips, he was the one who told her to take risks after all. 

Copia leaned back against the arm of the couch as he thought"Hmm, Well you are pleasant like the texture of ice cream, you make me excited to think about, and your smile is as sweet as strawberries, if a little tart" he stopped by eating another spoonful of the dessert

Lauren looked down at her bowl again and wiggled in his embrace, he could have just said ‘sweeter than sugar’ and left it at that, but no, her texture? She makes him excited? A little tart? She had to look down into her bowl to hide the smile crawling across her face.

"Plus,even if you end up being bad for my waistline, I can never get enough of you, but I know to stop when the bowl is empty” 

The blush on her cheeks growing hot, "So, …How do you clean your bowl then?" Lauren could feel him take a deep breath behind her and shuffle in his place behind her

"I could use my fingers along the sticky edges of the bowl, going around and around until it's enough to start" Copia leaned in over her shoulder to whisper so only they could hear even though the two of them were alone. Papa held his hand on her upper arm, using two fingers to slowly move the press around in little circles into her arm. " but if I can't get all of it, I'd use my tongue so I can taste every part of the sickly sweet leftovers, I like to think I'm pretty good using my tongue, it uh,,, cleans,,, a lot better, even if I get some on my nose, I want to taste it all, Wouldn't want to waste a drop"

Copia knew exactly what he was doing, what he was getting Lauren to imagine, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest while she imagined laying on her back as a pair of fingers touched her in places never touched by anyone else, using his mouth on her as well, her chest tightened as her held back from her imagination, the shiver between her legs was unfamiliar but so needed. 

"Does that sound good to you?" he whispered into her ear, leaning down to press a kiss to her neck, breathing down on her skin.

Lauren pressed her lips together looking down at his hands, unable to make a sound, squeezing her shaky legs together, this was risky, this could be bad, no one has to know, she just nodded 

"Tell me how it sounds to you, Tesoro" his voice was dark, his lips hovering above her jaw and his breath was hot on her skin.

"I...I think it's a very...good...way to taste a dessert that no one has tasted before"

“No one?” he raised a brow as a growl rumbled in his chest, that just wouldn’t do, he took hold of both the bowls and put them aside, holding her arms gently not wanting to scare her off despite how close they already were, "No one has been brave enough to taste your desserts?"

"No... People in the past weren't very...adventurous... They only liked Vanilla....Ice cream" she whispered leaning her head back into his shoulder

"Not even French vanilla?" he pressed kisses down her neck slowly, moving her cardigan aside to kiss at her shoulder.

By instinct, lauren tilts her head away from his to encourage him to go further, "No... even when I suggested something like apple pie with it... He refused" her hand dropped to his leg, gently moving up his thigh,

"that must have left you unsatisfied " his hand moving from her arm to rest over her stomach, she shivered from the sensation, "you must be craving something better" his hand moving to rest just under the strap of her bra, tightening his grip around her

"I am" Lauren whispered, turning her head to face him, his eyes were dark, taking in every detail of her face, His brows raised slightly as if asking for permission, her tongue gently traced over her bottom lip as her eyes drifted to his own lips so soft, "Papa?"

"Si, Tesoro?" Mumbled under his breath, his lips hardly moving, expression not changing.

"Kiss me"

That was all he needed to lean his head forward and press his lips to hers, he didn’t rush he was soft, holding Lauren close in a passionate kiss, her eyes shut, Papa pushed gently for her body to turn, turning her body to the side so he could deepen the kiss, his lips moving faster she felt like she could hardly keep up and yet she almost didn’t want to, his tongue swiped across her bottom lip, welcoming his tongue in, Lauren pressed her tongue against his, dancing in her mouth. Her breathing quickened as his hand on her waist and down to her hips pulling on her to bring her closer still, his gloved fingers tracing over her thighs, the leather still cold from the bowl of desert, it sent a chill up her spine, following his lead where his hands were pulling her, she sat up on her knees in between his legs,

Papa pulled away from her lips, breathing heavily, Lauren moaned quietly as he pulled away but were surprised by the feeling of his kisses down her neck, a harsh sucking on her skin at her neck, it tickled against the fresh moustache growing in above his lip, the sweet pang of pain radiates down her arms as she reached out to brace herself on his thigh, flexing under her touch. His hands gently stroked down her side, resting on her hip as he stops his kisses to breath and rest his forehead to hers "You have no idea how long I've been imagining what it would be like to kiss you" he whispered, pulling her up into a more comfortable position to sit in his lap

Lauren leaned into his embrace, his hand now resting on her ass gently "So have I." she declared through gasps “your sermons on lust have my mind wandering" her hands rest on his chest, tracing down the buttons on his shirt, she could feel him getting hard in his pants against her leg.

"Where has your mind been wandering?" he lifted his hand, holding the finger of his glove between his teeth and pulled his hand from the glove, throwing it aside

Lauren bit her swollen bottom lip "When I'm in bed, I dream about you climbing over me, taking my clothes off" She fiddled with the buttons until they came undone "You're slow, curious, but you're right where I need you" She whisper, her fingers working her way down his shirt

He groaned looking down at her, his hands dropping down and grabbing her ass cheeks, squeezing rough. "Now that sounds sweet, but I need to teach you to chase your desires." his hands pulled on her ass to move her to sit up on her knees, moving her so she was straddling his hips. "How you should be touched." his hands moving up her sides, taking her shirt with his hands, but not moving to take it off, his hand moving over her breast, his fingers tracing over her nipple, it made her shiver and squeeze her legs together, wanting more friction. "How you should feel" his lift his hips up to grind the bulge in his pants against her clothed sex, her mouth gaped open, letting out a moan, he leaned in to whisper again "If that's what you want"

His actions read like a paperback romance novel, being desired like this was something she'd never felt before, it made her dizzy with lust, her body tingling at the sensation of his touch, her legs felt heavy while holding her body up. "I want it" She moaned, grinding her hips against his again .

Papa smirked and winked at her, a chuckle rumbled in his chest. He dropped his hands to her hips, hooking them under her legs as he lift her up with ease, standing from the couch and carrying her in to the bedroom, His lips crashed back onto hers in a hungry and passionate kiss, her hand holding onto his shoulder, her fingers snaking up through his hair, pressing her body against his. He knelt on the bed before lowering her carefully onto the mattress, holding himself up with his hands propped up by her waist.
His lips parting from hers and kissing down her jaw, to her shoulders, one of his hands rubbing down her waist slowly, tracing over the stretch marks in her skin, Lauren gasped and reached down to hold his hand "I.. "
Copia leaned back looking at Lauren wide eyed "I'm sorry did i do something wrong?"

"No.. No you didn't, I just...the stretch marks aren't exactly attractive" Lauren stuttered, letting go of his hand

he sighed with a smile on his face, "Tesoro" both relieved and slightly dumbfounded, leaning down to kiss down her chest, between her breast and down her belly, "These are a reminder of how strong you are, The reminders that you've carried and created the most beautiful thing in the world" he held a hand over her lower belly and looked up at Lauren from his place on her belly "Life" he whispered as if it were a secret. It made her heart swell , "You should be worshiped for this, Not hidden"

He kept kissing around her belly, moving lower as his hands were playing around the waistband of her pants and slowly pulling them down over her hips and off her legs, throwing them to the floor " I said I wanted to taste every part of your sweet dessert, didn't I?"

Lauren lift her head to look down to him with her cheeks burning hot, her bottom lip swollen and bright pink. She nodded her head, he did say that. Still a little embarrassed she hadn't shaved or "maintained" herself for quite some time, her legs shivered from the cold winter air.
"Remember, if you want me to stop at any time, you just need to say stop " he whispered as his fingers played with the lace on her panties, already soaked through.

"Yes, Papa" she whispered, watching him as he pulled her panties off her legs, throwing them over his shoulder, so exposed to him but she felt no guilt, just desire.

Papa moved to hold himself up on his knees, moving her legs over his shoulders as he kissed down her legs, down her thighs his cool hands stroking down the her legs, his kisses moving down her inner thighs, soft, quick, peppered kisses, his eyes locking with hers as his arms wrapped underneath her, holding her hips up to meet with his face, his hot tongue swiped up her folds in a long slow motion, she was sensitive that the bumps on his rough tongue made her shiver, the sensation running down her legs and into her core. His tongue pointed as he licked between her lips, over her cunt and up to her clit, her breath hitched as he flicked over it.

"So sensitive, so wet, I love making you shiver" he growled, the vibration of his voice setting her off "You're allowed to let herself go, you don't have to stay quiet here, I want to hear you sing for me"

His hand reached up under her shirt, with a couple flicks of his fingers, he unclasped her bra , his fingers following the red marks in her skin up to her breast, his mouth pressing to her pussy, kissing over her lips, his tongue between her folds and teasing her entrance, leaning up to gently suck on her clit, the overwhelming sensations had her arch her back, her hips into the mattress and a loud moan echoing through the room from her.

"Yess" he hissed, his hands moving back down to let him sit up, watching as she writhed beneath him, his fingers replacing his tongue, tracing between her lips while feeling her slickness mixed with his, his fingers found her clit so easily, rubbing small fast circles into her clit, her legs twitched on either side of him, as he leaned to hover over her twitching form, her breaths laced with moans that she no longer had to fight to hold back.

Papa leaned down to kiss at her neck, sucking and biting his little marks into her neck. "Is this what you do to yourself at night? Is this how you touch yourself?"

"Yeah!" Lauren gasped out, reaching her hands up to grip the sheets, her body twitching as Papa's fingers circle her clit faster, dipping his fingers down through her lips and pushing them inside of her slowly, she gasped and bit her bottom lip, "Oh fuck!" she called as he started to pump his fingers inside of her. He leaned over to crash his lips to hers in a passionate kiss, all of his focus was on her pleasure,

Lauren could feel his pants strained against her leg, but he was pressed up against her side that she couldn't get anywhere near to touch him, she lift her leg over his shoulder, pressing her thigh against his bulge, he let out a gasp and pulled back from her lips to hover over her " You don't...have to do …anything" he moaned as she moved her legs to tease him.

"What if I want to ?"

He groaned into her neck, pushing his fingers in as far as they could go, curling them up to drag along the sensitive spot inside which caused her to squeak, her walls tightening around his fingers, causing her to tremble around his slightest touch"Let yourself go. Cum for me" he growled into her jaw, pumping his fingers faster, pressing his palm to her clit, The hot sensations building around his fingers, her legs twitching against him, making him huff and moan into her shoulder a pressure building fast, her moans climbing higher in pitch, her body begging for that release, he reached around her shoulders and his hand grabbed her breast, pinching her nipple between his fingers, that sensation of pain rocking through her body like lightning, her body twitched and convulsed in his hold, her walls tightening around his fingers, her legs clamping together around his hand as she cried out, a fuzzy feeling in her mind as she came down from the intense daze, nothing quite like she could have ever given herself.
Her breathing fast, a haze still in her mind. "oh fuck" she moaned turning her head to lean against his " fuck"

He was breathing heavily as well, grinding his hips against her thigh " you're so beautiful " he moaned into her shoulder.
Lauren turned to look at him, she dropped her hand to press against his chest, her legs still numb and sensitive. Pushing him gently to lay on his back, he followed her push but looked up at her in his own daze "Tesoro you don't need to do anything, this is all about you"

Lauren sat up on her side leaning over him" I can't possibly leave you like this" her hands trailing down his chest, undoing the last buttons of his shirt, "Now Now Papa, Listen to Mama, Let Mama make it all better" Lauren smirked at him with her newfound boldness, leaning down to stroke her hand over his bulge, undoing the zip on his pants and pulling them down enough to let him free. His hard cock stood to attention, already pink and begging for attention,
“Do I really do this to you? Me?” Lauren wrapped her hand around his cock and slowly felt up the veins of his hard shaft.
Before Copia could answer he let out a low moan, covering his eyes before pushing the hair out of his face.

Lauren leaned down and kissed his tip, not breaking eye contact as she dragged her tongue over the slit on his tip, his body shivered from the teasing.

"You're a vixen after ahhh" he hissed, she chuckled and leaned down to drag the flat of her tongue up his shaft, taking his tip in her mouth and sucking softly, she bobbed slowly to wet his cock before moving faster, taking as much of him in her mouth as she could, his tip hitting the back of her throat causing her to gag on him. Holding the base of his shaft in her hand.

Lauren had to pull off for a moment to catch her breath before Papa leaned up to grab her arm " Come here, I can't take it I have to have you" he begged, pulling her up to straddle him, he reached down to his jacket and pulled a condom from his jacket pocket.

"Where did that come from?" Lauren nervously giggles, watching as he was frantic to put it on

"I carry them because my brother is useless, The siblings need a better influence around them, It's smart" he groaned, kicking his pants and boxers to the ground. Copia grabbed her hips and lined her up against him " Can... Can I please, I need you , Please " seeing him ask for her touch was a nice feeling, being asked for permission was unknown territory, He's not wanting just to take pleasure from her, but to share it with her.

Lauren nodded" Yeah, yes" she lowered herself onto his cock, she dropped her head forward as she found herself being able to take all of him to the hilt, he held still to let her adjust.

Copia took slow deep breaths, taking in the image of her above him, something about this still didn't feel real, but it didn't feel wrong either, he dropped his hand to hold hers, grabbing her attention " If anything hurts, if you need to stop. Just say it." he squeezed her hand and she squeezed it in return
Lauren wouldn't let go of his hand as she lifted her hips on him, it's been some time since she'd done this, thighs and glute muscles burned when Papa lifted his feet to brace himself before thrusting up into her. Lauren gasped and let out a moan from the shock. He groaned as his thrusts found a rhythm where Lauren was bouncing above him, her breasts jumping with the power of his hips slamming into hers.
Copias hands dropped down to her thighs as he lost his grip on her, overcome with the sensation of how hot and wet she was.
she rubbed her hands up her body, over her aching breasts, up and through her hair, holding them over her head,
Copia watched her, transfixed by pure desire, his mouth hanging open as he moaned and gasped for air, if only his own thighs didn’t burn from the threat of cramping

" fuck... lay on your back" he called, panting heavily, rolling her to the side and climbing overtop of her,
Lauren shuffled further back into the bed, he grabbed her legs and lifted them to rest on his shoulders before pushing back inside of her and finding a faster rhythm. her eyes wandered down his chest to where his cock was slamming into her, she could feel him hitting her cervix, stretching her further but the pain was a good stretch, she would take all of him if she could.
Lauren followed his hands to where holding her ankle to his shoulders "touch me" Lauren moaned.

Not hesitating for a moment longer, his hands caress down her legs to her hips, over her stomach and up to her chest, squeezing down on her breast, she let out a shriek as the sensation ripped through her chest and down her arms, she could feel a dripping down her chest pooling between his fingers on her sternum, she gasped looking down, her breast milk spilling from her, her face flushing bright red " I'm so sorry!" she gasped.

Even Copia was a little surprised because he believed he was being gentle and yet her body so easily reacted, yet she was embarrassed by something so natural? He tutted and shook his head "Wouldn't want to waste this liquid gold" he leaned down, not faltering on his rhythm as his, he dragged his tongue across the milk up her chest, kissing her sternum and sucking up the puddle on her chest, leaning forward to kiss at her neck again. 

Not once did he ever make her feel bad for how her body acted, how she looked or what she wanted from him, Copia embraced it, he only wanted her to feel good, all of this was about her. The overwhelming feelings of confusion and satisfaction started to build up inside her once again. All she wanted now was to chase that release with him, She reached up to grab at the fabric of his shirt, pulling him to press his chest to her body, holding onto his shirt and tangling her fingers between his hair again, wanting to share the pleasure she was feeling with him

His rhythm started to falter as he tried to speed up , his leg pulling forward and resting under her hips, A string of curses falling from his lips. He pressed his forehead into her shoulders, He growls into her shoulder, she could feel him reverberating in her own chest as his orgasm rips through his body she could feel his whole body quaking as he started to slow down, his breath still hot and fast, both of her hearts pounding through his chest.

The two of them lay there in ecstasy for moments longer, he turned his head to press a kiss to her cheek before pulling out of her, Lauren shivered from the emptiness.
Lauren hadn't felt this post orgasmic haze before, Lauren could easily let herself get drunk on this feeling,

In trying to catch her breath, she started to stutter and sniffle, tears welling up in her eyes yet she felt so good, 

Copia caught the sniffle and turned to see Lauren starting to cry, in a panic he rolled onto his side off of her, he’d only read in books of this happening, somehow never imagining that it was real “Tesoro? Did….did we do something wrong?” 

Lauren squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, trying to hold back the sobs and stop herself from crying, but the burn in her throat stopped her from replying. 

“Was this overwhelming?” 

She nods 

"Can I hold you? is it physical overwhellmed or emotional?" he rubbed his forearm and tapped his heart to show him incase she couldn't say anything, it wouldn't be the first time he's encountered this but now he knew what was best to do 

Lauren tapped her fingers to her heart.

" Come here" he whispered, he wrapped an arm under her shoulders to guide her back up the bed so he could hold her in his arms to his chest, quickly He discarded the condom in the bin beside the bed, and turned his attention to her. “You’re safe” he whispered to her, moving the hair from her eyes as she cried into his chest 

For Lauren, it dawned on her that the intimacy she’d had in the past felt empty, quick and rushed, it wasn’t pleasant , she never knew it could be anything different, she cursed herself in the past when he would back off so easily because of her period or if he found blemishes on her skin.
So for the man holding her now to make her feel beautiful and worship every inch of her body, it felt like a dream she would inevitably wake up from. “I’m sorry” Lauren whimpered.

“For what? For crying?” Copia rubbed her back slowly and shook his head“I’m only worried that I’ve hurt you” 

Lauren sniffed and shook her head into his chest “ No, I’ve never felt so amazing” she opened her eyes and shuffled closer into his embrace, resting her hand over where his heart would have been, the sobs starting to calm down.

Copia smiled,so glad that he could give her this and adding just a little boost to his pride, he took hold of her hand on his chest “You’re realising you’ve had nothing but bad sex for nearly a decade?” 

She nodded, holding onto the tips of his fingers 

Copia chuckled and leaned down to kiss her forehead " That's what happens when her lover learned everything from porn hub" 

it was painfully true, her sniffles turned to giggles.

Copia rubbed her back gently and whispered “that’s what I want to hear” leaning down to kiss the top of her head, Holding her into his side.

"I'm sorry about my boobs leaking... I haven't pumped this afternoon "

Papa shook his head and squeezed Laurens hand gently "It's fine, it's natural, actually somewhat sweet, it pairs nicely with the tastes from between your legs" he tried to chuckle but it turned into a yawn "Could I stay the night? I can go if you're no- "

"Please stay, I like it here " Lauren mumbled as she shuffled up in his embrace, resting her head on his shoulder

Chapter 8: Lesson 1: Learning to love again.

Summary:

Lauren gets invited to come see a technical rehearsal and we finally get to meet the few friends outside of the ghouls and the clergy that she's made. They get to find out the hard way just how Lauren and Papa have been getting along.

Notes:

NOTE: CHAPTER REWRITTEN

Yall, Time heals wounds, I realize this fic is a lot of relearning things, that's what happens when your life changes so dramatically, it takes more than one lesson to get it right and learn it by heart.

The Greeks believed that there are seven types of love. 

Agape - Love of humanity.

Philia - Affectionate Love, Friendships.

Pragma - Love that endures.

Storge - Family Love, unconditional Love.

Philautia - Self Love. 

Pragma - Fun and non committed Love. 

Eros - Romantic and Sexual Love.

Sometimes it feels like those categories blend, in reality love is something that evolves from one to another over time.

Just as you grow, So does love. 

5:45am. The sun is peeking through the curtains right across her eye line. In 14 minutes Eva will wake up wanting breakfast. Apple Sauce and pikelets for Eva, Pancakes and bacon for Lauren and Copia.

Copia

The chest Lauren was still cuddled up to, a heart beat still echoing so strong, his soft snoring droning through, Lauren looked up to him on the pillow, so at peace, She can only hope his dreams are as peaceful. She turns her head to press a gentle kiss to his chest before slipping away from under his arm and carefully crawling off the mattress watching him carefully so She don't disturb him from his sleep. Lauren grabbed a dressing gown and rushed to the kitchen to quickly prepare breakfast for Eva and a breakfast worthy of Papa. 

What happened last night still made her heart flutter to think about. It happened a lot sooner than she'd anticipated, not for the two of them but for her soul.
Yes it's been 8 months since she 'separated' from her husband, In all the books some people either run away to a specific person and give no time to grieve, using another person's company as the steps to move on, Some people never let themselves love again, holding a great distrust in the acts of other people over their need for companionship. 

The last time she felt this sort of flutter was when Lauren and Ethan had first started dating, when he showed up to her flat with store bought roses, when he would hold her hand when she walked on the barrier of the fountain in the park that summer, When he would play on the beach, throwing her around the waves like she were a toy, actually took his time to date her properly instead of rushing into bed, All of that made Lauren think he was different, When she thinks back on those memories her heart doesn't flutter the same, they were fun memories, but not anymore.
It made Lauren wonder if really it was a warning sign, what if it wasn't butterflies, what if it was poison dart frogs jumping around in her chest, what if it was wasps waiting to sting her from the inside, What if it was burning oil on her hand, her hand was burning, stinging, wait... 

It was actually burning. This feeling was real. 

Lauren jumped back from the stove and waved her stinging hand around in the air, pulling the bubbling pan off the heat with her other and stepping to the sink to push her hand under the cold water tap, the splash of water seemingly worse than the burn itself, but none of this was unfamiliar to her.
Laurens mind was getting away from her not realizing she'd grabbed the side of the pan thinking it was the handle searing the flesh of her palm, keeping her mouth pressed shut so she wont wake anyone up, breathing heavily through her nose, she reach over and use her free hand to finish preparing breakfast for Eva.
Apple sauce pouch and 3 pikelets onto a plate, a bottle of milk prepared for her overnight, Grabbing for the tongs and pulling the bacon out of the pan onto a tray.

"Good morning, Tesoro" Lauren felt a pair of hands low on her hips, a body pressing up behind her and a set of chill lips pressed to her neck. She couldn't help but smile and lean back into his embrace, "What...What happened? Are you alright?"  his hand hovered over hers under the water, hesitant to touch 

"Oh... I grabbed the pan instead of the handle, I was distracted" Lauren mumbled as she turned to look at him,

The worry in his eyes looked like he was close to tears." Just an accident not any..." he stopped on any leading words

she shook her head " I was just distracted" she whispered, pleading in her eyes that she had not done this as any act of self harm, It would be hard to believe by words alone. 

The two of them stood there for just a moment before he whispered " Ok" and placed his hand on her wrist. 

The silence between them is broken by the cries of Eva, waking up and wanting to be out of her crib, 6 am on the dot.
"Uh.. could you go get her please?" Lauren whispered to him, nodding toward her hands. 

Copia nodded and smiled, " I'll be right back" pressing a kiss to her cheek before walking into the nursery, "Ah Buongiorno Piccola Principessa. Andiamo a trovare tua madre ". Seeing him walk out of the room with Eva sitting on his hip, Eva had calmed her crying when she saw her mum "Eccola " he whispered shaking her small hand, walking over to her 

"Good morning Honey" Lauren whispered as she leaned over to kiss her arm, it was all she could reach up to. "Your breakfast is nearly ready bubba, but first we need to get dressed for the day, don't we" 

Lauren grabbed the roll of cling film and wrapped the burn over her palm and fingers , this would be difficult but Lauren used her free hand to plate up the rest of breakfast

"I'll call my brother and see if has a salve to treat fresh burns effectively" he called, taking one of the plates from her to free up the wrapped hand and place it on the table. 

"I just need to change Eva, that's all. Can you stay for breakfast? I made plenty " Lauren take Eva onto her hip, her hand was tingling with pins and needles, but the pain was numb enough to work with 

"I'd love to, I'll make coffee then, the proper way" he chuckled handing over Eva, he'd always complained about the mass made coffee in the cafeteria, often burned and bland. He pulled out the Espresso maker that she'd barely touched from the drawer where she kept the coffees for when people attended. "I know how you like it". 

Lauren made it quick to change Eva, now she was more mobile she was much more willing to move around and explore, less inclined to sit still, she was trying to roll over to the side, grab at the things on her change table, "oh sit still or you'll be even more uncomfortable madam" Lauren ordered, having to hold her legs up in the air like a fish. " gotcha" Dressing her in a purple onesie with a purple skirt . She was ready for the day. "Ready for breakfast?" she babbled quietly, as she walked out to put her in her high chair.

The two of them shared a lovely breakfast while Eva wrestled to make a map out of her applesauce.

"I have a Technical rehearsal for the band before we finally pick up the tour again, I'd love it if you came" he asked not making eyesight

"I did last night" Lauren stated, flashing a quick wink to him. 

He grumbled under his breath and looked up at Lauren from his coffee cup "To the rehearsal" he chuckled and returned the wink

Wiping Evas hands clean "Will it be all .... 4,5,6...8 of you? " 

"If it isn't I'd be annoyed, they know we have a tight schedule" he mumbled , looking at the date on the paper " It's only a short leg, but every crowd deserves the best of us all" 

"Well, I'd love to see you on stage and not just on the screen"

"On the screen?" 

"Oh, Sister Penelope and Vinnie showed me some clips of your performances. Some people even make funny compilations, they tell me this is how the fans remember you. There are some really sweet videos too. a lot of people call you their husband" Lauren giggled thinking about it

Laurens favorites though were the compilations of the funny moments, fans had captured from the audience and added subtitles and sound effects that made the moments even funnier, seeing the ghouls interact while playing on stage, the goofs, Papa making the audience bark. Swiss going feral on stage which made her wonder just how much practice he had in self control, The ghoulettes being adorable in their spotlights. 

"I've heard of these videos, Nothing quite like the live experience I can assure you"

"Oh I would agree, but not in front of Eva"

he raised a brow "Now what does that mean? " putting down his coffee cup and placing his hand over his mouth, he knew this was a dangerous question to ask

Lauren paused for a moment thinking only how to say it contemplating as she took the spoon away from her. "Well, What you do with the Microphone stands is more than enough to satisfy me" 

He took a deep breath and growled into his hand "Satana, tienimi forte, sono le 6 del mattino, mia cara. Il bambino è sveglio, non posso trattarti come tratto l'asta del microfono quanto voglio "

Lauren couldn't understand a word he said but it still made her giggle , which Eva joined in with, Clapping her hands together "And in English Papa?" 

He shook his head and looked over to Eva, wiping down her mouth from the apple sauce "Later, Naughty"  

It took very little convincing to get Lauren to go, But she'd been invited to sit in on one of their tech rehearsals. How could she say no?  It'd be too loud for Eva so she went off with a nursery sister. 

Lauren sat with Sister Imperator and a group of siblings, all with tablets and headsets, in the front row of the auditorium. 

"Go on the curtain, Go stage set up'

The room lights, stage hands were rushing across the stage pulling blankets off the equipment before the stage was covered with a GIANT white sheet, one good gust of wind and it's a satanic cruise.
Lauren leaned over to sister and asked "Where in the world do you get a curtain that big?" 

"It's surprisingly easy, We found out the people who made the covers for those football fields in America, and we ordered one giant white sheet...then the ghouls burned it so we ordered 5 more" Sister smiled at Lauren " we run this exactly as we should for every show and mark down times, especially for the curtains and usually we have to run this in multiple ways depending on if we can or can't do certain stage set ups. " 

Lauren nodded along " That makes sense, have to account for every possibility"

"Anything can go wrong while on tour, cables being broken or ripped out, Electricity or sound going out, broken guitar strings" she grumbled "which happens more often than we'd like. One moment" she mumbled and pressed on the microphone "Richie out, Security final checks, Chorus go" 

The music playing over the speakers sounded like classic Gregorian chant music, this was never playing before mass, so they must be mocking the catholic church. 

"Lights down, and go on Impera" Sister was looking down a very detailed list of orders and times. The recording of the start of their latest album starts to play. 

Lauren were transfixed on the view, The last time she went to a concert she were still at university, Most people who came through her town or near her town just weren't worth the effort of traveling, After being sat down and listening to the entire discography of the Ghost Project it came to very little surprise that she really liked their music, the heavy melodic tones, the fun, but seeing it live on stage would be so different.  

Some siblings had piled into the auditorium to watch and act as the crowd that the ghouls and Papa should interact with while on stage. Lauren could pick out some of the friends she'd made in her time here. Lauren could see Penny, Randy, Laura and Maddy especially. Penny had become her table buddy for lunch, she took great pleasure in playing with Eva and helping her grab and eat at the snacks she'd have made earlier in the day and would bring her books from the library that Papa had recommended.
Randy was also an assistant to Papa Primo at this ministry, it wasn't often that the eldest Papa was here in the office so his job was rather easy and relaxed, he'd spend most of his time managing the calls and emails or letters Primo would get, He was the one to help mentor her in how to provide administrative help at the ministry specifically, though most of it was talking gossip among the higher clergy.
Laura and Maddy were librarian and archival siblings, they came off like the twins from the shining sometimes with how inseparable they were, always wanting people to join in their activities, anywhere else their fascination with artifacts used in sacrifices or trapped demons would have concerned her but here It came off as sweet with how fascinated they were, coming up with stories of their own for the stories of where the artifacts came from.

"You can go down there if you want to you know" Sister pointed to the crowd 

"I don't mind, I like being able to watch everything at once" Lauren waved it off,

"I won't hear of it, PENNY" Sister called down to the siblings, The brunette sibling whipped around from the now sizable crowd, Sister pointed to Lauren then to the front, miming dancing. "I'm sure Papa will really give it his all if he sees you in the crowd" 

Sister Penny had rushed up the stairs to their row and had her hand held out "Come on Mama!  Come boogie!"  Lauren sarcastically groaned and took her hand in their non bandaged hand ,running down the stairs behind Penny. 

Sister sat there with a proud grin on her face, watching as she rushed off to party with the siblings. Ticking off a post it note on her tablet.

Lauren was pulled into the group of siblings making up the crowd dancing along to Kiss the go goat . Brother Randy clapped and grabbed Laurens hands, "It's about time you made it here!" spinning her around as she joined her new friends, He was a gardening sibling who taught her about the vegetables in the gardens for harvest at Halloween...wait...Samhain! that one! Sisters Laura and Maddy danced around her in their spots, making sure She wasn't lost or alone in the crowd and making sure She's having a good time. 

The last time Lauren could remember doing something like this everyone was drunk and crazy, one of her friends was making out with a random guy in the corner and would probably ditch them, another friend was trying to get the DJ to play Beyonce for the 4th time that night. It was always so stressful keeping track of them, But being here with her new friends knowing they were all responsible for their own actions and they really owned it, Lauren could actually let loose and really enjoy the music and enjoy the company, The siblings were passing Lauren around in the crowd until she made it to the barrier.

Penny had come up behind her and wrapped her arms around Laurens shoulders " See what you've been missing out on?"  she pointed up to the stage where Rain was bopping away on the bass guitar, he leaned over the edge of the stage to lean over them, reached down between his one note and leaned down to press to Laurens nose down with his finger before backing up on to the stage, All she could do was smile, they were jumping around to the beat of the music against the barricade with Penny right next to her jumping at the same time, Lauren turned to face her friends ,Lauren felt totally safe to smile like a goof and act a fool, feeling no sense of anxiety or any reservations, seeing all the smiling faces around her bouncing like fools.

Penny patted Lauren on the shoulder and spun her around to face the stage again, Papa was stood high above them on the stage, his foot tapping away to the beat on top of a speaker, his stance wide and commanding as he pointed out to the crowd but his eyes were locked on Lauren, He winked and dropped to his knees, leaning forward on the stage, reaching his hand out to her, he grabbed Laurens hand and pulled her forward, Ritchie came over and hooked his hand under her arm reaching out to Papas, and the other around her waist, he pulled Lauren forward to sit up on the railing, Ritchies hands still holding Lauren steady as she sat sideways leaning forward to hold Papas hand as he chanted "Sa-tan! Lu-Ci-Fer! Os-cul-um-Ob-sinum"  his eyes were locked on hers as he pressed his lips to the knuckles on her hand for 2 full seconds before letting go of her hand and rushing back to the center of the stage.

Laurens heart was pounding in her chest, or was that the drums and the bass vibrating through her? when she saw clips of the groupies screaming and crying, passing out in at concerts having to get removed from the crowds, Lauren totally got it now, from this vantage point he looked like a god, like an all powerful beast, untouchable and unattainable, just begging for a glance, a shred of eye contact. She'd always looked at those videos and thought they must have been insane to scream and act like that, but to be so close to the confidence and the power that Papa exuded.

The song came to an end with Swiss bashing around on the tambourine and Mountain crashing the symbols over and over, The ghoulettes beeping away on the keyboard. Lauren clapped and cheered away with the rest of the crowd. 

The ghouls backed away from the front of the stage as Papa came strolling up to the front of the stage "This is the part where I normally ramble on about something or other for a few minutes while they all fuck around and re tune their instruments, and reset for the next song." he waved his hand around as he came to a stop "But today is just a technical rehearsal, I could go on and tell a story about something stupid that Sister would surely reprimand me on later, I know you." He pointed up into the chairs in the general direction where sister would be "but for now I will share some special news, If i am allowed to share it" he looked to Lauren , he covered his mouth so only she could see him mouthing "Ee-vaa -crawl-iing"  Lauren smiled at him and nodded, seeing he proud enough to tell everyone  when he had the spotlight

"The littlest one in the ministry has figured out how to move around, Last night she started to crawl across the carpet!" he announced like a proud father

The crowd erupted into claps and cheers 

"This does however mean! I need something of all of you, As our little one learns to find her own way around the ministry, I beg of you all to keep an eye out for wandering feet, clean any glass mess and report any chipped flooring, It is up to us all to keep the ministry safe for everyone, especially the smallest ones who are still learning about this world" Lauren placed her hand over her heart, A simple gesture that she hoped would translate to him over the noise, she could see how much he cared about her safety and used his place to share that with everyone so they knew how to help.
With her friends around Lauren patting her legs and her back, calling out "We will, Papa!"   "Go Eva!" "Yeah Baby!" Lauren knew how the community around her were enjoying having her around and were willing to help where they could. 

He looked back to the ghouls and nodded " But you know why we have a baby in the Ministry? Because the world is showered in Mummy Dust" he winked at Lauren as the crowd started screaming and the marching drums and the growling guitar took over all the sound in the room, Lauren couldn't help but roll her eyes at the corny joke, 

Papa played up the dark and horny character on stage and the rest of the ghouls carried along with him, Thrusting into the air, touching their hips and their chests. sending the crowd into a wild frenzy, Papa made his way back over to the front of the stage and onto his knees reaching out to Lauren again, the look on his face like the shadows she caught him in last night, a dominating lust in his brow, his lips quivered like he's begging for touch. His hands clutch into a fist as he hits his thigh and starts to thrust into the air while on his knees with the beat "In God You Trust" this was never something she'd seen on any of the clips, he was trying something new for her. 

Lauren could feel the hands of her friends snaking over her legs to hold onto her and push past getting a better view, but none of it mattered as from her view Lauren could see everything, her eyes were locked on his lips, sending a shiver down her spine, Lauren clutch her legs tighter together as she catch herself leaning forward to him.
He got to his feet for the next chorus, standing over them, his attention was stuck on her which he probably shouldn't, but Lauren would never complain.

Swiss came up behind him and wrapped his hands around over Papas shoulders and dragged them down his chest , down his waist, over his hips till he was on his knees behind Papa, Papa turned around and stood side on, he grabbed at the horn on his helmet and dragged it back to look up at him, Swiss places his hands on his calves. The two of them shared an intense look, waiting for either of them to make a move. Instead he throws swiss to the side and turns his attention back to Lauren. Leaning forward at his hips and shimmying his hips out behind him.

Laurens mind runs wild thinking about what it would be like if he just grabbed her up onto the stage, climbed over her and took her right there on the stage in front of everyone. Her thoughts running wild with lust and bravery, As he stood back up and started thrusting into the microphone stand, her mind wandering to him holding her up against the wall, pinning her to her place, his fingers digging into her thighs and pressing himself up against her, kissing at her neck, the overwhelming sensation, not being able to move except write against the wall and in his embrace. 

Laurens face was bright hot red, and she couldn't hide it from him, no matter how much she tried. Papa took this opportunity to Jump down from the stage and stepped up on the step of the barricade, leaning over Lauren as she sat on the metal bar,

"You are summoned in cupidity
Purulence and lust
I am the magnet for stupidity
And divine you feel my thrust"

He leaned down as he growled "In, God, You, Trust" close enough she could taste the metal on the microphone, his free hands hooking under her chin and pulling her closer to him, Lauren could feel his breath on her nose. "My Mummy Dust" he whispered, leaning in close to press his lips to hers as the confetti cannons went off around them. Golden confetti erupts around them, but she couldn't see any of it as Papa stole her attention away from the crowd, stepping closer to her and wrapping his arm around her waist. The kiss was slow and passionate, begging for more. The music around them was fading away, the slaps on her back and the screams of shock from her friends behind her were totally lost in the passion of the moment. 

The song finished without Papa as he pulled away from the kiss, Lauren looked him dead in the eyes before looking up to see the glittering gold confetti falling around her " Oh wow .....Oh it's beautiful"  

"Yes you are" he mumbled to her, pulling a piece of the confetti from her hair. Ritchie patted him on the shoulder, Lauren could hear sisters voice in the earpiece Papa pulled out. He leaned in to tell her "I'll find you later" he pressed a kiss to her jaw before stepping down, Ritchie helping him back up on the stage.

Lauren was pulled off the barricade and into her friend's hands "WHAT WAS THAT?" Penny yelled at her, holding Lauren by her arms, Lauren grinned and shrugged, well there goes the subtle way of telling them, just a casual snog on the fence. "Uh, heat of the moment?" 

"Papa's never done THAT!" Randy yelled looking between Papa on stage and Lauren in the pit. He grabbed her arm as did Penny dragging her through the crowd.
Lauren were stolen away to a room to dish to her friends about last nights escapades, not allowed to leave out a single detail. 

"You know what? we're proud of you" Laura chimed up pouring herself another glass of wine. The group of friends all had gathered in the sibling common room sharing drinks despite what time of day it was. "Yeah, some people swear off getting close to anyone for years after a messy break up- Shannon did when one of Papa Secondo's Ghouls was sent back to the pit. Then again the monster bangers claim ‘once you go infernal , nothing else is eternal" 

"What in the world is that supposed to mean?"  Lauren asked sipping at her tea, curled up in the bean bag 

"Banging a ghoul is supposed to be unhinged" Maddy shrugged " I'm surprised Swiss didn't make a move before Papa, He's so protective of you "

"I hadn't...really noticed" yes she had. "I think I second guess people's intentions now, affection used to come with an ulterior motive, but Papa I think it's just a bit of fun you know? Like the Papas do"  she shrugged trying to deflect

Randy shook his head and shuffled up beside Lauren "That's the thing about this Papa, He doesn't bed siblings whenever the opportunity presents itself like Terzo. you know? Something about saving the siblings' decencies."

"Maybe he's Demi Sexual" Penny called from her arm chair "Maybe he's got his own trauma and leans towards maternal figures"

"He was an orphan," Maddy added. "Mommy issues"

they all nodded and hummed in agreement, Lauren held up a hand "I'm gonna stop you all there, I know I'd end up spiraling if you get me thinking about WHY Papa slept with me "

"Fair, Stop it girlies" Randy called "Just keep it in mind, you might wanna talk with Papa about where he wants to go with you. If you’re the only one who's connected to Papa in this way. It's not easy, not just with Eva but he's got a huge tour to plan for, you know? He couldn't bring you and Eva along"

Lauren nodded taking that into account " Do you think being away from him for so long would be a bad thing?"

"We've seen it go bad, a sibling went AWOL and chased Papa Terzo to the back stage of one of his major shows and caused a security scare" 

"Yeah no, With Eva there's no doing that, I'm not that english princess who's desperate to chase a man that i'd ditch my baby girl" Lauren laughed reaching over for the bowl of popcorn 

"The extended loneliness can be concerning though, we're just worried for you" Laura leaned over and rest her head on Laurens arm 

"I have all of you to keep me entertained, It can't be that bad you know?" Lauren ruffled Laura's hair and leaned against her head gently . 

"You know we love you, You're one of the ministry's family now, not just a guest recovering from trauma anymore" 

it's a different kind of love to be around her friends like this, but that feeling of belonging and having people around her that could be trusted with the little things and would understand her boundaries, She were able to say "hey guys, let's move on" and they would instead of pestering her for answers, it was respect Lauren hadn't had before. Lauren thought friendship was being there to catch someone when they're being dumb, like when they get drunk or go back to their ex for the 3rd time. That wasn't really friendship, not like this. 

There's all kinds of love, and Lauren's starting to learn the differences between those kinds of love, you're allowed to take your time to figure that out, 

What kind of love was Papa wanting though? A non committal love that was just for fun because he was attracted to a mother who knew how to care for someone? Or was he wanting this to grow and develop into a deeper kind of love? 

Lauren didn't have to love everything, but she did love what she had around her. 

Now how does she tell them the trial is coming up soon? 

Notes:

We're going to get back to the meat of this story in the coming chapters.

Also my cat wished to help with this chapter - because apparently i'm not good enough, here is her input
???????MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM              M

Chapter 9: Honey (Are you coming?)

Summary:

*Valentines day special*
The trial against your ex husband is coming up soon, but first Papa has a surprise in mind for you.

Notes:

Yes the title is absolutely inspired by the Måneskin song

"The Trial date has been set for January" Lauren couldn't look Penny in the eyes as she said this, it was hard enough to tell Sister imperator without wanting to rush into a full breakdown of her testimony. It wasn't something she needed to worry about at this time. Dinner would be the best time to tell her since she would be tired out from the day's work.

"Sorry what? Why do they have to wait that long?" Penny put her drink down pulling out her phone to look at the calendar on her phone while holding out a spoon of cooked pasta shells with vegetables. Since she was teething it was best to stick to soft foods. 

"It's actually not too long, because of the nature of the charges they've brought it forward as early as they could."

"Still you've got to go through the holidays with that on your mind" 

"I think I'll be focused on it being Eva's first Christmas instead of that bull crap... " 

"That's a good distraction at least. though around here we celebrate Yule instead of Christmas " 

"They're both quite similar aren't they?" 

"Very similar, most of the aspects of the Christmas we know now was Christians taking the aspects of the Pagan holiday and twisting it into their own thing, I'll find you a book on it later" The way Penny spoke about this felt like something she'd complained about regularly. 

"What's the biggest difference?" 

"Well it's not about the birth of Jesus that's for sure." she chuckles "usually we host a large ball with a huge feast. we eat, drink and be horny"

"I Wouldn't expect any less from you all" she couldn't hold back a smile,

"So will you take Eva back to see your parents? some of the siblings do go home to be with their families for the holidays" 

"They're just in the town nearby, I'm sure we'll go for Christmas lunch, It's .. really something i should be sorting out early shouldn't I?" 

"Absolutely not, I can only imagine that you were all talking about what to do for her first Christmas before she was born" 

"Ok ..you're right there" she mumbled, remembering the Christmas before Eva was born, Lauren sat with her mum and Ethan's mum talking about how " oh next Christmas we're going to have a little one to spoil!" they'd talked about all having it at our house, staying over  (where? they only had one spare room now) what they'd make for breakfast, lunch and oh her famous roast for dinner. There were still so many firsts to have.
But in this case she'd have to think about either bringing her parents here to the ministry if they wanted to be there for Christmas morning, or going to stay with her parents, which was a bigger endeavor. 

"Lau..Lauren!" Penny snapped In front of her face to stop Lauren from the spiral which she'd nearly fallen into, When her anxiety spiked like this Lauren would end up spacing out and staring into space. Thank goodness Penny made it her mission to make sure Lauren wasn't going to spiral. 

"Sorry, The thought of trying to figure out what my parents want to do for Christmas is always a worry you know?" 

"That's why a lot of us don't go home, I'll stick around for the ball thank you~ " she announced in a sing songy voice

"Where do you all end up finding dresses or outfits for the ball?" 

"We have our ways" she smirked 

Lauren squinted her eyes together looking at her as she thought "you have a fancy wardrobe don't you?"

"Yeah we do" Penny took her coffee back and away from Evas grabby hands to take a sip. her pocket buzzed as Lauren got a message on her phone, Lauren pulled it out to check, on the main screen showed the message

Papa: Can you come to my office tonight? I need you for something

You: What time? 

Papa: 7? 

You: Just need to call Cumulus

Papa: Dress nice. I'm going to take you somewhere. 

You: Business or fancy?

Papa: Dress for me.

You: Habit and full stockings it is

 

Laurens phone continued to buzz as she put it away in her pocket.

"You're blushing! is it Papa?" Penny had become her biggest follower of her sex life since seeing her pash Papa at the concert. She'd come up with so many scenarios in her head it was just fun to humor her every once in a while.

"Yeah, he needs me to help him with something. Wanna keep an eye on Eva while I get ready and call Cumulus?" Finishing up the last of her dinner 

"Hell yeah! More time to spend with my favorite mini ? Always! Wait, how do you know it's work and not a booty call?" Penny kept feeding Eva her Pasta shells, letting her grab at the spoon every so often. 

"Cause he doesn't like to spend time in his office if he doesn't have to be there. Must be something to do with another ministry asking for money or expanding again, it happens a lot. Somehow other ministries think the bank of Satan is infinite "

"It's not?"

"It is in fact not, we haven't drained the banks of trump just yet, he hasn't made any deals lately. " she joked, though with how people talked about how the ministry made its money, the more ridiculous an excuse she thought she'd come up with still felt applicable. 

"You tell me right away as soon as the Valentines orgy is getting cut backs" 

"You'll be the first person I tell Pen"  Lauren called, walking into her bedroom looking through her clothes

"You're the best " she shouted 

"Oh I know"

she'd changed into something "perceivable" : a pair of jeans, a satin top and a long cardigan. Easy. When Lauren had to make an effort, Lauren did a quick little smokey eye. She had enough time to do this. It wasn't any kind of special day, She didn't know of any sort of event coming up, maybe he was being overloaded by something again, who knows.

Cumulus came to take over from Penny with the baby sitting, at this point Cumulus had become so accustomed to how to get Eva to go down for the night she was a pro.
Lauren made her way through the halls, passing siblings as she went, she'd become more and more familiar with the siblings who lived here, she felt comfortable walking through these halls up to the higher clergy offices.

Lauren knocked on the door and walked in, no answer, No Papa "Papa?  It's 7 I'm here" she called out, his office was actually rather clean instead of the mess of papers that she'd expected, his laptop wasn't even open for work. Lauren pulled out her phone and looked at the screen, no messages, no updates. 

"PAPA!" Lauren called out while considering buying the man a bell. His bathroom door was open so he wasn't in there, not on the couch napping, there weren't many places he could hide 

A message popped through on her phone

-Papa: Have you made it?" 

-You: Yeah, where are you? 

-Papa: It won't be long

-You: What's that supposed to mean?

No answer,

Lauren sat down at her desk and looked through the papers that were on his desk, requests that needed to go back with more information, not outright rejected but needed more explanation, thankfully he'd gotten through a decent chunk of this, so her afternoon wouldn't be as crazy as she expected. 

*bang bang bang* A knock at the door caught her off guard, Jumping in the chair. The door behind her opened and a ghoul popped his head through the door "Lauren? Can you come with me?" it was Aether .

"Where's Papa?" 

"He got caught up, I'm going to take you to him"  he opened the door out into the hallway and stood aside, his gesture for her to walk ahead of him. 

"ohhh Kay? " Lauren stood from the chair and walked out, following him back down the hallways to the front of the Ministry, Aether wasn't saying a word no matter how many questions she asked him, He wasn't giving her any clues, Aether lead her back to the chapel of the ministry, he pointed to the back middle pews, "There's something here for you" 

Lauren walked over to the seats, On the wood of the seat was just a folded piece of paper and a single flower, A single Gardenia.
Lauren unfolded the letter, inside was a handwritten note that was difficult to read in the dimming candle lights, the sun had already set . 

"In a place where secrets are told
and hearts are whispered bold,
Find solace in the wooden seat
Where confession finds retreat

Where saints and sinners share their tale
In quiet whispers, veiled and pale,
Seek out a booth with sacred air
To find the next clue waiting there" 

Lauren look up to Aether who was still standing there with his hands behind his back, standing far away from the pews, closer to the doors

"Is this a scavenger hunt around the ministry?"  

"That's what it looks like." Frustrating as ever, not in a bad way, but this man has mastered the art of private.

"Ok just a couple questions, if you're in on it" 

"Shoot" 

"Is this going to take me off site? "

"Not right now, if something changes we will let Cumulus know to keep an eye on the little one for longer" he walked over to Lauren and took the flower from her hand.

"But not me?"

"Of course not, that's up to you to find out"  He gently slid the stem of the flower over her ear and tucked the hair out of her eyes. Aether leaned down to be eye level with her  "Go find your prize" he whispered to her and patted her arm gently." Don't let your dinner get cold"

Lauren couldn't help but smile at the thought of it , A surprise dinner date? Is that what was happening?

Lauren looked at the note again,
Wooden Seat where secrets are told? There wasn't anything in Papa's office, Surely they wouldn't be on a random pew here in the chapel there were so many to go through!
Primo usually took confessional in the garden, could the greenhouse be a booth with sacred air? Could sacred air be stale and full of pesticides? No..
Where saints and sinners share their tales? People talked a lot in the mess hall but that was far from quiet. 

Oh! Wait, Why was she overthinking this? 

Lauren turned and ran down the aisle and turned to the right at the top of the pews, The confessional booth was right there, she grabbed at the first door and yanked. but the door stuttered in its place, Locked?  Try the Papa side. she pulled it a little too hard, she stumbled back as the door flung open.
Not locked! not stuck, Very Not stuck. Lauren looked into the booth and found another folded note and an Iris. 

Lauren took the note and the flower, sitting in the booth and unfolded the note. 

"Where spirits dance with moonlit grace
and Memories linger in silent space.
Amongst the stones where names are etched
A final resting place, quietly stretched.

Beneath the stars where shadows roam,
In the stillness of this sacred home,
Amongst the graves where history sleeps,
The next clue, in silence, it keeps."

The Graveyard! 

Lauren hadn't gone there very often but she knew where it was. She stood up and jogged out of the confessional booth, past the stage and down the back hallways where she'd normally take to go to the gardens, but turned towards the very back of the ministry where it was only lit up by the light of the full moon. 

It was fences off with a wrought iron gate, well kept stone slabs lined up perfectly, she had no idea who was laid to rest here but Papa had told her they were some of the most devout members who made this place their homes.
There was a practice she'd have to keep when entering the graveyard alone at night. 

Lauren held the gate that opens and called " I'm coming in"  and pressed her lips shut,  just like everyone else in the ministry, the spirits were either sleeping or not wanting to be disturbed, Lauren walked through this land slowly the gravel crunching under her feet and the clicks and cracks from the forest would be the only sounds around Lauren, scanning every grave stone for the next clue, Some gravestones still had fresh flowers cut and lay at their bases. Samhain had just passed so the flowers from that big event were still there, but there wasn't a clue in sight.
At the end of the path a fresh grave had been dug, the pile of earth had been left with a shovel sticking out of the side of it, From where Lauren were she could see a flickering light inside of the pit, she walked over to find the stuffed human dummy dressed in a suit, a crutch lay over it, she leaned forward to see a sticker on the breast of the suit jacket "Ethan" ,Oh how it felt to stand over the grave representing not just the physical death of her ex husband, but the emotional death, how he'd chosen to sign his own social suicide with the actions he took, and how no one would wait to bury him, and Lauren were standing over him, stronger, better, surrounded by a loving community.

It felt oddly Cathartic to face this, even if it was meant as a joke, she was preparing to leave this part of her life behind her, dead in the ground.  

Beside the Ethan corpse was a basket with another note, a carefully placed candle and an orange flower also with a note tied to the stem. There was a long string attached to the handle of the basket, so Lauren took a hold of it and pulled it up slowly, still careful to keep quiet. Lauren took the basket and picked the flower out of the basket, the note on the stem read " Leave your hatred and all that doesn't serve you well behind" It was an orange lillie, as beautiful as it was, she threw it down onto the dummy in the ditch. 

Lauren turned to leave as soon as she could, leave those who've passed to rest in peace, she closed the gate behind her and pulled the candle out of the basket, resting the basket over the crook of her arm, she put her 2 flowers and the other clues in the basket and took out the new clue, reading this in the candle light.

"In a haven of innocence and cheer,
Where laughter rings, both far and near,
Tiny hands and hearts unite
In a place both warm and light.

Where toys about and colours gleam
Where stories are woven like a dream.
Amidst the joy, Amidst the glee.
The next clue waits for you to see. "

No way this was Evas Nursery, Knowing she'd be asleep at this point there's no way he would risk disturbing her sleep. But her next best guess would be the Creche, So she snuffed out the candle and jogged back into the ministry. Whatever the prize was better be worth it when she was all sweaty and tired out.

At least this was closer than the confessional booth, just a few turns and the door was wide open inside, she turned into the room where on the other side of the room a selection of framed photos stood with a yellow tulip and the next clue.

Coming into view were all images of Lauren and Eva through their time at the ministry.
Eva sat in Secondo's lap while he read her the story of the pied piper, not his first choice but she liked the pictures.
Lauren , Papa ,Sister Imperator Eva in Sister Imperators arms together at an afternoon mass that she could actually attend.
Eva sat on Swiss's shoulders while Cirrus chased him with her.
Eva playing at the daycare, with Lauren and Penny sitting behind her.
a photo of Eva leaning back off of Sisters legs hanging upside down, a fun game she liked to play.
One where Eva had fallen asleep with Papa, all sprawled out across his chest.
All were cherished memories Lauren was going to beg to take back to her apartment.
The memories rushed through her mind like little movies, how were they only memories, Lauren was there for the moments to actually be made, but these memories were going to be the ones she cherished knowing these the most. Just a small selection of reminders, It was still hard to look at herself in pictures. but when she was in the pictures the smile on her face wasn't forced, it was an actual smile of joy, she wasn't afraid to be there and she wasn't being made to do this either.
If Lauren were to compare these to the photos of her wedding or the anniversary she'd really look like some sort of prisoner in comparison. 

Lauren put the flower into the basket, and picked up the next clue 

The clue was much shorter and the handwriting nowhere near as printed as before

"Where Melodies sore and rhythm entwines
The ghouls always stomp and Papa often grinds.
on a stage where notes take flight
you're nearly there, go find the spotlight" 

Yeah, some ones plans changed.
Lauren took one look back at the pictures on the table set up before rushing off to the auditorium where the stage was.
Nearly there, hopefully this means she'd only be running for so much longer. Back through the hallways she went,

If the prize was losing all the baby weight, Papa better paint a target on that cheek. If he kept her running around like this, her prize better include a massage. He was pretty good with his hands after all. 

When Lauren came to the doors of the auditorium Sodo was standing there waiting for her. He turned to push the door open for her. Like Aether, Not saying a single word, normally Lauren couldn't get him to quiet down now he's warmed up to her. Lauren walked past him into the auditorium, the lights were already down except for a single spotlight on one chair in the front row of chairs, she walked over to the spotlight, on the chair was a small bundle of Daisies. 

Lauren put the flowers in the basket and picked up the clue, all it said was " Wait" So she sat in the chair facing the audience. Was this her prize? a private show? Wait, what if this was a timeshare seminar? 

The speakers started to drone with a chord on a keyboard, Swiss walked out into the center of the empty stage and took the microphone. 

If this world is wearing thin
And you're thinking of escape

 

Oh how Swiss's voice is so smooth and such a hypnotising tone. 

I'll go anywhere with you
Just wrap me up in chains
But if you try to go alone
Don't think I'll understand

 

stay with me
Stay with me

 

This wasn't a song she'd heard from the Ghost Project before, but she recognised the lyrics. Is this a cover of the Shakespear sisters? Already the tone of his voice was a welcome change. 

 

In the silence of your room

 

The bass drum caught her off guard, clutching her chest and catching that she was leaning forward in her chair. 

In the darkness of your dreams
You must only think of me
There can be no in between

 

Through the mask his eyes were stuck on hers, making sure the message was getting through to her, not just as music, but how she could rely on him as a friend and a protector,

When your pride is on the floor
I'll make you beg for more

 

Lauren stood from the chair and walked towards the stage slowly, Swiss held his hand out to her, beckoning her closer. Dropping to his knee at the very front of the stage, holding his hand out for her.

 

Stay with me
Stay with me

 

her fingers were so close to Swisses when he stood up again and stepped aside on the stage, the lighting bursting to live in a red backdrop and a blue foreground, 

 

You'd better hope and pray
That you make it safe back to your own world

 

Papa was stood in his best blacks, Teal tie, and Leather batwing harness at the top of the drum stand out of almost no where, The rest of the ghouls on their respective sides of the stage, Aether, Sodo, Rain, all commanding their platforms playing the soft rock cover,
Cirrus was at the back of the stage playing the keytar. 

 

You'd better hope and pray
That you'll wake one day in your own world

 

His eyes were locked on Lauren, a lone face in an ocean of darkness,Swiss walked back towards the drum platform with Papa.

 

'Cause when you sleep at night
They don't hear your cries in your own world

 

He clenched his fist and held it up in the air like was cursing the heavens above him. Cursing those who weren't listening to her cries for help

Only time will tell
If you can break the spell back in your own world

 

But if it wasn't for him, Lauren wouldn't have had the courage to even try in the first place. The spell is broken, now it's time to heal. 

As the music broke into a short instrumental he walked down to join Swiss by his side, as the two of them broke into their echoing cries. 

 

stay with me
(Stay) stay with me

(Stay) stay with me, ah-ha

 

Except they weren't begging, they weren't telling, They weren't telling Lauren what was best for her.The way they sang, the way it sounded as though they were close to tears in their own voices, she hadn't even realised when a tear fell down her cheek, The music reverberating around she in an empty room was the most beautiful harmony she'd had the honour to really listen to.

(Stay) stay with me

(Stay) stay with me

(Stay) stay with me

 

They all held their positions on the stage as the song came to a crashing end. Both Papa and Swiss panting as they dropped their arms to their sides, looking down at her as she started to clap as hard as she could, the whole band gathered to line up, take one another's hands, and bowed for her. Still clapping away in her place, when they let go of their hands, Papa pulled out a folded card and handed it to swiss, Cirrus ran up behind him and handed him an origami paper flower too,

Papa blew her a kiss from his place on the stage and walked off, So casually like it was the end of the show, Where was he going now? 

Swiss walked back to the front of the stage and dropped to his knee

"You were amazing! The song is so beautiful! I. I.. Oh my god, I.. that is really going to connect with your audience" 

Lauren started blabbering as she talked, no idea how to actually respond except with word vomit.

"You are the first person to hear that song.... It's pretty special, But don't go telling everyone, It's a secret"

"I can keep a secret, I can't however guarantee that I won't be humming that when I'm cleaning " she shrugged "Won't be held responsible for that one" 

" Come on, you still have one more clue to hunt out " he held out the clue and the paper flower for her "You're going to want this one" 

Lauren took the clue and unfolded it before actually reading it. 

In the dance of shades, under the moon's soft glow.
Where whispers of love in the nights wind flow,
As petals of roses on pathways gently sway,
Your journey with me finds it's closing display

In the sanctuary, dreams take flight
where stars above paint the canvas of night
With every step, our loves symphony plays,
At the threshold of forever, my heart stays. 

This was back in the regular format, beautiful handwriting, heartfelt and honest. 

This one was the least obvious one, trying to read it at face value, in the sanctuary ? the main chapel? 

but that's right at the start of where she began?  better to give it a shot at the start and go from there, instead of getting lost. 

"Fastest way to the front doors?" 

"Up those steps and down the hallway, give Papa a little bit of a head start ok?" 

"So you can come down here and give me a hug?" 

Swiss grinned and jumped down from the stage, wrapping his arms around her waist, lifting her up off the ground in a big bear hug.
Lauren wrapped her arms over his shoulders and kicked her feet back 

" Tell the ghouls thank you, Tonight has already been amazing. I know you had something to do with that, Thank you~" Lauren whispered to him as he spun her around. 

"I'll tell them" he whispered as he lowered her down back onto the ground. "Go on, go find him" he patted her shoulder gently as she grinned up at him. "Get going!" He pointed up the stairs as she took off running up the stairs , grabbing her basket on the way. 

Notes:

YES SORRY THIS IS A 2 PART CHAPTER~ I really wanted to get this out for valentines day and REALLY cut it close!
Stay tuned for Spicy Part 2~

Chapter 10: Together.

Summary:

You've reached the final clue of the surprise scavenger hunt Copia had set up for you.
But what prize is waiting for you?

Notes:

I'M NOT GONE I'M SORRY I GOT SICK. then I got really demotivated to write this SPICYYYYYYYYYY chapter!

Smut? S m u t
Passionate Papa~

Why did the ministry suddenly seem like a 5 kilometer stretch to get from the auditorium to the Chapel ?

It couldn't be that Lauren just sprinted up the equivalent of 3 flights of stairs, It couldn't be that it was nearly time for bed, It couldn't possibly be that She's been jogging around for what feels like nearly an hour, ok maybe half an hour but this is the most jogging She's done since before Eva was born.

Even so, It wouldn't take that long at all to make it back to the Chapel, even if she did take a wrong turn here and there, Laurens heart was pounding, her breath ragged and burning. Everything in her physical body was telling her to stop, slow down.
But there was no slowing down anymore, Life has been rushing past by so fast it's almost a blur of memories rushing into her mind then promptly thrown in a box to as she gather more memories, and try to catch up on the life She's been missing out on, You weren't going to sit back and make sure other peoples lives were her main focus anymore, In this moment as Lauren ran, this was for her, This was only for her, No one else needed to know, her imagination running faster than her feet could take her thinking about what would be waiting for her, what She were running towards.

Is she moving on too fast?

Lauren found her way back through the familiar wooden carved door frames into the Sanctuary where the room was nearly pitch dark, the moonlight was on the wrong side of the building, and the candles were all burning low.
Lauren rushed into the top of the room and up onto the raised platform they used as a stage for mass, looking out into the rows of pews, but she were totally alone in the room, as her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room she could see the large double doors were opened just enough to for the light to peek through, her eyes caught something red, many red somethings, they were scattered down the aisle to the platform, as she got closer Lauren could make out that they weren't in fact blood spatters.

They were rose petals.

Laurens phone buzzed on her hip, making Lauren jolt out of her focus. She pulled it out and tapped on the screen, as it lit up all She saw was one message

Copia: Honey? Are you coming? 

The large doors creaked as they opened slowly. If that invitation couldn't be more obvious, She stepped down from the platform and walked down the petal covered aisle and walked between the pews, Taking the flowers out of the basket to hold them together in one hand.

The clicking of her heels walking over the polished wooden floors echoed off the walls in the silence, taking her time to catch her breath and calm her nerves. 

Laurens walked down this Aisle many times in the past 8 months, Weekly when she's attend Mass with Siblings all around her, the room buzzing with life and chatter, suddenly empty, Peaceful, Tranquil, in the memory of her mind she can pick out voices chattering, people clapping and cheering,  Holding the flowers to her chest. her feet start kicking out at the petals on the floor as if she were wearing a many layered, floor length Petticoat. The last time Lauren walked down an Aisle like this was her wedding, Lauren wasn't surrounded by family cheering and clapping and throwing flower petals over her as her other hand was held right to his chest.
Lauren started walking faster, wanting to get away from the memory, because her future was right at the end of the aisle, her right now was through that door.  

Faster and faster she stepped, walking beyond the past that held her back, not hesitating to walk through the open door and pulling it shut behind her.

At the bottom of the steps, Copia stood in front of a black car, his leather wings traded out for his teal jacket, In his arms he held a wrapped cone of Red Roses and his innocent smile across his painted face. 

Lauren couldn't remember the last time someone actually did something genuinely thoughtful and romantic for her, Lauren leaned back against the shut door and looked down at him from the stairs "How dare you" Lauren called out

He couldn't help but laugh, knowing she's complain a little about how much she's have run and how much she's been kept in the dark, literally and figuratively , he walked towards the stairs but stayed at the bottom " Oh I dare, Mi Amour, If it means I can finally share what I've been holding back all this time, If it means I get to be the one who you run to, who you call for, Who you can rely on. I dare"  

Lauren held back the sassy remarks, about being worn out and sweaty for a surprise date, and stepped forward walking down the steps to stand in front of him. "Do I win?" 

He chuckled and leaned forward, handing off the roses wrapped in Kraft paper into Laurens arms and kissing her cheek gently, he whispered " Not just yet"  his breath was warm against her neck despite the winter evening breeze. 

"This is already so much Copia, really, you figuratively killed me ex, you showed me the life Eva gets to live, shared with me a rare secret,  and all these flowers.I…” Lauren sighed, lost for words. 

"I just... I wanted to do this right. " he stumbled as he took her free hand in his "Come with me, Mi Amour" 

Lauren moved her fingers to lace with his,her eyes locked on the roses, the voice in the back of her mind screaming "GO BITCH GOOO" 

The voice in her heart asked "are you really ready for any of this?" 

Lauren knew she trusted him more than anything, "Ok" she mumbled, as happy as a teenager being asked to prom. Lauren squeezed his hand as she tried to hold back the smile on her face, her cheeks flushing hot red, heart pounding. 

Copia nodded "OK?" Just to be sure,

"Ok" Lauren whispered, nodding slowly while making eye contact. 

"Ok" he grinned so bright, he stepped backwards leading Lauren to sit in the passenger seat of the cat, Copia closing the door as she got in and comfortable before running around to jump into the driver's seat. 

The car was a standard sedan ,a common as muck car for blending in among the regular towns folk, Lauren knew this wasn't HIS car though..... His car was being serviced. But as Lauren was buckled in, he started the car and drove off down and off of the ministry's property.  

"So can I ask you something?" 

"Of course, fire away" 

"What would make you wanna cover the Shakespear sisters? " 

He burst out into a nervous laughter, not what he was expecting at all. "Oh wow uh, well first off that song is for a movie coming out, the uh in...sin...duos ? Series?"

"Insidious?"

"That sounds right,  I don't know ,it's one of those demonic horror movies that paints the old one in another negative light just for the sake of spooks. "

"That's what they've certainly turned into at this rate" Lauren mumbled, She never really understood horror movies thanks to her dad drilling LOGIC into her mind as a kid 

"But I believe the movie has a theme of mental health and personal struggles throughout it , with the lyrics feeling....otherworldly,  it felt fitting, the people sister talked with seemed to agree" 

"And will Swiss be singing in the final cut too?" 

"Ehhhh...no..the main actor has opted to sing that part for the movie, not sure how we're going to legally perform it without him" 

"Does he sound as good as Swiss?" Lauren mumbled, She had her bias so she was allowed to be cheeky.

"Better in my personal opinion" 

Lauren pouted her lips thinking about it, in her mind it still should be her ghoul friend in that place. This actor must be a dang good singer to be better than Swiss. 

The drive was relatively quiet, she looked outside into the forest, over to Copia, back out to the endless void of darkness that kept all the demons at bay, hang on was that Sodo? no it was a tiny tree in a promiscuous pose , Easy mistake.
Copia turned down a long straight stretch of road into the town, Copia dropped hand on her leg to get her attention, Lauren looked down to his hand then up to him, his eyes still locked on the road " If at any point you don't feel safe or want to go home, just say so and I'll take you right back"

Lauren nodded and placed her hand on his, "Are we going to key Ethan's car?" 

he chuckled and shook his head "Not this time, it's still impounded so we can't get to it, maybe if there's a 3rd date we'll commit arson"

"I look forward to it" Lauren giggled, wrapping her fingers around his and gently squeezed as the car filled with the lights of the town. 

"So where are we going?"  Lauren looked to the familiar signs 

"I know a place, it's downtown, Never closes, it's great for after Mass" he smirks and shot her a very quick glance 

"There's not a lot of places that are open 24 hours, There's a bakery that's 24 hours over the weekend" Lauren were trying to think of the few places that were open all night, they were very handy when she were pregnant  

"I think i know the one, they make a very nice sfogliatella though the filling cream could be a little less sweet"

"Sfoglia....uh...the triangle cream puffs" 

"You're breaking my heart Mi Amour, but yes ,the Americans call them Lobster Tails " hissing the name like it was tar in his mouth that was in fact what they were called at the bakery with the little description below.

" No, I'm going to take you to a real Italian bakery one day, Both of you, but that's not where we're going." he shook his head, Mumbling a string of curses in italian under his breath she could only imagine was cursing out the americans for bastardising the precious treats in the world.

Copia turned down onto the main road of the city, it was nearly empty as most people would have already have gone home by now, and the main street had been set up for the holiday season, Twinkling lights wrapped around lamp poles, strung across the roads high above the like the stars that were hidden from the street lamps of the city, soon enough it'll start snowing and she can only imagine how it'll look then when all the snow was rushing past them.

It was nice going through the central town at night again. Copia turned off the main road to park the car alongside the fencing of the park, The central park of town where the memorial was. Lauren looked through the grates of the fencing at the familiar park and froze in apprehension, her right hand was suddenly warm as Copia took her hand in his. "I'm aware...this place doesn't hold very good memories, I'm hoping to change that" 

Lauren turned to look at him. The sincere look in his eyes told her he'd put a lot of work into this evening and taking her here was a risk he was willing to take.
Lauren hadn't left the Ministry very often and even though it wasn't apart of the plan, Copia would alter the course to avoid certain parts of town,

"It's just a walk, just the two of us" He whispered, Silently pleading with her to try. Laurens lips curled into a smile and she nodded "Ok" 

"Ok" he leaned down to press his lips to the back of Laurens hand, he shot her a quick smile before practically jumping out of the drivers side door and running around to her side of the car, he opened the door for her and held out for her hand, Lauren held the roses to her chest as she stepped out onto the curb 

"Uh. Should I bring these?" Lauren bounced the roses and the flowers in her arm

He raised a brow thinking about it and shook his head "Bring these ones " he pointed to the basket and took the cone of roses, plucking one from the perfect bunch and put that in her basket, placing the rose bouquet on the passenger seat of the car, shutting the door behind her and wrapping his arm around her back, pulling her close to his side. "Shall we?" 

Lauren nodded and followed his lead into the empty park, Walking down the paved pathways from streetlight to streetlight, Passing the wooden benches and the bare trees, the dew on the grass twinkles as they walked by.
It was nice to just exist together, Walking without a care or a 

As they step into the park, the air is crisp, the soft glow of the moonlight casts shadows across the pathway. The night is quiet save for the occasional rustle of leaves or the distant chirping of crickets. Lauren and Copia stroll hand in hand, the gentle breeze brushing against her cheeks. The park is bathed in a serene ambiance, with dimly lit lamp posts guiding their way. Lauren paused at a bench overlooking the tranquil pond, Copia stood still holding Laurens hand as he watched her, The moon's reflection danced on the water's surface. Broken only a pair of ducks slowly swimming across the light and rippling the water.
Copia smiles and sits on the bench, gently pulling her down to sit with him. Copia reached over and picked out the Gardenia from the basket " Do you know the language of flowers?" 

Lauren shook her head looking as the white petals of the flower glowed in the moon's shine. His other arm was stretched across the bench, she's snuggled into his side to rest her head on his shoulder and to share his warmth, he dropped his hand and rest it on her shoulder,  

"Some people think they say the same thing, I love you , I adore you, I appreciate you. But my brother told in his ramblings what the different flowers mean. You'll usually find White lilies at a funeral as they're for mourning. But this one "he tapped her nose with the petals of the gardenia to her nose "Means something different, It can mean that I think you're lovely, or is given from a secret admirer" 

Lauren looked up at him and smiled "It's not so secret now, not after that show infront of all the siblings the other day" 

"No" he chuckled and looked down at his knee away from her gaze "That was rather ... Daring wasn't it?"
"It was" Lauren whispered and placed a hand on his chest, Feeling his heart beating through his jacket

He picked up the small flower that was inside the confessional booth "Apple blossoms say ... eh... in English it means I prefer you before anyone else
"I'm sure it sounds wonderful in Italian," Lauren whispered  as Copia put it back down in the basket. 

He chuckled and placed a hand on her knee "The Orange Lillie you threw in the grave, appropriately I might say, is a flower to say I hate you, or I feel hatred for you. So you left it behind with him"
"It said to leave behind what doesn't serve me, holding onto my negative feelings from the past doesn't help raise Eva or help me heal, but you do " Lauren gently pat his heart and he squeezed her shoulders gently "I'm so proud of you" he whispered, turning his head to press a gentle kiss to her forehead 

"So what about the Tulip or the Daisies?" Lauren held up the Tulip,
He reached over to gently stroke the delicate petals " This one is rather easy actually, this was found in the nursery yes? with all the pictures of Eva? Well when ever I see you smile with her, Every little thing she does makes you smile, the Tulip says that I see the Sunshine in your smile, Such a genuine smile only Eva is worthy of" 

"My smile for you and my smile for Eva are different. I made Eva, She's my tiny human learning to do all these things for the first time and I get to see that. You make me smile because you treat me like a human, like an adult. That's a different kind of l-Affection" nice save, don't give him the wrong idea this quickly.
"That's a good thing, Eva does bring out the eh.. Goofy smiles in everyone" he chuckled low in his chest, feeling the vibration against her head. 

He put the tulip back and picked up the sprig of daisies " This is different, This is a promise, As children it reflects an innocence, as children the smaller flowers are found everywhere and used to make crowns, but as we are older they say that I will be loyal to you" he pulled Lauren closer against him as he reached around with his other hand to pluck the daisies from the bundle and put them in her hair one by one, Lauren didn't dare move her head to look up at him as he could have been doing something specific. She was happily squeezed in between his arms against his chest before dropping his hand to rest down her lower back and his hand on her hip. 

"I don't think I need to explain what the roses say " he teased looking up and over the lake
Lauren tilted her head up and too look at him and held onto the neckline of his waistcoat " No wait I want to hear you say it"
He smirked but didn't turn to look at her " mmm, Well I did try to show you, No I did show you what i could do, but do you really need to hear me say it?" Oh is that how he was going to play this? Is THAT how he's going to play this? Lauren shuffled and leaned up to whisper into his ear "I would really love it if you could tell me, Please"
He growled low in his chest and shut his eyes, taking in the sound of her voice,  He turned his head to face her " Alright, I will tell you"  He pat her hip to sit up and stood from his place, he took her hands and walked her over to the other side of the path in front of the moon lit lake, 

"Red Roses are the traditional way to tell someone that you love someone, But the gift of roses alone can never feel like enough when there is so much more i wish i could say, Roses could never tell you... Roses couldn't …” he paused on his words, releasing he could screw this up pretty quick without the right preface “ I want you to know this is not any sort of proposal, You aren't expected to respond or reply, I wouldn't put you in that position i'm aware you're much too fresh out of a marriage for this. Be sure I just need you to know this" he pat her hands,  he was right, the scene and the setting could easily have been confused for a proposal, it was already so romantic and he'd gone to so much effort just to get to this point. It was nice for him to clarify. 

“Go on, Please”

"Flowers could never say that I want you to know that my love for you is not just about the joyful moments we share, but also about being there for you through the difficult times. I see the strength and the resilience in you, even in the face of the pain that you endured. Your courage inspires me, and I'm always here to support you, to listen without judgment and to hold you when you need comfort. You are not defined by your past experiences: you are a beautiful soul deserving of love and healing. I am committed to walking alongside you on this journey, offering my love as a source of solace and strength. Together, we can navigate the scars of the past and build a future filled with hope, understanding and unwavering love" 

His eye contact never broke from hers, his hands holding both of hers tight, her heart pounding in her chest, she was having to remind herself to breathe again as Lauren was caught up in his words. There was no need to respond, but how could she respond? "You're right, Flowers could never" Lauren whispered as she leaned in closer and trailed her hands up his arms, over his shoulders, His hands wrapped around her waist and gently pulled her into his embrace. "Flowers could never tell me that this perfect stranger would be the one to capture my little broken soul for his own and show me what true love really is" She leaned in to whisper to just him "and what true passion feels like" Lauren quickly pecked his cheek as she leaned back to look up at him,
Copia leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers, he smirked looking down at the gem resting on her collarbones, "I just hope that, well you haven't seen it yet but I hope you can accept this anxious and stressed mess of an old man, There's a lot about me that I'm not sure you know yet"

"I'm sure I can learn to love all the lumps and bumps about you, like you've learned to love the scars and the faults about me" she reassured him while her fingers were playing with the tufts of hair caught in the collar of his jacket. 

"There's always lumps and bumps about anyone, no matter how much they deny it, doesn't change how I've come to feel about you" 

"Nor has it changed how I dream about you" Lauren whispered to him, looking up to meet his eyes.
He leaned forward ever so slightly to press his lips to hers and hold her tight against him, his lips moved slowly against hers, he dropped his arms down to rest under her hip and before she could protest he leaned back and lifted her off the ground, Lauren squeaked against his lips and wrapped her legs around his hips, he secured his hands under her thighs and jumped to hold her safe in his arms, craning his neck back to look up at her, Lauren pulled back and looked down to him, giggling from the nerves of being an extra foot in the air.

"So this is why you put the second clue in the confessional booth" Lauren giggled as she moved hair out of his face.
"I thought it was clever, I want you to know how a true italian gentleman treats the woman of his dreams" Copia smiled, bouncing her up again "Even if it would be considered rather....eh... Corny"
Lauren leaned down to kiss his nose and whisper to him " I like it, Show me more?"
He chuckled and squeezed her legs "as you wish" flashing her a smirk. 

Copia crouched down to put Lauren back on her feet and pulled out his phone "Forgive me I cannot play for you myself, but I'd like to use my hands for something else" his phone started to play a slow Italian song. He slid his phone in his pocket and stepped closer to Lauren to take her hand and wrap his arm around her waist, Lauren instinctively wrapped her arm over his shoulder "I'm not much of a dancer really" Lauren mumbled, He chuckled and shook his head "Neither am I, just follow my lead" he whispered as he simply started to step side to side to the beat of the music, 

Being this close to him, feeling the weight of his arm around her hips leading them side to side, the gentle push and pull, it was not about performance, just being together, a different kind of intimate than she was used to.
The simplicity of the dance had Lauren picturing the strings of lights on poles, people gathered around tables all dressed their best, it took her back to her wedding reception but now she was here with Copia, Laurens heart swelled as she looked only into his eyes, she was just here with him.
Copia turned Laurens hand in his and pulled it in to rest her hand over his heart,
Copias soft smile and the way his eyes scanned her face told her something "What are you thinking about?" 

"The beauty in the confidence you've gained, forgive me for the way I phrase this, I am the luckiest man in the world to be here with the person that you have become" he whispered to her like he was reciting poetry.

Laurens cheeks flushed bright hot pink as she pressed her lips together."Can we stay here like this?"
"I wish we could Mi Amoure, I wish i could capture this moment so we could relive it over and over, we do have responsibilities to return to. Just not now"
"But for now?."

Copia leaned down to kiss her jaw , pressing his cheek to hers "For now I am all yours, Whenever you need me, whenever you want me, I am all yours" he kissed at her neck again, and again, slowly, down her neck to where her cardigan rest, Laurens chest bubbled with nerves and a chill ran down her spine. The hand on his back lowered just to rest on the top of her hips and pulled her closer..
"Shall we ...return to the ministry?" he whispered to her
"Yes"
"It means I have to let you go"
Lauren whined and pulled herself into him tighter 

The two of them drove the normal way back to the ministry, resisting the urge to distract him from his driving every turn she could, Resting her hand on his leg and ever so slowly moving it up towards his hips as he turned the car. Stealing glances from him as he looked her way, It did feel odd to be excited for this, when he pulled in front of the ministry he did not hesitate to jump out of the car and run to her side. just leaving the car there in front of the chapel.
He ran to her side and opened the door, leaving the flowers in the front seat and rushing up the stairs, through the hallways hand in hand

There were no lights, No other siblings around, Copia ran right past her front door and up to his, she's not been to his apartment very often but it was similar to hers if minus the toys and the baby guards. He didn't bother with the lights,
He shrugged off his jacket and threw it onto the table beside the door, he turn Lauren around to stand behind her, taking a hold of her arms and pressing himself up against her,
pressing slow kisses down her neck, gently biting and sucking,Lauren leaned her head back to rest on his shoulder letting out a soft moan as he whispered " Adoro il modo in cui gemi per me "
He slowly lowered his hands to pull the cardigan off her arms and let it drop to the floor.
Copias hands moving across her body, one arm pressing across her breasts and up to hold onto her shoulder,
His other trailing down, resting on her thigh pulling her into him, Lauren could feel the bulge pressing up against her ass, arching her hips back to gently rub against him.
He let out a low groan and dropped his head into her shoulder " Amore Mio "

Lauren turned her head towards his and whispered "I love the way you look at me, Like you're going to talk to me or devour me"
Lauren turned in his arms, his hand resting on her ass, her own hand tracing down his body to his crotch and resting over his bulge.
he grit his teeth and pulled his head back to look up to the ceiling
"And I'd be just fine with either" Lauren whispered to him as she slowly moved her hand up and down over him. 

Both his hands dropped to wrap around her thighs and lift her off the floor, Lauren let out a squeak wrapping her arms over his shoulders,
"Baciami" he whispered, she didn't need to understand italian to know what that meant , Their lips crashed together, dancing carelessly but together,
He stalked through the lounge into the moon lit bedroom, Long and fast strides.  

Copia crawled onto the bed still holding her upright, against him,
His hands squeezed at her thighs as he repositioned her to straddle his hips.
Lauren ground her hips down against his, it was enough to earn a moan from him against her lips.
"You are..." he panted softly, trying to find the words, pressing his forehead to her sternum,
His hot breath radiating over her breasts "You are...amazing"

"We haven't even started" she whispered to him, gently smoothing down his hair, holding his head down against her chest

He forced his head up to rest in between her breasts, his gaze was intense even in the dark, His hands squeezed her ass tight and pulled her down against his hips, the friction was enough to send a warmth through her core, Laurens head falling back as she moaned out into the room,
Copias hands traced up her back, dragging the shirt up off her body, discarding it to the side, exposing her to the cool air of the night.
He made short work of the rest of her clothes throwing them to the ground without a care, 

Lauren couldn't keep up with the buttons on his shirt. "Did I ever tell you how much I hate buttons?"
He chuckled, his hands pulling her hips into his, the friction between her legs made her breath hitch but did squish her hands against his chest
"That doesn't make it any easier you know"
He let go of her hips as he pulled the shirt up and off his body, throwing that to the side "Is that better?" he whispered with a smirk creeping across his face 

Lauren pulled her hips forward to grind against the painful bulge in his pants, he dropped his head back and leaned back on his elbows as he let out a loud moan
"Is it?" Lauren whispered as her hands trailed down his chest through the hair on his chest, popping the buttons on his pants.
"Oh you Minx" he growled, reaching around the slap her ass hard
Lauren squeaked and jumped in his lap, Lauren couldn't help but giggle.
The smirk grew across his face again as he hissed through his teeth
Lauren pulled the zip down and pulled his waistband down enough to free him from the confines of his jeans.
He let out a long sigh " Satanas...." 

"Oh you poor thing"  Lauren leaned down over him to kiss his chest "all trapped in such tight pants"
Laurens hand trailed down his chest down to the waistband of his briefs, trailing into his pants, her fingers skimming across the length of his hard cock.
His chest was heaving up and down, he wrapped an arm under her torso and pulled her close, leaning in to kiss her as his tongue pushed past her lips to find hers.
Lauren slowly stroked her fingers up and down his length, teasing him as pre cum leaked down his shaft
he had to pull away to gasp for air, She leaned in to kiss and nip at his neck
" Cazzo, oh Cazzo! "he hissed as he grabbed her wrist and looked up to her, Impatient , he rolled onto his side to push Lauren on her back and placed a hand on her core holding her down,

He whispered between the kisses on her shoulder and up her neck "Are you sure *Kiss* you didn't come *kiss* from the circles *kiss* of hell *kiss* Just to tease me."
The hand on her core traveled down, under her panties to cup her sex, his gently stroking down between her soaked lips , making her legs trembled from the sensations, little moans escaping as she gasped and panted
"That's it Amore Mio" he whispered "Moan for your Papa" he pressed his face into the crook of her neck, gently biting a mark for everyone to see.
Two of his fingers pushed in between her lips and inside of her, pumping in and out slowly.
"You're so, so wet, And you wanted to please me first." *tut**tut**tut* He pulled away from her neck, using his thumb to press down on her clit, tracing small circles.
The jolts of pleasure radiated from her core, he sat up to look over her, watching as she writhe in the pleasure. 

Lauren reached up above her to grab at the blankets, holding her legs up in the air, that tingling sensation building quickly, It was embarrassing how sensitive she were, no one had ever dared touch her like this before, the sensation building up in her core, her breath hitched as her moans grew higher.
Copia repositioned himself between Laurens legs without missing a beat, Lifting her leg up over his shoulder,Taking in the scene he had crafted.
"It pains me to think you spent so many years with someone who wouldn't share in these moments"
He pulled his fingers out of her, letting out a whine from the loss of sensation. he took his fingers in his mouth and sucked them clean, making sure she were watching
"But how delicious is it you'll never know unsatisfying love ever again"
Lauren bit her lower lip and watched as he lined himself up with her and slid his cock into her, easily able to take his whole length, her breath hitched as he bottomed out.

Copia started slow, taking in the feeling of him deep inside of her, savouring how she felt clenching around him, his free hand held pressing down on her core, trailing up to her breast, squeezing her breast in his palm, and squeezing her nipple in between his fingers
the stimulation making her head lull to the side as she let out a moan, reaching up to hold onto his wrist .

He leaned forward to hover over her, holding himself up with one hand that Lauren was holding onto, His other wrapped under her hips holding them up for him to thrust into, a better angle that had him thrusting into the sweet spot inside her over and over again.
"Yes. Yes fuck oh fuck right there" Lauren moaned, arching her back up off the bed into his arms, 

Copia smirked, picking up a harsher pace, his pace was relentless, the sounds of skin slapping together and a chorus of moans echoing through the room, "I need to hold you" he groaned .
Laurens eyes shot open to look at him" yea..yeah ok" Lauren tapped his arm, He slowed down and pulled out of her, holding her arms to have her sit up on her knees, Copia turned her around and pulled Lauren back against him, She were facing away from him, her legs spread over his, He wrapped his arm around over her breasts, his other hand resting on her hips and pulled her against him, "If..this isn't..ok... just say" he whispered into her shoulder, peppering her neck with soft kisses.

His hand on her hip pulling her back down on his cock "
Lauren shut her eyes and leaned her head back into his "Oh Fuck" she whimpered.
His thrusts were slow to start again, their bodies moving together, the new position made it much easier for him to thrust into the best spot, making Lauren moan with every thrust.
Copias hands roamed her body, holding her left breast to feel her heart beating hard in his hand, His hot breath on her shoulder. "Lo rendi così semplice" He moaned into her neck

Not a clue what it meant, but Lauren wanted those lips to be doing something other than speaking, Lauren turned her head to face his, Lifting her hand to tangle in his hair,  finding his lips with hers, her tongue slipping past his lips over and over ,
his arms holding her closer to him like he was afraid to let her go , or let her feel alone.
He found the comfortable faster pace, every wave of pleasure washing through them both, like they were moving together as one. He had to pull away from the kiss for air with a groan " F...F...I'm..." he dropped his forehead into her shoulder,gently biting down on her neck again.
Rolling her nipple between the tips of his fingers,
his hand on her hip finding her clit easily, rubbing fast circles . The overwhelming sensations caused Lauren's body to jolt and twitch around his arms. 

"Lascia che te stesso ceda al piacere" He moaned, picking up to a brutal pace.

Laurens body was overwhelmed with the sensations radiating through her core, "Oh Fuck! Fuck CopiaAAAH!" Lauren cried out his name, tugging at his hair as her body washed over with pleasure, her orgasm ripping through her body, clenching around his thrusting cock deep inside her, It was making Lauren feel dizzy,
Copia grunted into Laurens shoulder as his pace came to a sudden stop, Lauren could feel his cock twitching inside her as he came with her, his body shaking beneath her.
Riding out their orgasms together, their breath heavy, the room suddenly silent as they came down from the high.

Copia fell back onto the mattress, taking Lauren with him, his cock falling out of her as he softened from the release. He rolled her to her side and let his grip on her go.
Lauren turned to face him and shuffled closer to his side, his face was drenched in sweat and hair covered his eyes.
Lauren snuggled up to his side and reached up to move the hair from his face, his paints however, were ruined.
he lifted his arm up and over her again, just together in a post orgasmic haze. 

Finally feeling the chill night air hitting her burning skin,warm against his body.
Lauren found her breath after a while before whispering to him" That...was the best....prize...i've ever won" 

Copia let out a laugh and covered his eyes, he pushed the rest of the hair from his face and leaned over to kiss her forehead " Would you like to know the best part?" 

"Hmmm?" Lauren tilted her head to the side

"You can redeem your prize when ever you like, You just need to ask" 

Notes:

When i tell you i STRUGGLED to write this chapter i'm SO SORRY ahhhhhhhhhhhhh

Chapter 11: Yule tide calories

Summary:

Your new found family chose to have a Yule tide party in your apartment before the actual festivities start and the whole higher clergy team is on the go for 7 days straight.
It would take one very large "mistake" on the ghouls part for Papa to step back and realize he still has things to learn about you.

Notes:

A very late (not so) little Christmas special (coming out on Easter?! the heck?) before we finally get back into the Trial!

The holiday season can't distract you long enough from what the new year will bring. But the ghouls might be able to

"When I said "Bring a plate for dinner" I didn't think you'd cater for a small Wedding!" Lauren exclaimed as she bounced Eva on her hip.

The counters of her kitchenette were lined with the large catering trays filled with different meal options, a Pasta Bolognese ,Roasted vegetables. Roasted lamb and Roast pork, A whole tray of just Stuffing? and there were 2 different Salads with 4 different dressing options.
The fridge was just as bad, 3 different Desert options already. 

Secondo walked up to Lauren in the kitchen and pushed the salads up the counter and put down yet another salad , "We are Italian, This is a light dinner considering how many people are here"  lifting the lid on his tray to reveal a Caprese salad, Tomato, generous Mozzarella slices with Basil and olive oil dressing. 

Secondo picked up a piece of the Mozzarella from the salad and held it up to Eva "Prova questo, piccolo" she leaned forward in Laurens arms to bite down on the cheese slice, then took it from his fingers "Non è gustoso? sì, divertiti" The smile on his face watching Eva interact with secondo really made it hard to believe that this man who treated her like his own flesh and blood  was the hardest and most stoic of all the Emeritus brothers.
But the way he melted like butter when interacting with Eva would be Laurens lasting impression of him, No one could convince her otherwise.

All four Papas, Sister and Nihil , and the ghouls had gathered together in the apartment for a potluck dinner where Eva would be decorating her first Christmas Tree,
the week of Christmas Eve to the New year would be a very busy week for the ministry so they were getting the equivalent of their family celebrations out of the way before the actual holiday,
It'd be the first time in who knows how long since the Emeritus family were able to celebrate the holidays with a tiny human, Before Eva was born Lauren imagined her first Christmas would have been the most stressful holiday,
If Sunday Roasts made Lauren exhausted, 3 full days of celebration with 6 adults and a 10 month old sounded like actual hell on earth for her. 

But much to Lauren's surprise, Despite much initial disagreement, both of the grandparents agreed to Laurens terms for Christmas.
Lauren and Eva would be joining for Christmas lunch and part of the afternoon, then returning in the evening, They just couldn't stay for dinner.
The morning would be for the two of them (and maybe a third).

Tonight however was for the found family. 

Swiss and Aether walked in carrying the bare pine tree that's been freshly cut, those who were there erupted in a cheer " Now we can begin", they found a subtitle place in the corner of the room and took to setting it up in its pot and holder.
A pair of hands landed on Laurens hips and a pair of lips stole a kiss from her cheek, Lauren turned to see Copia standing behind her with a smug grin

"ABA!" Eva squealed and bounced in Laurens arms, she still hadn't quite got words but Aba was her way of calling him Papa like everyone else did.

"Buonasera piccola principessa" he cooed and leaned over to kiss her forehead from behind Laurens shoulder

"You're Late" He wasn't, but he was the last to arrive despite living 2 doors down the hallway
"I am sorry, You know the yuletide sermon isn't finished, then It was difficult to decide on what to prepare that the rest of la famiglia wouldn't have made first" he shrugged and pointed to the lone tray on the table "Though i may have made a duplicate anyway"
"Oh lord, are they going to argue about who's is worse then start lecturing you about how to make pasta?" Lauren leaned back against him as his arms wrapped around her and held onto Eva's foot
"Oh I can guarantee it" he grumbled resting his chin on Laurens shoulder.
Lauren chuckled and turned to kiss his cheek "5 bucks it's 3 minutes into serving food"
"10 bucks it's less than that" he croaked and leaned in to kiss her softly.

Eva tugged at Lauren's hair, whining that she wanted mama's attention.
Lauren turned to look at her "hmmm?" she was holding up her remaining cheese in her goobery hand
"All done?" she nodded, Lauren leaned forward and ate it from her hand. she giggled like she was feeding the deer that sometimes came onto the land.
"You know that tastes much better without the Saliva dressing" Copia mumbled 

"Oh Cardi" Sister imperator walked up to the 3 of them" Don't you start. It's how new mothers get their main nutrition despite the slobber. You were no exception to this" Sister smirked at him

Copia grumbled " well at least I have no issue eating things that are wet now" he whispered to Lauren, kissing her jaw

"None of that in front of il bambino!" Eva was plucked from Laurens arms by 'Uncle Terzo' "You don't need to see the old man kissing your lovely mummy, no you don't" he chuckled and winked at Lauren.
"Vieni adesso, piccola. Let us go find the best places to put the baubles" taking her away to the siblings. 

Lauren had no issue with them taking Eva away, she never fussed from all the attention.
If she grows up to be an extrovert, she certainly wouldn't have gotten it from Lauren. 

When Terzo put her on the ground she instantly started crawling over to Swiss who was tangled up in the lights. "How the fuck do these things get so tangled!? Eva help. Hold this!"
Eva had made it her mission in life now she knew how to get around unassisted, she would explore every inch of this apartment.
When there were 14 other baby minders in the house, it was their chance to sit down with a bowl of popcorn and enjoy the chaos. 

"While they're distracted" he whispered to Lauren, squeezing her gently " Why don't we do something rather naughty hmm?" he nuzzled his nose into her neck, lacing his fingers with hers
"What did you have in mind??"
"We could steal a bite before everyone else" he whispered into Laurens ear, nibbling on her ear lobe. "before I sample you myself"
Lauren quietly moaned and her knees buckled. " Oh sir, Yes!"  she bit her bottom lip and gave him those bedroom eyes " What are we waiting for?"
Copia chuckled and let her go, holding onto her hand as they "snuck" around the chaos,
Lauren handed Copia a fork and looked through all the trays. How in the world does she pick what to try first?
so Lauren just stabbed into the Pasta Bolognese in front of her . 

 a meaty heartiness from the browned meats, a sweet tang from the rich tomatoes, as well as an herbal kick from the various Italian spices used, There was another factor to this though the texture of the pasta was slightly chewy but not grainy , The meat had a crispness to it like the meat had actually been browned properly. This was absolutely Secondo's cooking, because everything EVERYTHING has been made from scratch, the pasta, the sauce, not the meat but that's not a worry to her.
"MMMM!" Lauren moaned. "Yes, you have competition." 

Copia gave Lauren puppy dog eyes as he held up a fork full of his Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo. "Ok , but that's not a fair comparison because he's retired and has all the time in the world to make pasta from scratch, try ..try"

He held the fork out to Lauren, she didn't hesitate to try to get it all in her mouth at once, just for the fun of it, she didn't break eye contact with him. This pasta was vastly different, , it was beautifully creamy and rich in flavor, it wasn't overloaded with garlic or cheese, however the soft texture of the pasta and the velvety cream  sauce was a wonderful combination, this could very quickly become a comfort food of hers.

"Ok but this really tastes like it could make me fat"  Lauren licked a blob of sauce lingering on her lips
"But do you like it?" he mumbled in anticipation
"Yes! oh please make this for me again, but both pasta's are in completely different categories"  Lauren pointed to Secondo's Bolognese "This is Dinner" and to the Alfredo "And this is Comfort food"
Copia smiled and straightened his posture, "That is more of a compliment because it's something you desire more than just plan for because it's what you have in the pantry"

"Soooo.. You'll make it more often?" Lauren giggled , stabbing another fork full of the pasta
"Any time you want" he chuckled and placed a hand on the small of her back 

The two of them picked and sampled the various dishes for some time, favouring the potato salad that sister had brought with her. Something about the dressing and the zing it brought reminded Lauren of her mothers, but....aged. somehow...it made no sense but it was comforting. 

"Lauren! LAUREN!" Cumulus called for her attention.

Thinking they had been caught sneaking ,Lauren turned around with an innocent look on her face " I wasn't... What?!" Lauren gasped at the surprise before her on the ground

Slowly pattering her way up the floor with Terzo hovering behind to catch her, Eva was WALKING towards her mum for the very first time.
Laurens jaw dropped and she held her breath, she let the fork fall from her fingers and Lauren dropped to her knees holding her hands out in front of her to catch her.
Eva was practically running at the pace she was coming towards Lauren, she knew it would come soon but she could never have expected it to be so soon, Lauren watched her in slow motion, committing every step to memory, her baby girl was running to her. 

She stumbled on the carpet and fell forward, close enough for Lauren to catch her and pull her close. Terzos smile faltered for only a second and dropped to his knees in front of them both,

"What a clever girl!"  The ghouls and guests were clapping and cheering from the lounge "Yeah Eva! "  "She's so fast! "

Lauren finally let the hold on her relax " did you really just walk? really?!  Can you do it again? " Lauren peppered her face with kisses  

"I think you need to let her go to see her try it again, Tesoro"  Copia chuckled, Terzo leaned forward and lifted the toddler up from the floor
"Lets show your Mama it wasn't a fluke" Terzo shuffled back , Eva was wiggling like it was a wind up toy, so full of energy ready to go. Kicking her little feet while still being held in the air,
Lauren held her hands out to her, not realising Copia had crouched down behind Lauren holding her hips,  watching Eva closely.

Terzo stood her down and held her stead " Ready? Set? Go!" he held his hands out and she took off again pattering, just a few steps to walk towards Lauren but she was walking so confidently towards her. this time she made it right up to Lauren when she braced herself against Lauren 
"That's it my girl! Look at you! ahh~" Lauren kissed her hair over and over until she sat back down 
She was giggling and clapping while sat on the ground
"I don't think she's going to want to sit down after that " Copia chuckled  rubbing Laurens arm to get her attention 

"That's not a problem!" Swiss walked over and scooped her up into his arms "I've got my new Racing partner right here!"
She squealed and wiggled in his arms
"Let's set up a race track!" he declared and walked away 

"Be careful!  not around the table or anything!  " Lauren called and looked to Terzo " I don't think she's going to decorate the tree any time soon " Lauren gave him an apologetic smile
He waved her off " She'll get bored of the Ghouls soon enough and find the tree again, plus, this is much better than a tree" he looked over his shoulder at Eva walking up to Primo who lifted her off the floor and into his lap .
"My family hasn't been functional together like this ,,,,ever, Having Eva around makes us all behave" Terzo chuckled and sat back on his heels

Copia leaned his chin on Laurens shoulder "I can't believe I'm saying this, but He's right. Having such an innocent little one around really has brought out a new spark in this grumpy old dysfunctional family of ours, We all love her like she's our own family."

Lauren leaned back into his embrace, and held a hand out for Terzo

"This is her family". 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"That's it ,right on top! Big stretch" Aether called as he held Eva stretched up over the tree.
Copia was holding Lauren back as she stood there internally panicking she might fall from such a height.
Swiss was busy taking millions of photos while everyone stood around and watched,
Aether maneuvered Eva around to place the star on the tree "Ok let it go"  he called but she still held it tight

"Ta~" Lauren called and she released the star, Why did "Ta" become a universal "let go" in mum language  

Everyone clapped and cheered again as Aether brought her down onto his shoulder, She clapped and giggled as everyone else did. It was all the excitement and encouragement from everyone else.  

The tree was decorated with ribbon and miss matching baubles, ornaments from Lauren's parents, and some hand made ornaments to remember Eva's first Christmas. It wasn't going to be in a magazine any time soon, but it was perfect for her. 

Aether walked over to Sodo who was innocently hanging under the door frame where a sprig of Mistletoe was hanging, He held Eva out at length to Sodo who gave him a weird look, he looked up to the plant then rolled his eyes as he leaned forward and kissed Eva on the head, she grabbed onto his hair, Aethers laugh echoed through the room and Sodo took Eva from Aether and held her on his hip. He could take the tugging and tiny hands wanting his attention. 

"He stole my idea," Copia whispered.

Lauren were sat on the couch in Copias office re reading her testimony over and over again, Lauren had done what the lawyer told her to,

write out her accounts, reference the evidence provided, Don't get emotionally invested, Focus on protecting herself, Emphasize her concern for Eva. 

But reading it over again it felt like she was missing something important, there was still a hole in the story, some loop hope Ethan was going to be able to worm his way out of, He was going to get away with this again, she could feel it. 

"You've been reading the same page for nearly an hour , mio amour, I didn't realize it was a novel in 4 pages "

"It's not.... It's missing something" Lauren groaned and slapped her forehead with the paper. 

"Would you rather take over the yule sermon for me and I'll read over your testimony?" 

"Any day" Copia groaned and turned to stand from his desk, walking over to stand behind Lauren and stole the papers from her 

"HEY!" she protested and looked up to him 

"Your turn, go write the sermon" he ordered as he smirked down at her, going to sit on the other end of the couch. 

Lauren pouted and sighed "If it's shit, you asked for this" Lauren stood up from the couch and walked behind his big grand desk and sat down in his ergonomic chair. 

His page was a brainstorm of ideas, different topics, but nothing matched up together.
"What did you talk about last year?" Lauren called out 

"The loop holes in the nativity, then how the Christians manipulated things to fit their narrative" he called " Jesus wasn't born specifically on December 25th, they just made it fit to that time, just like they did with Easter"

Lauren leaned on the table and thought about that topic, if only he'd kept a copy somewhere. But it did spark an idea for her "What about False Idols and  Commercialization? Like how the coca cola company created the image of Santa and it's turned into a cash grab to get people to spend as much as they can?" 

"Write a draft, It's a good idea" He smiled up at her, "If it's as good as this is, I trust your judgment" Copia waved the paper in the air and got comfortable on the couch. 

Lauren spent a good half an hour writing down about the topics, paragraph by paragraph turned into 6 more pages full of writing.
It was like she had had a grudge on the pressure to create a magical and flawless holiday season, giving gifts to people who didn't deserve it nor would they return the sentiment.
The early morning shopping, and the late night last minute rush, The fights with the older ladies over a stupid ham,  Seeing children throw tantrums about not having a specific colour of the hottest toy because of course it's sold out. It had become a common hatred for the holidays, the pressure just growing and growing every year.
It wasn't a sin to be greedy, it was a well practiced money mountain to climb, creating these idols and using them to get kids to experience them, drain their wallets to create the picture perfect Christmas memories to share with everyone round for years to come and to share with everyone and make them believe everything is perfect.
Everything had to be picture perfect. 
And that was never something that was deemed to be the fault of Satan. It was created by design of the corporations, and it would only continue with the newer generations who'd grown up being exposed to digital media earlier and earlier.  

Lauren found a natural ending for the sermon and put the pen down to the side and sitting back  

"I might have got a little hot headed in all of this "

"Well, Passion does write the best stories for sure. What did you write about?" Copia called, putting the testimony to the side. 

"Well I started writing about false idols and people who're idolized for the season, I listed those who're actually relevant to the season but ignored. Poor Krampus." Lauren let out a long sigh,
"But it got me thinking about how Christmas is used as a bargaining chip to make children behave so they get presents. and how parents used to use idols like Santa visiting with the best presents, Santa magically makes the best presents appear under their tree,
then kids get greedy for the hottest toys, which are the most expensive, but the parents have to create a picture perfect christmas, because that's what everyone else will hear about, it has to be a perfect Christmas or you're not the perfect family,
but to be the world's vision of perfect, you have to buy things, follow Pinterest and influencers,
It's all about money and image.
And yet no one blames this on Satan, they let it happen, that's become the normal" Lauren explained with a smile on her face "that's... That's the long and short of it" 

Copia stood up and walked over to the desk, leaning over and turning the pad around scanning over the first couple pages "This is brilliant. Societal and seasonal pressure. The formatting matches the sermons, how did you-" 

"Your masses make for a great learning example" Lauren mumbled

He gave her an appreciative smile and placed a hand on her shoulder "well I'm glad someone is listening, If it is alright with you, Would it be alright to use this?"

"Of course" she tapped the paper and stood from his chair, stretching up into the air, letting her joints click into place. A pair of arms wrap around her waist and pull her against a strong chest 

"Then let me thank you" he growled, leaning in to kiss at her neck, Lauren shriek and drop her arms around his shoulders
"Hey!" Lauren gasps,  "We still have work to do!" but Lauren didn't let go, She tilted her head to the side, letting him kiss further up her neck, 

"You just did the work for me" he whispered into her ear "That's more than what an assistant is supposed to do"
"Extra credit" She mumbled, placing a hand on his chest, tracing over the buttons of his shirt.
His hands dropped down her sides and held her hips close to him, pulling the skirts up her legs to bunch at her hips, his leather gloves tracing across the bare skin of her thighs, sending a sensation to her core.
He lifted Laurens leg up to wrap around his hips as he turned her to lift her onto the desk.
Copia kissed down her neck, over her collar bones and down her cleavage. 

The door to his office is slammed open " BOSS" Rain stood in the doorway "  Sodo dropped the tree in the chapel and....oh..." he froze realizing what he'd burst in on. 

The two of them just turned their heads to look at him, not letting each other do, " Sodo Did what now?" he ordered, unhappy that he'd been interrupted 

Rain scratched the back of his neck, rubbing the sweat from his hair " Uh... Sodo...Sodo dropped the tree for the chapel and it damaged a row of pews- I can come back in 20 minutes if you're busy"  he smiled and chuckled nervously.

Copia groaned and let her go  "How can they fuck up bringing a bush through a building?" he groaned  into Laurens shoulder and shook his head.
Lauren dropped her hands, thinking of ways to pick this up again later, though it likely wouldn't happen knowing how busy he already was, "Do you want me to come along and give them the disappointing mother stare?" 

"Would you?" Copia smiled, knowing the ghouls would drop to their knees at her glare that was sharper than a knife 

Lauren nodded "gladly, plus I can order repairs while you deal with them" Lauren leaned up to rebutton his shirt

"At least it's just the pews and not the doors" he sighed and held his hand out to Lauren "Rain, go on ahead, we will follow you soon enough" Copia ordered.
Rain nodded and couldn't leave fast enough, if not for the mask, his embarrassment for what he'd walked in on was obvious by the tail tucked between his legs.

Lauren took his hand and stood up from the desk, grabbing the tablet from his desk.
The two of them walked the halls hand in hand as Lauren tried to lighten the mood, joking that Sodo had just one job , carry a tree, and he still managed to screw that up 

"If someone was capable of doing this, i would have assumed it was Swiss" Copia chuckled to himself  "and he would have done it on purpose" 

"Does it happen on tour often?" Lauren knew it did, Copia let out a low growl and slapped his hand to his forehead
"When I was new they would absolutely test me, they were fresh and would still act like hot heads, I'd have to apologize to so many staff for them just glaring and hanging around like a bunch of assholes. It made the new era of Ghost VERY difficult, even the fans were looking into crazy aspects, assuming these were the same ghouls that Papa Terzo had. They at least would have been professionals"  he grumped.

Lauren had to hide a smile to herself, seeing him grumpy like this showed the family resemblance to the other Emeritus'  bloodline. The familiar crease in the brow is more prominent than ever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Before they turned the corner to enter the chapel the sound of shattering glass echoed through the halls, Lauren stopped and froze in place, fear shooting through her like ice and electricity, draining the blood from her face.
Copia pulled on Laurens hand but yanked back as she froze, the look on his face was furious for a split second before he saw her.
Copia stepped up to Lauren and placed a hand on her arm " Wait here, I will let you know when it's safe"

"No" Lauren gasped and squeezed his hand " I'll go with you" she whispered, in her rational mind she knew she were safe and something no one was going to hurt her, but her irrational mind couldn't get out the thought that Ethan had found where she were and sent people to attack her.
Copia just nodded " Ok" he whispered "I'm likely going to yell at whoever just broke a window in the middle of winter, but it's not at you"
Lauren nodded and took a slow deep breath to calm the initial panic
"That's it, Just stay with me" he whispered and stepped to the side, leading her into the chapel. 

It was a very large tree, it's just a shame they couldn't see all of it because for whatever reason the top 3rd of the tree was currently outside, poking through the center panel of stained glass.
The remainders of the coloured and tempered glass had fallen and shattered across the platform at the front of the chapel,
Aether, Sodo, Swiss and Mountain were all arguing amongst themselves about whose fault it was for dropping their weight, they were in fact enraged as the horns on the heads of Mountain and Sodo were longer, their limbs were stretched out making them taller and more inhuman. Aether and Swiss were using every part of their strength to keep the two from causing more damage from their fighting. 

Copia stood there in disbelief, knowing he would be the one to plan for replacement of that window, it wasn't just a section, the whole panel had been damaged.

"Quali angoli hai tagliato per causare questo caos costoso?" Copia roared, echoing through the walls of the chapel. It made her flinch by being caught off guard. 

" Sapevo che sarebbe stato rischioso affidarti questo compito, ma hai davvero spinto al limite la mia sorpresa " He stormed towards the group, aware he was still holding Laurens hand so being sure not to drag her behind him. "Calm your anger, The Demonic forms wont repair your fucking mess"

The ghouls did, stepping away from one another and letting their forms shrink back to their familiar humanoid figures. 

Copia led Lauren to an undamaged seat and gestured for her to sit. "Warn me if any of the other senior clergy arrive" he whispered to her, lifting Laurens hand he was holding to kiss the back of it, He let go and turned on his heels to face those in trouble, Knowing not to ask questions that would spur more arguments and blame thrown.
He breaks out into a whole page's worth of Italian disappointment.

Lauren booted up the tablet, looking for the files and blueprints for the chapel, Keeping a stoic and disappointed look on her face as she found the file for the information they would need.
The Size, Design, Type of glass, and the company who'd created and maintained the windows over the years. it was very easy to get in contact with them, though it would be difficult this close to the holidays when people would be taking their leave,
but it was easier to act up like it was a difficult situation to manage, was it manipulation? very minorly, it was still not going to be fixed until the new year. Would it change the plans for Yule? Absolutely, we don't want the siblings to FREEZE during the biggest event of the year.

They still have caused problems, they will be punished for the damage caused. Ghouls and children were very much alike, it was no surprise they got along with Eva so well. 

If Mountain could get any bigger, Sodo certainly could get smaller. somehow it looked like he was shrinking as Copia continued to roar in his natural language, All the ghouls looked like they wanted to run and hide,
Copia waved them off and the 4 of them scattered in different directions to get the tree out of the window and pick the pieces of glass off the ground.
He walked over to sit beside Lauren, keeping the frustrated act up, wrapping an arm across the back of the chair, stretching his legs out and pushing the hair off his face
"Well at least now we'll have 4 very well behaved ghouls until the new year." He shot Lauren a smirk
Lauren looked to him and showed him the tablet, pretending to talk horrible numbers "Well who knew all it took was you to shout at the ghouls to wipe you out like you got a spunky young girl keeping you up all night" 
Copia opened his mouth to speak and choked on his reply. "Ah... " his look of shock turned to a smug grin, dropping his arm around her waist and pulling Lauren into his embrace "Are you asking for your own punishment then?" His hand rested on the curve of her bum and quickly squeezed.
Lauren shuffled back sitting on his hand, if he wants to hold her bum, he can hold it all. " I think the ghouls might complain about cruel and unusual punishments"
"What if you deserve it?" he whispered 

"I am not the one who dropped a 30 foot tree through an intricately decorated satanic stained glass window" Lauren declared as she worked her magic in the spreadsheet to pull up the estimates for repairing the damage . $16 thousand for the materials and construction alone. another 5k for clean up and preparation, another 2 for installation. Lauren noted there would likely be a "rush job" fee and a "Holiday surcharge"
Copia groaned and wiped his hand down his face "well you are preparing me to explain all of this to sister. How did you manage to pull this information so quickly?" 

"It used to be my job, I was an assistant to a building and office manager before I came here" Lauren saved the document and put the tablet in her lap.
"Really? How did I not know this?" 

"You never asked" Lauren mumbled and gave him a smile 

Copia leaned back in his chair and sighed, Something about the look in his eye was unreadable, a sadness and a wondering as he looked over her "I forget that this time last year we did not know one another, but you've been with us long enough I forget you had a life before the ministry " 

"It wasn't the best life" Lauren shrugged and looked down to her hands.

"I know, I do know, But besides the trauma and what led you here. You had a Job, you went to university, you had friends and probably a wild phase, I get to know who you are now, but there's so much about you I don't know" He sighed "After all these months and sometimes I know nothing about you at all" 

"Is that really important? I came here for a new life and a new start" 

"Yes, It's like there's pieces of your puzzle I've neglected. I know more about your daughter than I know about you" he took Laurens left hand in his and brought it to his mouth "for that I am sorry" 

"You don't need to be sorry, and you don't need to worry. I think you're making a bigger deal out of this than it needs to be." Lauren reassured him and squeezed his hands " I didn't know little things about Ethan until it was too late, but he made a mountain out of it and would retaliate in a totally irrational way. My therapist told me it was ok to learn these things about people naturally. Like how I learned you love a little extra cream in your coffee, or how you always button your shirts up from the top down because you use that time to decide if you're going to wear a tie or a cravat or a waistcoat. or that you prefer slip in shoes." 

Copia let out a sigh and nodded " I just hope you don't ever feel that I've got a crush on the new woman who came to me for help, or just for your body"
Lauren chuckled and held onto his arm, " What would be so bad about that? What if I was falling for your body?"
"Old Fettuccini belly?" he pat his stomach " That's when I'd want to talk to your therapist" he chuckled  and pat the back of Laurens hand, a small smile on his face 

Lauren couldn't hold back a giggle " What do you want to know?"  She looked out to the ghouls moving the tree to the corner of the stage.
Copia waved them to the left to direct them moving the tree more inwards "I ...don't know, what should I know about you?”

Lauren pursed her lips as she thought of these things "Well, My favourite colour is Shamrock green, I went to Resolution primary school until I was 9 when we moved to this town and I went to the local Intermediate school. I was convinced as a child I was going to be a Jockey or raise horses so my parents got me into horse riding. My favourite artists growing up were Siouxsie and the banshees and Paramore, But i hid a lot of that because I wouldn't fit in that way. I went to University for Law, hoping to be a lawyer for animal welfare after all the information about Kiev Zoos poor conditions came to light."

"Why did you not pursue that?" He whispered watching her intently 

"I had to build up more experience before I could get the jobs I wanted" she shrugged "Hard to do in this country and the small towns, that was when I met Ethan and I was convinced I needed to stay here for my family. I thought I would work up to build my own office. there's just not a market for it"

He sighed and shook his head, squeezing her hand to signal her to continue. 

Lauren talked about her friends, her childhood pet, how she accidentally dropped a cake on her nana when she were 8 like in the second film of a certain wizard movie we don't speak the name of , 

In turn he told Lauren about the little stories he had from growing up in the ministry, when he first watched Silence of the Lambs, why he'll never add asparagus to a meal again, even about his first love. A sibling who watched over him while he was growing up, They told him to wait till he was 18 - so he did. but it wasn't meant to be after all. 

The topic of reopening an orphanage here was touched on, but the logistics didn't add up yet, that said that didn't mean there weren't any orphanages - many other ministries had the facilities for it and even did take in orphaned children who'd had nowhere else to go . 

"I was raised in the ministry in Naples. The largest Ministry in all Italy. It was the main office for everything that would happen, but after the bombings in 1992 with the connections to the Mafia, we thought it safest to move the leadership teams to a more secluded location, because of course people would assume there were connections to our faith, yet the Mafia are some of the most faithful Catholics we've ever seen" he shrugged 

"So, what kind of relationship does the Italian ministries have with the mafia?"  Lauren raised a brow, it left more questions than answers 

"The same sort of relationship like we have with the Vatican, We have communication but we have an understanding" he picked up her hands and turned her palm up, pointing to the lines in her hands " We all have corresponding paths, We meet, we acknowledge, we move on with our lives" tracing up the lines with his pointer finger " but we all are apart of a hard working community, We all uphold a Balance" he pressed his hand to hers and laced his fingers between hers " We all want to same thing. Bilancia" he pressed his lips to the back of her hand, the eye contact not breaking for a long moment. 

Laurens mind wandered, thinking about what kind of chaos would ensure should a fight break out between the Vatican and the Satanic Temples, not a political war, but a war of religion, how would that even work? Lauren knows ghouls exist and can in fact walk on the mortal coil, would Angels descend from the clouds and go feral? but if they were the biblically accurate looking Balloons with eyes and rings, it'd just be target practice for Dew and Swiss really. Lauren pictured the balloon targets from the Legend of Zelda's Koroks and she giggled. 

"What? This is supposed to be a tender moment Tesoro, What makes you giggle?" he leaned in to look into Laurens eyes like she were hiding something, his prying kept her giggling going 

"I was picturing you as a toddler and pope Francis as a child on a see saw keeping your precious balance"  

Copia snorted as he pictured that for himself " I guess that is a way to imagine it" he sighed and dropped her hands into his lap, looking back out to the ghouls "Ahh- The Tree is fine just there, Would you start covering up the massive hole in my chapel? " he called out. " I don't want my clergy to freeze on the winter fucking solstice!" he yelled shaking his head and looked to Lauren " I swear... good help is hard to find"  

Lauren shuffled closer to him as he wrapped an arm around her, wrapping his jacket around her to keep her warm " they're lucky they're easy on the eyes"  Lauren mumbled

Copia leaned down and kissed her hair, shrugging the left arm of his jacket off so she could be warm as the wind started to blow through. 

"I'm lucky I found you" 

Notes:

THIS TOOK ME WAY TOO LONG I'M SORRYYYYYYYYY

Chapter 12: The Trial

Summary:

The Trial date was pushed up and finally after all the fun, all the learning and all the time has passed for you to grow into this new person.

Today was the day you would be standing up in court .

even if that means seeing him again

Notes:

TW: Descriptions of Sexual Assault, Rape, Domestic Violence, Medical reports,
Go into this chapter with an open mind and a cautious heart. if i forgot something PLEASE comment - It's taken me a while to write this chapter.

Alot of research and reference came from google research and Emily D Bakers coverage of other trials (her coverage of the Depp Vs Heard trial was iconic!)

Also there's not a lot of interaction from the ghost crew this chapter, they're stuck in a place where they can no longer chime in, it's up to you. You're strong enough to do this. I know you can get through this without Papa holding your hand the whole time.

Yule and new years had come and gone in a flash, the first month of January came and went, every day was a new distraction, every day was a new level of dread. 

 

Ethan had not accepted a plea deal , and the preliminary hearing was swift. 

The official date was set, February 7th. 

10 days before Eva's first Birthday. 

No amount of milestones , gifts, love letters or even therapy sessions could aid the dread that was growing and burning over her shoulders and down her spine. 

 

Penny, Laura and Maddy would regularly remind you that the amount of evidence stacked against him alone is enough to send him to prison for a minimum of 30 years without parole. 

But that burning leach in her mind drained the hope you had and poisoned you with doubt, Ethan's legal team would try to have the evidence removed somehow. 

His oldest trick in the book was to blame her past use of medications,  antidepressants,  and claim I needed better quality care but could never afford it. 

Now he could argue you still were suffering from Postnatal Depression or Psychosis.

Lauren feared that he would testify this is why he should walk free and sue for full custody of her daughter. 

Who would want to place a 1 year old child with a mother who was manic enough to run away to the one place that would surely expose her to so many worse things. 

Lauren had prepared for this, it was written in her testimony, How she'd been handing back to her abuser time and time again, What excuses he’d used to have complete control. 

All this doubt plagued Laurens mind, robbed you of her sleep and crept its way into her nightmares. 

It was becoming all too regular for you to wake up crying or not sleep at all. 

Copia had started staying over in her bed more often to be there when the nightmares come back . It was the only slice of immediate reality you had that brought you back down from the terror, really he stopped you from running to Eva's room and waking her at 3am, sobbing and begging her to stay. 

 

The stage was set, the evidence was submitted and locked. 

Lauren and the prosecutor lawyer she'd been able to hire through the ministry , Tanya , would meet regularly to discuss updates, her testimony, walk through how it will work, and what you can and can't do in the court. 

 

Lauren was, by all accounts, ready for her day on the stand. 

Lauren was doing all of this so you can  give Lauren's daughter a better chance at a healthy life. A safe and fulfilling life. 

February 6th. 

 

One last meeting with Tanya. Calm your mind

“You are the most prepared client I’ve actually ever have, you’ve prepared for every possibility” she picked up the different documents looking over their titles 

“I had to, it’s the only way I got out. It’s the only way i’ll feel comfortable having to sit up there and see his face again”  

Tanya sighed and put the papers down, looking her up and down “ Have you had to go see him?” 

“No…. No, I believe only his parents have gone to see him, his sister hasn’t, she told me that when she saw the pictures and the videos and saw herself in that place.” Lauren paused remembering how she begged for her own forgiveness, how she’d fallen to her knees as she sat on her mothers couch. The look of fear in her eyes.

“She grew up with his bullying and thought he’d actually changed when he met me, he just learned how to hide it” 

Ethan's little sister was never at any fault, there was no way Lauren could convince her of this, she held her trauma as if she’d done it herself. Lauren could never reassure her enough, there was no way to convince her. 

Tanya let out a sigh and looked to another document “This judge will likely ask why the satanic church was the place Lauren went to for help. We’ve prepared evidence why the hospital, the women's refuge and the catholic church all failed her. And what made the Satanic Temple different. Laurens therapist,Geraldine, will be testifying on Laurens state of mind, Laurens doctor ”

“Doctor Penny Midford, She’s become a good friend of mine, will that be a …conflict of interest?”

“Not if she’s brought up as an expert. She was the one who initially examined Lauren and treated her. Her word is taken as law” Tanya insisted.”the photos don't lie Lauren. Medical evidence and initial treatment is not a conflict of interest.”

Lauren nodded along, her mind continued to race with possibilities. Lauren and Tanya sat in silence for just a moment. 

“The Defense are likely to try everything in their abilities to try and break through this case. But Ethan sealed his fate when he declined a plea deal. He sealed his fate when he murdered that truck driver.” Tanya reached over to hold her hand over Laurens palm, not touching her, but her warmth was enough comfort. “ He sealed his fate when he put that ring on Laurens finger in front of their family, their friends and the gods and powers watching. No one on that jury would listen to Laurens story and say she were just manic, no one on that jury would look at the photos or the videos of what that man did to her and think she were just depressed, No one would look at the face of Laurens 1 year old daughter and dare set him free to the world to ruin her life just by being free” 

Her words were strong, it reminded Lauren of the power Copia held giving his sermons, the power he held over a crowd of thousands,
Laurens questions, her distractions and her objections were silenced. There was no If in Tanyas world. 

Tanya was sure. 

 

February 7th.

9:48am

XX Court House. 

Laura and Maddy insisted Laurens business suit be a combination of “Business CEO ” and “Mother did not come to play”.
So the Black pinstripe power suit, high court shoes, Stockings, Lauren's hair tied high, so much product not a single hair had even the chance to fly away. No jewelry, No excessive makeup.

No surprises. 

Various men in their suits and ties carrying their briefcases walked past Lauren in the halls, Any of them could be Ethans Lawyers or members of the jury.

Lauren wasn't alone in wearing these monkey suits. It felt odd to see Copia in a 3 piece suit, Not his stage suits, No Papal paints, He was “clean”.  The Ghouls were in their Human glamor, it was so odd, to Lauren they looked like the blues brothers mafia group.

Copia had agreed to keep the public displays of affection back to the ministry. But he would be right behind Lauren for every minute. After everything he’d been able to do for Lauren since last April , today he would have to sit back and watch. The ghouls had been told to stay on their best behavior too, so Sodo was not in attendance. 

Swiss, Mountain, Rain, Aether, and Cirrus, were all there in their matching suits. 

When they walked up to Lauren they surrounded her on the bench, Copia stood in front of her and held out a hand, Lauren stood holding his hand as well, he leaned in to whisper “Non sei solo”.

Lauren gave him a small smile, “you’re right behind me, I know” and had to let go of his hand “Tanya is waiting for me, but I’m not sure where she is” Lauren tried to look through the gaps of the ghouls

“She’s in the office with the judge and the defense lawyers.” Rain stated 

“There’s traffic coming from the jail, so he is late” Swiss continued with a little malice in his voice. 

“So are we delayed?” Lauren asked with hope. 

Copia chuckled and shook his head “ No. But you don't need to go back anywhere before hand” Aether leaned forward and  placed a hand on Laurens shoulder “Cumulus is under orders to give hourly updates on Eva, And Phantom and Omega are outside,”
“There’s a bit of media attention trying to cover this” Swiss added, tilting his head to the windows. 

Before Lauren could ask anything more, a pair of large doors opened when the crowds started filtering into the room. 

“Am I late?” Tanyas voice echoed behind the shoulders, Rain and Mountain stepped to the side for Tanya to join the circle. “Morning Boys, Papa” She acknowledge the ghouls around her “Looking good Aether, Should wear that more often” Aether chuckled and ruffled the hair on his head “Thank you Ma’am” 

Tanya looked to Lauren “Time to face the music” she was absolutely buzzing to get in there, a winning case in her folder, an easy success.  Lauren matched her smile and nodded, taking a deep breath and looking at Copia. 

Copia placed a hand on Laurens arm and leaned in to whisper “Vincerai” and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. It was safe from the prying eyes around her. 

“She doesn’t need Luck, Papa” Tanya held her arm to the door. “ You will need it if you want to get decent front seats behind us, remember we’re on the left side.” 

“Bye” Lauren waved to Copia as Tanya led her into the courtroom. 

Behind Tanya's lead, Lauren walked up the Carpeted Aisle, through the wooden barricades, and to her desk, the legal team already at the table. 

The chairs behind her quickly began to fill with an audience, Copia kept his promise and made his way to the front row behind the prosecution, the ghouls 3 behind and 2 by his side. 

Only some 3 media personnel were in attendance, but no cameras were present. 

In the crowd Laurens parents and the rest of Ethan's family had found their place on the left side of the Aisle as well. Doctor Penny joined by Aethers side on the front row. Once the double doors shut with a loud boom, a hush falls over the crowd.

The Bailiff of the court walked out, Two police officers followed him out, behind them, he appeared. 

 

Ethan looked horrible. His hair was longer, still presentable, the shadow of facial hair was still present, likely using a cheap razor, his hands were bound in cuffs, the jingle of the chains were all Lauren could hear over the heels of shoes on the wooden floors. They weren’t there for protection, they were there as an example, He’s still held by the actions he’s chosen. 

Ethan's gaze went right out to his team then over to Lauren, directly making eye contact with her, Laurens blood ran cold, it wasn’t the memories of the trauma coming back to her, it wasn’t his voice echoing through her mind, she'd heard it all before over and over again even in her dreams.
But the way he looked at her across the room, it was his warning, his brow low, his lips pursed into a line and his jaw clenched teeth grinding on one another. If a conversation leads to a possible slanderous topic, he shot her this glare from across the rooms she'd been in.
It no longer scared her into silence, the people behind her, beside her and waiting for her at home were waiting to hear Lauren roar. 

 

Tanya gently nudged Lauren elbow to break her focus, Lauren looked forward and shot her a very quick thumbs up. She wasn't phased, but She was staring too long. 

 

The Bailiff calls for everyone to stand for the jury to enter. In 3 lines a variety of people arrive at the pews, locked in their own little pen like animals. No names, they would always be known by numbers, Jurors one through twelve . All of different backgrounds, genders, races, these people would decide the fate. 

 

“Order in the course, All Rise for Judge Katherine London” 

The room was hushed as a Middle aged woman crossed into the room standing in front of her chair and bowing to the gallery, who also bowed to her as a sign of mutual respect.
“Court is now in session, Please be seated”. 

 

The Judge sat and leaned forward “Good morning everyone, My name is Justice London, Councilors are there any issues or any information we need to bring to the stage before we begin? “ she gestured to Laurens side before leaning back in the chair. 

Tanya shook her head , gesturing to Ethan’s Team, 

Ethans lawyer stood from his desk“ Yes, Your honour, as we are in a secure environment could we please have the handcuffs removed from my client please?” 

 

The Judge looked over to the prosecution  side “Before you do, I will reassure the plaintiff defendant, Mrs Holloway, you will be perfectly safe with the bailiffs and security nearby at all times.”  Justice London looked her in the eye to really drive in the point, Lauren nodded and mouthed “thank you” to her, The handcuffs were removed from Ethan's wrists
It made Lauren shiver being referred to by his last name, despite being separated, no divorce had been settled yet. So legally Lauren was still his wife. There was no winning on being referred to as her maiden name due to no legal name change taking place.

“So we are ready then? Yes? We will begin with the Plaintiff's opening statement - Councilor Hutton” 

Tanya stood from her chair and proudly walked to the podium and opened her folder. Standing proud and so sure of herself.

 

“Thank you, your honour. Ladies, Gentlemen and every member of the Jury. In April of Last year my client, Ms Lauren Sullen, made the carefully planned and brave choice to take her 2 month old daughter to safety. After enduring and living with more than 8 years of abuse, Mental, Emotional, gradually turning to Physical and Sexual Abuse. When her daughter came into this world it was Ms Sullen hoped that the abuse would stop. The evidence will show this was not the case. Mr Holloway would continue to use Ms Sullen for his personal gain as if she were a housekeeper and a sexual slave even as she was healing from giving birth, Tired and exhausted, The evidence will show that Mr Holloway drove away the loving and doting wife, not once, not twice, but 5 times. 4 of those times Ms Sullen was given back to her abuser over and over again when the trusted organizations which should have helped her seek shelter and safety, her basic right as a human being, when he would manipulate and downplay the mental health issues Mr Holloways actions have caused. And when Mr Holloway would discover his wife and child were gone, The evidence will show Mr Holloway did not care for her safety, he covered it up to commit insurance fraud and the life insurance on his wife and infant daughter, In the process Mr Holloway not only deceived the town and the nation who would hear his story, The Evidence will prove that Mr Holloway desecrated the graves of two people who’d already passed, and stole the life of the innocent Stanley Marsh. An innocent and beloved truck driver throughout the county. Evidence will show that Mr Marsh was drugged and the crash which brought his falsified tragedy to the national and international media was a staged event, Only Mr Holloway would survive as two occupants in his car were already dead, and the life stolen was unconscious due to the drug, Benzodiazepine. The evidence will show all of this. 

Medical evidence, Surveillance video footage, toxicology evidence, and witness testimony will show you that Mr Holloway is a danger to society, a murderer, a sexual deviant, someone obsessed with control and power, Ms Sullen ran away after years of abuse, years of control, because Ms Sullen wanted to give her infant daughter a much better life, a safe life, a life that will already be sullied knowing the man who was apart of her DNA is a murderer, an abuser, a narcissist, and the entire world knows it, Because of Mr Holloways actions.

 

We are here to decide upon the severity of the consequences of his actions, and to take this murderer off the streets and keep the county and the world safe. 

Thank you”

Tanya picked up her papers and took her seat beside Lauren. Lauren smiled and nodded at Tanya. “That was awesome” Lauren whispered to her, Tanya shot Lauren a quick wink as the judge called out again.

“Councilor Martin, We will hear the Defense's opening statement” 

Ethans Lawyer stood and took the podium, reorganizing a variety of loose papers. 

 

“Your Honour, Members of the Jury, My client Mr Holloway has been accused of terrible crimes, injuries and evidence that has been taken out of context and has been painted in a horrible light. In his distress and lapse of judgment on the situation of his wife and child disappearing he feared the worst, That she’d run away with another man while he was spending the night enjoying the game of football in the company of his friends. He went out of town and picked up a pair of hitch hikers and in his grief and tired state accidentally drove into a gasoline tanker in a poorly lit area of the motorway. In his state he’d wrongfully reported his wife and child were the occupants of the car, in his emotionally grieving state. He made a mistake, he should not be accused of these crimes by a woman who has proven she has carefully planned and failed to run away to other people on multiple occasions. My Client had been the sole bread maker in the relationship so to say, he kept up appearances and kept relationships strong between their families, even cared for his mentally ill wife through anxiety attacks and her pregnancy then to dealing with her postpartum depression. My Client has been a devoted partner, her betrayal is a falsified turn of events so she could run away with another man. Because of this the relationships with Mr Holloway's family and his daughter has been severed because of the accusations. 

Thank you” 

Lauren sat there mentally numb, listening to this opening statement. It was about as accusatory as she'd predicted, Being mentally ill, carefully planned, turning the story to a whole other narrative and still giving false information. Lauren made the individual notes during the opening speech on what to touch on as the time was presenting itself. 

“The lawyer is already on my hit list” Swisses voice echoed in Laurens mind, he’d been instructed not to communicate with her during the hearing, but somehow telepathy could go unnoticed, it wasn’t an exception, but it was a comfort having a familiar, unfiltered voice in her mind. 

“Thank you, Councillor Martin. We will proceed, Councilor Hutton, you are invited to present the evidence in this case” the judge acknowledged the prosecution team

Tanya leaned over to whisper in Laurens ear . “Remember, You can call for a recess if anything is too much for you.”  She gently rubbed Laurens arm as Tanya walked over to the stand.

Tanya first called the police chief to report the initial findings of the crash, how no calls reporting his wife and child missing took place, The investigation into the missing corpses, They also reported being made aware of Laurens escape, abuse and location due to fears for unpredictable actions of an abuser. 

When cross examination began, the defense began with breaking down the evidence of the crash, trying to tear apart the findings of the investigation, how the car drove where Ethan reported he was found, they made the mistake of asking what prompted the need to test for intoxication of Mr Marcus body, but the chief only responded that this was reported to him, they did not ask for a toxicology report to be done, it’s believed to be apart of the autopsy. There should be a later expert for this. 

Ethans Lawyer assumed that the report of her being alive should have been given to Mr Holloway. Under her protection rights and protection for her daughter, it was requested the information to be kept on a need to know basis, Mr Holloway having proven his abusive and destructive nature was the reason she’d run, it was safest he did not know of her whereabouts, and based on his actions, that was the best course of action. 

 

Next was Doctor Penny, Doctor Penny reported on Laurens physical trauma the day after coming to the ministry, the photographic evidence was shown on screen, the photo of Laurens broken tear from sexual trauma, the photos of the bruises and the burns. 

Doctor Pennys expert opinion seeing this for herself, she would see similar injuries only in forceful sexual abuse, and very rough sexual intercourse without proper lubrication, typically from r4pe. 

Seeing these photos again made Lauren feel embarrassed that everyone in this court was seeing very explicit photos of her, in her mind she reminded herself of the very important tenet. Your body is inviolable, however, when her vagina is on display in 4k for the strangers in the court to see she can’t help but be embarrassed. 

The cross examination tried to suggest that this damage was self inflicted. Lauren could feel the infuriating rage radiating off the ghouls behind her,  Lauren didn’t need to look behind herself to know Copia was practicing his best restraint . 

 

“Your Honour I call Ms Sullen to the stand to give her testimony”  Tanya called, gesturing to Lauren . 

Lauren stood from her chair and walked across the floor to the witness box, 

Lauren stood before the bailiff who held out a bible to her. 

“Um, I’m sorry but i will affirm my honesty to the court but not on a bible”  Lauren looked at him, he put the bible to the side  

“Raise your right hand and read the cue card.” the bailiff called, looking Lauren right in the eye. 

 

Lauren held up the card from the front of the witness box,  “I , Lauren Sullen,  do affirm that the evidence I am about to give regarding the matter now before the court shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth”

The bailiff nodded and walked away from Lauren, Lauren sat in the chair and looked up to the crowd, the size of the room suddenly so overwhelming to see so many sets of eyes on her again, all lit up, listening intently, Some looks of pity, some of curiosity, one set of eyes glaring still. Lauren couldn’t look his way, her eyes connected with Tanya and she nodded to her that she was ready. 

 

“Good morning Ms Sullen, Could you tell the Jury why you’re here today?” 

 

Lauren adjusted the microphone and leaned forward “Uh Yes, Over the 4 years of my marriage to Mr Holloway and the relationship before that, I was subject to physical abuse, mental abuse, emotional abuse and financial abuse that resulted in my need to escape when all other means of seeking refuge had been exhausted and returned me to my abuser. 

My parents and Mr Holloway's parents would be deceived into believing that our marriage was picture perfect, they would never know how I was treated, how I was spoken to, how I was touched, how I actually felt.”

Lauren had to take a slow deep breath to keep from her voice wavering.

“I left Mr Holloway and took my 2 month old daughter with me in the middle of the night to seek the last refuge possible to make sure my daughter would be safe.”

Laurens voice cracked on ‘Daughter’ and ‘Safe’ recalling the memory of the obsessive planning she'd made to make sure she could leave, making sure every detail was perfect. Laurens motivation was always Eva.

The Judge leaned over and offered a box of tissues to Lauren. Lauren smiled and nodded in thanks, taking the box from the judge to dry her eyes. 

“The week following my escape, Mr Holloway took extreme measures to gain public sympathy. I felt it was my responsibility not only to myself, not just to my daughter, but to the people who were deceived into believing these lies. It was my responsibility to clear my name, bring to light his truth, and expose that an innocent and loved man had not died by accident. It was planned, Mr Holloway always planned. ”

The room was silent, the old man in the jury box was all that could be heard as his breathing was labored. The lack sound made the room feel so much bigger

“How do you feel about the intimate details about yourself being made public?” Tanya asked, patient and calm.

“I feel it’s a necessary action, Personally it does feel embarrassing knowing the world is seeing those…details… the world has seen my private parts, they’ve seen video of me being stripped and forced into sexual assault, the world has access to see me be humiliated and hurt, used and belittled. There’s no other way to describe how I feel apart from I’m embarrassed”

“What was your initial relationship with Mr Holloway like?”
“What changed when you were married?” 
“You mentioned that other means of refuge had been exhausted, What happened there?”
The questions were not forced, there were no objections, Lauren were allowed to take her time to give her full testimony

 

There was so much evidence to present, Tanya was thorough in her explanation of each piece of evidence, explaining the details of the photos of her injuries, explaining what is happening during the video evidence, making sure that there was no surprises and no doubt of the motivations for the actions conducted, the time stamps and geo locations very clear, even transcripts of the videos and audio recordings were submitted to evidence for clarity. 

The videos of Ethans less than romantic approaches to sex, the photos and videos of Lauren hiding away from his screaming, from his neglect and his demanding behavior, text communications, deprecating messages on social media, shown in full again so there was no denying the context or the situation leading to those moments.

The reactions from the gallery, the gasps and the sighs, the scoffs and groans, it brought Lauren a comfort that these people were truly listening and would be invested, it reminded her that she were not alone in this room, while some of this crowd was seeing this evidence for the first time, she were reliving it all again as Tanya did not hesitate to explain in great detail what she went through. 

Lauren did not focus on the words or the video, that was her past, Lauren focused on her breathing and her state of mind, reminding her of the distance between herself and Ethan, the security detail keeping them two at a safe distance.

Lauren was allowed to explain her experiences as to what was going on in the evidence, how that affected her and how it led her to her anxiety and need for respite.

 

“Why would a rumored to be abandoned church in the distance of your town be where you chose to run to”

“Because I learned it wasn’t abandoned, I saw lights in the windows, the bell chimes were different from the christian churches in town, I had heard that it was a Satanic Church, After the christian and catholic churches had returned me to Mr Holloway because i should serve my husband and be protected by the man i was married to. I had every hope in my heart that the people who were commonly misunderstood or prejudiced to be evil would actually listen and help”

“And Did they?”

“Yes,” Laurens eyes looked to Copia in the stands and a smile crossed her face “More than I could ever have asked for,”

Lauren looked at the jury to her side “ They took me in, they cared for me and my daughter, they helped me find the resources I needed to heal. When the events a week later happened they simply stood behind me to protect me again, to protect the town that had shunned them. They didn’t intervene”

Copia smiled and nodded to Lauren, a silent “thank you”. Though it wouldn’t surprise her now that she's spoken of the Ministry if Copia would be invited to the stand to testify. This was planned for.

“Alright, Thank you Ms Sullen. With that the time is now 12:38pm, I will release the jury for lunch and we will return in one hour to hear the defense's cross examination. Are we alright with this?” Justice London looked to all parties in the court. Tanya stood from her table “Your honor, could I request a private chambers for my client please? “

“Of Course, Councillor “ she gestured to the assistant off to the side “Court will resume at 1:40pm”
As the jury left the room Lauren relaxed into the back of her chair and leaned over to Tanya “Thank you”

“For what?” She put her papers in her bag and stood from her chair “This is the best part of the job, shutting down assholes with no evidence” 

Lauren covered her mouth to stifle the nervous laughter. Lauren did already have a page of notes which could easily turn into a comedy routine if only she were funny. 

“Come on, let's get you a quiet space and we’ll bring you lunch” Tanya pointed behind her, “Don’t think they can wait much longer either” Lauren turned to see the Ghouls and Copia standing in uniform, looking around at the others who were leaving, Copia was watching Lauren, leaning forward on the barricade, waiting patiently for her 

“The chairs aren’t very comfy are they?” Lauren called out and stepped over to him 

“No they are not” he groaned “ Sapevo che questi uomini sarebbero stati disperati, ma questo è esasperante” 

“I think we can ask for a pillow for your aching hips, Copia” Lauren had no idea what he was saying 

His brow dropped into a frustrated stare “Sfacciata”. 

Tanya pat Laurens arm “come on, let's go find the chambers to decompress” 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A private room had been provided for Lauren, Tanya, the ghouls and Laurens Therapist , Dr Will, to meet together and have lunch in private, Rain and Aether had gone out to collect the lunches which was a disappointing display. So they went on a short mission to get something decent for lunch, unfortunately for Copias refined palette, the options were limited still, it was Sandwiches or Curry, so the boys got curries for everyone. 

Dr Will insisted on catching up with Lauren about her state of mind, what she was feeling and thinking, Thankfully with all the preparation she wasn't as worse for wear than she anticipated. 

“What I want to know is what the hell did they mean? The asshole thought you left to be with another man?” Mountain said with his mouth full of rice

Rain was going through the folder of evidence “there’s nothing here to suggest you’d been unfaithful, there’s just names and text messages that don't suggest anything…..”

Lauren groaned and leaned back “ That’s probably my old colleagues, talk about taking things out of context, ass hole”
Rain slid the file over to Copia  who was sitting across from Lauren at the table “ I’m looking forward to this conference, I’ll pick you up at 5:30, blah blah blah, something about dinner, …. I mean if he’s trying to insist this is code for going on a date.”

“Except I have the records and photos from that conference” Lauren looked to Tanya “ We have those documents right?” 

Tanya nodded “‘s in there” she pointed to the file “plus those accusations will get thrown out because this isn’t a trial for divorce, we’re not in the fucking 80s where you can sue for divorce because of adultery” 

Copia slid his phone over to get Laurens attention “Update” he mumbled, on his phone was a picture of Eva,  passed out on a bean bag pillow holding on to a feather duster for dear life, and wearing her onesie and only one sock  “Aww, can they make sure she wakes up at 1:30 please?”  

Copia nodded and sent a text back. “Can I have a moment with you ? “

“Of course”  Lauren stood from her chair and looked around the room,
Copia circled the table and took her hand, leading Lauren over to corner of the room away from all the windows despite the blinds being drawn, his thumb was trailing across the back of her hand  “I know the ghouls are using their abilities to make you stay calm” 

“And Swiss have been talking to me too” Lauren mumbled, stepping closer to him .

“He’s what?” he looked over to swiss then back to Lauren “ I know you’ve made all these preparations and plans upon plans upon plans. I don’t like that he’s been staring at you the entire time. “

Lauren dropped her head forward and groaned “I know, it’s like he’s trying to throw me off or psych me out from my focus.”

“He spent the last what… 8…9 months in holding? I doubt he’s been very popular. He’s too far gone and unpredictable,” he hooked his finger under her chin and lifted her head to look him in the eyes “I need to ask your permission, My own contingency plan” 

His unblinking eye contact, silently pleading.

“What's your plan?” Lauren reached up to hold onto his upper arms. 

“Should he make any advance on you, even if it’s just to scare you. I will do what I can to protect you by any means.” Lauren knew what he was capable of, what the ghouls were able to do. 

“So long as it doesn’t reflect poorly on you” 

Copia smiled and swallowed a laugh and dropped his hands, wrapping his arms around Laurens waist.  “I’m already the bad guy to the people who do not bother to know me. But I understand, I give you my word, I will not do anything to further any aggressions . I just want to keep him away from you. Copia does not deserve to look at you, not without experiencing the pain and fear he caused you”  

That was enough, that was all she needed. Lauren quickly nodded and whispered “Ok” 

Copia leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Laurens forehead “ Ok” pulling her closer into his embrace against his chest.

Even hidden away in the private room, this was the first contact she'd had with him all day. During the first half of the day all Lauren wanted to do was shrink back into her chair, she wanted to climb over the barricade and hide by his side. But she wasn't allowed, especially with the accusation that she'd run away to have an affair, there was no way she could even allow the suggestion that another man was in her life now.
Once again Lauren had to hide because of Ethan. 

Chapter 13: Objection

Summary:

Back in court - Laurens testimony continues with the cross examination.

Notes:

I confess i've been totally distracted in trying to prep for the GHOVIE! (it wasn't going to be showing in my city until like ....yesterday FRICK ) So Sorry for the delay.

Back on the stand when Lauren returned from the lunch recess, it felt as though the galley had only become more crowded, so many more faces squished together

In preparation for the potential that the ministry would be summoned to the stands, Papa had been given a copy of the paperwork to remind himself what would be asked of him, despite the countless nights where the two of them had gone over it together for her own anxiety. He was head down in his papers reading over and over again in the case, 

Swiss however was watching Lauren and her surroundings, a bailiff approached Lauren to check in and Swiss’ eyes watched his every move, Lauren could see him watching the hands and the head and the subtle details of the bailiffs body language.

Swiss didn’t trust anyone coming near Lauren now, not with the potential chaos of how this cross examination could go. 

 

“Ma’am, I just want to make sure that you’ve got everything you need, everything working?” He leaned his arm on the edge of the witness box's shelf. His thick southern American accent was a surprising change, there were not a lot of Americans around this little town. 

Lauren looked over the screen in front of her and the various papers, microphone, buttons and trackpad for navigating the screen “Uh, I believe it’s all working” 

“I’m aware the coming session could be anxiety inducing, we don't have the big screen up like we did during the quarantines and such, but should you feel unsafe or at risk, we will do everything in our power to keep Mr Holloway at a distance from you.” It wasn’t common for a member of the court to reassure a witness during court so it was certainly appreciated that he made the effort to check in

“Thank you” Lauren mumbled and gave him a small smile, Not letting on that he wasn’t the only one who was looking out for her wellbeing. “It’d be pretty stupid of him to act out in this place” she mumbled, shuffling the pages around 

“ Yeah well, I saw the video from the memorial, and an outburst like that aint uncommon in this court” he chuckled and rolled his eyes 

“Isn’t that a conflict of interest then?” Lauren tilted her head in curiosity.

“Nah, I’m allowed to find someone's actions that got them here utterly disgusting while being impartial while courts are in session” he shrugged and looked over to the opposite side of the room.
“Just keep your chin up, Ms Sullen. “ He nodded to Lauren with a small smile and walked back to the other side of the bench. A kindness like this was small but so appreciated, a small vote of confidence and security warmed her heart. 

 

The crowd was still slowly filling in when a commotion could be heard, those in the Aisle parted their ways as 3 more men charged up to the front row. 

In their Designer suits, Secondo and Terzo (accompanied by Omega in his human glamor) stalked up to the front row and made their way over to Copia and the other ghouls who all shared a look of surprise by their presence. Lauren knew they could clean up when the time was right but she didn’t think it would be so quickly, Lauren didn’t know they’d been summoned.
From the looks on his face, neither did Copia.

Terzo was dressed in a black suit and dress pants, a white shirt and Deep purple waist coat, his hair styled back, his gloves had small gold decals on the fingertips, or were they …Claws?
Secondo however was in a dark Gray pinstripe suit with a green handkerchief folded into his pocket, his sunglasses over his eyes and his paints, looking as annoyed as ever.
Swiss moved over to sit on the end of the 3 men beside Omega, with Terzo in the middle, they started quietly bickering amongst one another. As the brothers tend to do.
From what Lauren could tell Copia was insisting that he had everything under control and they had no need to be there, Lauren just couldn’t quite make out what it was Terzo was holding, what could they know?

Laurens eyes met with Cumulus , she gave her a quick smile before rolling her eyes dramatically, Lauren couldn’t help but chuckle, surely it’s nothing to worry about, maybe they just wanted to be there for the trial and he’d intentionally left them behind for this very reason. 

“All Rise for Judge Landon” The bailiff called from the other side of the room, Everyone scrambled to their seats and stood in silence as the Judge entered the room to her stand, and as the Jury returned from their lunch as well. Filing in one by one

“Be Seated” he called again

“Councillor Martin you may begin your cross examination” 

Ethan’s Lawyer, Mr Martin, stood when gestured to and walked over to the pedestal, he only took a refill pad with him which told her he had no plan at all, That was the one thing that made Lauren more worried, he must be making it up as he goes. 

Lauren caught the looks of the 3 Papas in the stands glaring at him from their place, he’d already made his first impression with his opening statements, Copia had promised not to react unless necessary for Ethan's outbursts but she hadn’t fully prepared for What his lawyer would ask during the cross examination, she knew it would be intense and would feel like they were bullying her,

Tanya was fully prepared to speak up and object when needed, She was perfectly capable of speaking up when it was needed. 

But Lauren couldn’t help but imagine, now 3 Papas were here, that at least Terzo would act out and be ejected because of an outburst. It might make Lauren break her focus though from laughter. 

“Afternoon, Ms Holloway” Mr Martin called through the microphone “I want to begin by asking you about the night you left your husband” 

Lauren looked at him without breaking eye contact, pulling her shoulders back and sitting straight up. 

“Could you explain to me the factors that made the night you left so important please?” 

Lauren leaned forward and took a deep breath  

“On Saturday nights, Mr Holloway would leave for many hours from 7pm to watch football with his friends. He wouldn’t return home until at least 3 am because It was a semi-final night so he would be drinking in the company of his friends. It was the longest time in the week when I would be alone. And even when he came home, he wouldn’t remember it “ 

Mr Martin cut in “Are you suggesting Mr Holloway has an issue with drinking?” 

“Objection” Tanya called “Leading” not moving from her spot on the table, she was watching him continuously and visibly prepared to tackle each and every statement, making notes on her pad

“Sustained” the Judge called and nodded to Martin,

Martin nodded to the judge, “Let me rephrase. How would you describe Mr Holloways approach to drinking?” he responded way too quick for her suspicion 

“When Mr Holloway would join his friends to watch football or other sports it would be a typical “guys night”, throughout our relationship, It would take Mr Holloway at least 5 standard drinks to show the effects of intoxication. And at least 8 to be beyond his limits. Over the span of more than 6 hours, Mr Holloway would drink more than 8 without issue.” 

“Thank you, So how would you describe this behaviour? From the eyes of a stranger” He gestured towards the galley

“Objection, Relevance” Tanya Called, already frustrated 

“Sustained, New Question Councillor Martin” the Judge called, getting annoyed once again by the persistence, He would have to move on to a new question 

Mr Martin shuffled his papers and reorganized his set up, by getting rid of the papers he had made Lauren wonder if he was going to continue to try to discount her opinions or views of Ethan to the jury, he was going to try to play on the “boys will be boys” bullshit. 

“When you talked about how Mr Holloway wouldn’t contribute to the care of your daughter, how would you explain Exhibits 428 and 579 ?” 

Two pictures of Ethan being sat on a plush chair smiling and holding the newborn Evaleigne wrapped in a linen wrap. Smiling for the camera, Another similar photo of him feeding her a bottle. 

“Both of those pictures were taken at family gatherings when Mr Holloway was being praised for being a new father or a good dad. In a crowd of our family or his friends, Mr Holloway would put on this persona of a loving father and doting husband. The evidence from the security camera footage shows his true nature.” Lauren looked at Tanya from across the room, Tanya nodded encouragingly, Lauren could only reference the footage that was shown during the initial testimony. 

“Why did you have security cameras installed inside your home?” not even commenting on her response,

“2 years ago, our house was broken into and our personal items were stolen and never found, Mr Holloway insisted that we needed to catch the person who broke in. “

“What was stolen?” 

“Objection- your honour, Relevance “ Tanya sighed and leaned on her fist 

“Sustained, Councillors approach the bench” The judge called leaning forward on her desk.
Tanya and Mr Martin walked up to the bench and Lauren leaned in to hear what the judge had to say but they were just too far out of reach.
Judge London leaned forward to keep their conversation in a hush but based on the body language of Mr Martin screamed that not only did he know he wasn’t going to win, but he didn’t want to be there in the first place. He kept flipping over the pages of his notes, not looking up at the judge and held his arms close to his body, very closed off from the others. 

Tanya kept her facial expressions neutral as the scolding's were not for her,
Lauren couldn’t make out what the judge was saying but she gathered, by the direct eye contact and unamused head nodding, this could be a reminder disguised as a scolding. 

Lauren looked over to Papa and company in the stands, Cirrus leaning in to whisper to Copia, shaking his head and leaning in to whisper to her as well.
Terzo was whispering to secondo while gesturing to the papers in his hands. Lauren had no idea what they were but she could assume it was a copy of the testimony she'd been prepared for. she kept her gaze to the team across the room from her, despite how much she wanted to see the anger or frustration on Ethan's Face, but Lauren didn't need to look, it was like a movie she'd watched a thousand times over, Lauren knew what was going to be on the screen, Lauren knew he'd be glaring at her trying to catch any eye contact.

Both Tanya and Mr Martin walked back to their desks and Tanya gave a slow blink and a small smile, her signal that everything was fine for her side. 

“Let’s move on then” Mr Martin mumbled as he looked through his list, already defeated knowing this was just a short idea how the rest of this afternoon would go. “In your testimony you stated that you’d left to go to the Satanic Ministry, This isn’t exactly the safest place for a child” he stated “Why did you go there instead of to a women's refuge or a catholic church?” 

“Because the Churches and Women's refuge had returned me to Mr Holloway after he’d convinced the organizers that I had a psychosis or was delusional and depressed and he was the best person to take care of me”

“Did he provide any medical evidence to confirm this?” 

“No, I was never officially diagnosed with any kind of mental illnesses until after I’d run away, and after giving birth and speaking to a Psychologist” Lauren stated, 

“Ms Holloway. Would you please take a look at the screen, at Defence evidence 882 and tell me what you see?” he asked, gesturing to the screen below her.
Tanya looked confused and to her own screen, 

On the screen seemed to be a Health assessment form from Laurens local Doctor. It had her name and information on the form, her address and contact information had been redacted,
It seemed to be a Medical Diagnosis for Psychosis, Dated 3 years ago, stating symptoms being that of Negative Emotional Expression, Delusions, Disorganized behaviour.
To be treated with medications, the name of the signature and the signature itself had been redacted as well. 

Red Flags everywhere, 

Lauren could see Tanya zooming in on the screen and scrambling through her notes and calendars, communicating with her assistant,
This was not a piece of evidence she'd been made aware of, there was no name, this was new evidence and it was bad evidence as well

“Your Honour! Objection, Violation of Best Evidence,” Tanya stood from her chair, holding up the expert's official diagnosis and her official medical records. 

The galley started to mumble amongst one another based on the outburst.
Papa, Papa, Papa and the ghouls all started to chatter amongst one another also flipping through the paperwork,
Copia was looking between the dates on the sheet on the screen to the chronologically organized documents in Laurens medical files,

“ Questa è merda di cavallo ” Terzo whispered leaning over his shoulder looking at the paperwork 

“ stai zitto, quel documento non c'è. ” Copia mumbled to him flipping between 3 pages

“ Deve essere contraffatto ” Secondo hissed “ come lo dimostriamo? ” 

“ Non possiamo fare nulla ” Copia sighed in leaning back in his chair 

The judge held up her hand “Councilor Martin, Ms Sullen - who shall be referred to as Ms Sullen for the procedure of the trial and outside of the courtroom- Ms Sullen has provided her full and complete Medical records, Why is one document being submitted as completely separate evidence? And why was it not submitted prior?” 

“Your honour, this document was missed because it was conducted by someone other than her normal doctor” Mr Martin stated 

Laurens forehead ached, wanting to smack her own forehead from the stupid response, The look on Tanyas faces of dull anger , the stupidity was starting to drain her, but how her eyes were locked on Mr Martin screamed inspiration, she knows something, she knew to let Mr Martin continue to destroy any favour the jury would have in them. 

“Mr Martin, I am not going to accept this piece of unsubmitted evidence unless you can provide the unredacted original document, Councillor Hutton is correct and I will sustain the objection and the comments on this document will be struck from the record. I would also like to remind the defence that this is not a divorce case"

 "Your Honor, If I may, the medical records are incomplete without this document" Martin argued 

"There is no confirmation that this document is even legal or real" Tanya stood from her desk 

"Counsellor Hutton is right - We can't confirm that this without the unredacted document, at this time, the document is to be struck from record and the objection upheld " Judge London slammed the gavel down, ending the matter.

Lauren sat back in her chair, that feeling of success, Lauren could see Copia and the ghouls relaxing back into their chairs as well, letting out sighs of relief. Terzo thumped his knee in silent celebrations.

"Councilor Martin, continue with your cross examination" the judge ordered, looking to the bailiff.

The idea of how they would try to submit false documents lingered on Laurens mind, trying to find any loop holes to pull in their favour, a desperate attempt, it made her throat sting from the anxiety of what they were capable of. 

"We will continue on the subject of where you'd gone to find 'refuge'  The Satanic Ministry" 

Laurens eyes shot over to Copia who nodded and gave her a small smile. Terzo leaned over to Copia and whispered " quanto tempo ci vorrà prima che suggerisca di sacrificare il bambino? "
Copia chuckled " Oh, meno di cinque minuti "
Terzo smirked " Gli darò tre minuti "
Secondo leaned in " La sua povera moglie " 

Terzo slapped a hand over his mouth to stop him from laughing. Copia simply widened his eyes.

Lauren couldn't hear a thing they were saying, but the looks on their faces wanted to make her laugh, but it brought her calm "What would you like to know?" 

"As you've stated, the Church and Women’s refuge locations have all returned you to your husband after seeking their help. I've asked 5 people who live locally in this town, and submitted the report as evidence. All 5 people reported believing the church on the hill was abandoned. When asked about lights being on, They all believed this power never being turned off to the facility. Did you believe the facility to be abandoned as well?"

"At first I did, growing up there were all sorts of rumours or stories of the unknown. Some believed it to be an abandoned TB Hospital, some a nunnery where they were all murdered, some said it was a hot spot for Satan worshipers. This is all hear say however" 

"It is, So would you tell me what gave you the idea that there was anyone possibly living there? let alone people who would help you?" he leaned on his table, this question , the way he's wording it, and his body language does seem like genuine curiosity.

"I didn't. There was no address, It wasn't on any maps, there wasn't any history on the building or anyone who resided there. I was so desperate to get away from my abuser and to keep my daughter safe, I had to go to a place no one would even dare to go anywhere near, I knew people wouldn't look there, they wouldn't consider it. I never brought it up to anyone so there wouldn't be any leads to where I was going. The few lights that were on in the windows at night gave me the tiniest hope that someone there would help me. or at least they'd find my daughter and keep her safe"

"And what was your plan if no one was there?" 

"I had supplies to keep Eva fed and clean and warm. If it was abandoned I'd have found a place with a roof and cover and made it until the time I could make more plans."

"What about yourself?" His tone was changing, from accusatory to caring, it made it easier to answer and to look at him, not just as Ethan’s lawyer.

"I didn't matter, I did all this for my daughter, I'd have gone back to the main road and given her to someone who could take her to the fire hous e drop off spot"
Laurens voice cracked at the thought of having to give her away the memories of all the plans she'd made for her. Lauren covered her mouth with her fist and took a deep breath to calm herself, 

"I'm sorry this is a sensitive topic for you, Ms Sullen, Lauren were very lucky that the Ministry was not abandoned and they took you in" he stated 

"Very" Lauren whispered  "Because they're so shunned from society, they have their own medical facility and the facilities to take me and my daughter in. "

"Did they ask you to follow any rules or meet any requirements on the condition of them taking you in?" 

"Sort of, Yes, I know people would assume I hand over all money or instantly devote my life to the devil to be taken in by the ministry but that isn't the case. The conditions of my stay there were very basic, I Had to file a police report and allow them to help me with every means they had available, My Daughter and I had to have full Medical assessments. and I would need to attend therapy to help process what had happened to me in the past and figure out what I wanted from the future" 

"there was no "Lauren has to attend every mass, you must work in the kitchens and serve the highest clergy or give your infant daughter to be accepted by their demon god"  they simply took you in and cared for your wellbeing?" 

"Yes. There was no pressure to  join their church, learn their ways , be apart of everything they do , Their Leader, Papa Emeritus the fourth, has told me that to force that would be to take away someone's autonomy in life, and to take away someone's free will is not the right thing to do " Lauren looked over to him in the stands, his smile so proud. 

"Would Papa Emeritus be able to confirm this? if he were brought in to testify?" 

Copia nodded slightly, hoping not to give anyone the idea that Lauren were being coached 

"Of course" Lauren looked back at Mr Martin, confident they would have no reason to actually need to testify. 

"Lovely, I myself and the team of the defence are glad to hear that things have worked out safely for you both" Mr Martin walked out from behind his pedestal" , If we may go back to your initial plan with running away with your daughter " he lifted up a page  "You're saying you were doing everything to protect your little girl"

"Yes?" Cautiously, 

"It was noted in your medical reports after you'd left you were living with Postpartum depression, Now I'm not going to say this is without cause or provocation I understand that" Mr. martin offered, Ethan cleared his throat behind the desk,

Lauren looked at him very quickly, to no surprise he was angry and confused by the fact that Mr Martin was showing Lauren kindness.

Martin looked back at Ethan and waved him off " I'm just curious to know in your own opinion, knowing what you know now looking back on the events that took place, is it possible that your desire to leave was elevated by your Postpartum depression?" 

Lauren half expected Tanya to call objection, but this was a topic she'd faced in therapy she were prepared for this, "I wouldn't deny that I was stressed from meeting the expectations of caring for a newborn, providing for my husband and keeping the house clean, the sleepless nights having to feed her every two hours without help caught up pretty quick, and our families wanted to still come over and be around the new baby so I was still expected to cook and clean so the house was presentable without help. I haven't met a single person who would be able to handle that themselves" 

"Most people have a partner who's sharing the work, and it's usually recommended to have the first couple weeks to yourselves, yes?" Martin asked

Lauren just nodded along, Ethan tapped the desk to get Martins attention, Martin leaned over to hear what Ethan was saying, in the hushed room she could hear him whisper "Who's fucking side are you on? I'm paying you to defend me!" Who did he think he was keeping that from?

Judge London called  "Mr Holloway, if you wish to consult with your team you will need to request a recess"  

Martin stood up again, turning to face the judge again " No need, Your Honour."

"Yes we do" Ethan stood up from his chair, "I don't want this guy defending me, he's making her look like the victim!"
Martin stepped back behind the chair and pushed Ethan's shoulder to get him to sit down "Are you kidding right now?" 

"She's not a victim! she's batshit crazy and stole my baby from me!" He shouted, shoving Martin off of him, "That is still My wife! She said in her vows she would Obey and serve me until we die! That means I tell her what to do and I can do what I want to her when ever I fucking want!" 

The bailiff crossed the room, pulling out the handcuffs and forcing Ethan to turn and restrain his hand to the desk  

"That bitch tried to run away because she was weak! Everyone praises her cause she got pregnant. What about me? huh? I pay for everything!  I keep our families together!  She ran away, She put my daughter at risk! " 

"Bailiff, have this man removed! " the Judge ordered, Tanya stood from her desk and waved at Lauren to get out of sight as she backed away from the mess, the rest of Laurens team pulling her back for her safety, 

Ethan continued to wriggle out of the bailiffs grip, "The devil can have you bitch!"  He shouted, grabbing something from the pocket of the bailiff, 

For the first time Laurens eyes met with his, his true rage showing its face for the first time in public, Lauren had never seen this side of him when he was completely sober.
Still, the feeling of blood draining from her body, her veins running cold, her fingers shaking and being very aware of every single hair on her body returned. 

A loud pop rang out in the hall, everyone in the jury and the gallery erupted into screams, jumping from their seats trying to get out of the room as fast as possible, Chaos. 

Run...

She needs to run... 

She's done it before...

Why won't Lauren run? 

 

 

Because the room went dark before she could move.

 

 

Chapter 14: Scars and wounds.

Summary:

Chaos erupts in the courtroom, It all happens so fast, once again the power has been taken away from everyone's control, Papa has to put his faith into the medical professionals.
What happens when you no longer have control? What happens when the representative of SATAN.....can't do anything to protect the one he like likes?

Notes:

TW: Descriptions of blood and injuries, bad Italian translation, talk of wounds and pain killers.
EDIT: This chapter has had a MUCH NEEDED REWRITE - enjoy.

I am so sorry this took forever to get out, Writers block hit me like an absolute truck, Works been a bitch, My man disappeared to Spain for a month and didn't tell me- rude -and getting ready for the Ghouvie as well?!?! Fuck sakes.

No Lights. 

Too much sound. 

So much screaming. 

Lauren should be screaming, 

Lauren can feel that thumps of foot falls on the floor like hail, overlapping on the wooden floor she lay on. 
A gallery full of people running out, 

So many names being shouted, so many voices in a panic, crying, angry. like a shopping centre right on Christmas eve. and there are no birds left to buy. 

The loudest sounds were the closest, men voices arguing, shouting, ordering, get down, get back, stop, 
Every thump and thrash of wood against wood, Metal clanging.  It all blurred in an out of sense, 

It was all too dark; she might as well have been dreaming.... she might have been dreaming. Some unconscious spark left in her mind trying to conjure up some sense of life. 

The only sense that was for sure was that the ground was most certainly lava, it's not a game anymore, the ground is lava, specifically under your arm and her cheek, 
With every little shake and vibration it burned even more, 
Why aren't she screaming? Calling out?  

"She's under the box! " 

Who ever found her draped something over her and started trying to manoeuvre her to lay on her back " Oh caro. ti ha preso la spalla. farà schifo, mi dispiace " 

They managed to move her around into their arms, holding her against their chest "Apri gli occhi, per favore, Wake up" the hand that was holding pressure over her shoulder stung hot, Lauren gasped and let out a quick yelp in reaction, scrunched her eyes together and opened them trying to look at the pain. 

A blood stained white glove was holding Laurens arm tight, she looked up to see the fuzzy visage of Terzo hunched over her "Oh thank Lucifer" he sighed in relief, looking back over his shoulder as the sounds of 3 men rushing by,
Being jostled around in his arms with his frantic looking around made the world feel as if she were on a boat, being washed around on uneven ground,
"Did you hit your head?" he leaned over to try get a look around her skull, but it didn't help the vertigo
Keeping her eyes open was a bad idea as the visage of Terzo above her kept swaying side to side, Lauren squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her forehead into his forearm as some form of stability.   

"Eh! I could use a hand over here Omega...uhm... Aether... fuck MULTI GHOUL" Terzo shouted, the wave as he stretched up was the last sensation Lauren felt for certain, as she came down the pain washed away, the sensation of vertigo, the stinging in the shoulder , it all faded away. 

It's cliché to say it all happened so fast,  

One moment they were up on the stand, following the plan that was set out and prepared for months ahead. The next she was gone, Copia and the ghouls were forcing their way through the crowds to safety away from the sudden explosion that was Ethan’s extreme outburst in court,

This should have stayed with the paranoid department of anyone's mind,

This wasn't a cruel and delusional scenario playing around in his imagination, 

This was reality, 

Copia was being rushed by Mountain, Rain and Cirrus through the crowds of panicked gallery members, out the side doors and towards their cars despite the protest from Copia to go back, 

"Sit your old ass down, you know a bullet isn't enough to bring her down" Cirrus groaned standing In front of him in the door.
Copia was yanked back into the car seat by Secondo further into the car, Cirrus shut the door on him, 
"You do realize the Stronzo is still in there, your quintessence ghouls and the small one are unaccounted for?" 

Copia shuffled around in his seat to sit up right "They can get out of that" Copia mumbled under his breath as he resisted the growing urge to snap, he leaned against the glass of the heavily tinted windows to look out for the ambulance wherever it could have been. 

Secondo groaned and took his glasses off, "La donna è sopravvissuta al trauma del parto, ad un marito narcisista e violento. "  
The retired Papa pulled the Grucifix from around his own neck and held it up between their eyelines "Pensi davvero che la stella del mattino le permetterebbe di cadere? "  

Copia dropped himself into the leather of the car chair, The weight in the question.

"That isn’t what I’m saying, the woman who’s come to us in need of help is still the target of an unstable person and when I could have been there to ensure the safety I’ve promised her , just as we both promised the members of our flock I have been ripped away from the fire to protect the Papacy. To be a leader I need to be someone people can rely on to act, not just be the speaking puppet."
Copia let the frustration boil up and spill over. “If that deranged husband of hers hadn’t made such a public spectacle of all of this we could easily have done away with him but NO. Cameras, journalists and social media are all on this because he wanted the world to pity him, now eyes are on the ministry we have to save face so the worlds already fucked reputation of the Morningstar doesn’t devolve even further .”

"Fratello!" Secondo shouted to cut him off, raising a hand to silence the babbling brother. 
"There is no denying your position as Papa Emeritus the fourth that mean you need to possess some form of self-preservation as frustrating as it may be. This is why we surround ourselves with creatures to ensure our continuation of the line, but we do his to ensure the safety of our entire clergy on this mortal coil from further prejudice and potential harm. This is the best opportunity to show that to this world. But to do that, you need to be alive.”

Secondo leaned over to grab a small bottle of bubbles in the mini-ice chiller "When I was in England, Lizzy-"

"Elizabeth, have some respect" Copia mumbled.

"Lizzy, she insisted," Secondo smirked "Lizzy would remind me the no matter what would happen to the family, the country, the church. and you know they have been through a lot during her reign" he grumbled as he poured the drink into a glass "Nothing makes the healing process better, than starting it with a cup of tea" he sips the champagne.

Copia gave his brother a confused look "I ...I don’t understand.” 

"Be her cup of tea" he mumbled, putting his glasses back on. 

Copia groaned and leaned back, pulling his phone out, No messages.  

Secondo held out a cup of water "But be Italian Tea, English tea is mild and mostly milk and cotton bag.” 

The screech of a siren broke the silence in the car, all heads turned to the windows where red and blue lights were flashing and rushing past the car. 
Copias heart sank as he watched the sirens rush by, he leaned forward over the seats" Follow that Ambulance!" 

Rain jumped in his seat with the sudden head and arm just narrowly missing a strike "We don't even know if she’s in-" 

"FOLLOW IT!" he ordered and sat back " At least they would be going to the same hospital! " Copia opened his phone, firing off order and text after text. 
Mountain turned the car on and joined the traffic, following the ambulance down the main road as fast as he “legally” could.

They were all gathered in the waiting room, in a corner of the waiting room crowded the Ghouls, the lawyers, and the Papas.

Still Silence. 

Terzo arrived with the paramedics, refusing to leave Laurens side until he was sure the injuries he’d observed from under the witness box had been acknowledged, even to the point a hurt had to hold him back at the door to the surgical suites.
Continuing to be his stubborn self, he refused to walk out to his family until he had had a change of shirt, There's no way Terzo would dare walk out in a shirt stained in blood and wood chips, not in front of his younger brother.
He called on Alpha to bring him the change of shirt and burn the wasted shirt, blood doesn’t come out of pure white cotton no matter what you try.

It felt like hours would pass by like the traffic, but every time someone checked at the clock on the wall or the screens of their phones, as little as 6 minutes would have passed by. 

Tanya was head down in her laptop writing up reports on what happened today, responding to messages about the incident. She'd isolated herself as any discussion about what happened in or outside of the court room still held risks of being classed as ‘being in contempt’ however losing a case is something she can deal with, losing a client because of relaxed court safety measures would affect the future of her career. 

Cumulus brought Eva to the hospital as soon as they were able to be with Lauren in her recovery room, however Eva was peacefully conked out on the shoulder of Swiss for a late nap. 
The doctors had already come out to let them know, She’s suffered significant blood loss but no major muscles or nerves had been hurt, and no bone damage either, 
But hitting her head on the wooden ground was more concerning, they wouldn't need to wait their time to see if there was a concussion or a bleed on the brain, but it was looking good. 
She’d be moved to a separate room for observation overnight,
Aether was sat beside her, Holding Laurens hand using his ability to make her comfortable, on top of the amount of morphine being pumped into her system, It was what he could do to help, Slowly but surely, Laurens eyes would open and she’d return to consciousness.

Aether would swap places with Copia taking his spot by Laurens side, Aether would shuffle down to keep contact by her legs. Despite the positive news, Copia held his rosary entwined between his fingers, resisting the urge to break out into silent prayer as he sat beside her, watching her talk with Swiss and Mountain about their glamoured up appearances and keeping her calm as the sedatives wore off.

"Hey" Someone knocks Copia's knee with their hand, breaking his focus "Boss”.

Copia looked up to see Sodo’s human form standing before him, still in his human glamour, his hands shoved in his pockets and looking off to the side “Need to talk" 
Without giving Copia a chance to ask why, Sodo walked off towards the hallway, Copia followed, leaving his Grucifix wrapped around Laurens hand.

Copia stepped out of the recovery room and followed Sodo down the hall. "You do know we can't discuss the case around her, legally we can’t." 

Sodo nodded still looking off to the side, "I know, But I may have underestimated just how much a loose cannon Ethan is, and....It may be my fault she got hurt." 

Copia grabbed his arm, yanking him to get the ghoul to look him in the eyes "Tell me, what happened?" Copia kept his voice hushed, resisting the urge to yell "You are bound by contract not to cause harm unprovoked and uninstructed so what the do you know?”. 

Sodo froze, caught off guard as he only imagined this kind of reaction but never it to come from Copia, " I know, I know I know! that's what I'm trying to explain!" 

Copia let go of his arm and stepped back, keeping the space between them so he doesn't make any rash actions. "I'm listening”. 

" All I did was move over to the other side of the gallery; we all have a sort of …. An area of effect for our abilities. I could tell the douche nozzle was holding back objecting against his own lawyer; I underestimated what would happen.”

It became clear what he'd done, Copia covered his mouth with his hand and paced between the walls of the hall as he contemplated what to do with him, Sodo had used his abilities to influence the wrathful side of Ethan, and instead of lighting a house hold fireplace, Sodo threw a bottle of gasoline and a box of fireworks on that already lit fireplace.
While the results of the outburst that would greatly benefit their case,
There was no way of being able to track their involvement, no evidence, it's shown the world how unstable Ethan really is. 
Copia took a deep breath, turned to face the ghoul with his hands on his hips. 
"You will tell Lauren about what you did, and you will apologize."  

"Yes Papa" Sodo stood to attention knowing this wouldn't be the end of it.

"You will perform service to Lauren as she sees fit as your punishment, you have caused her harm, you will aid her in her recovery." No ifs or butts, no options, no getting out of this one now.

"Yes Papa" Sodo let out a held breath, turning towards the door of Laurens room to give his apologies,

Copia grabs onto his arm and pulls him back to press the ghoul’s arm to the wall, “I’m not fucking done…” his arm stung from how tight the grip was, As calm as Copia was trying to be the fire in his eyes burned. “If your actions in anyway aid in Ethan Holloways testimony or helps him get off easy in anyway, you will be punished as you should be now, do not take this as a kindness, we will not have another " Devil made me do it" case on our books. Capisci? "

Sodo nodded once, not another word, it was just too easy for any one of the Papa's to send him back to the rings of hell as it he had every right to,
Copia let go of Sodo’s arm and pointed to the door “Go.” taking a moment to calm himself while still in public. Copia could already feel the headache awaiting him If news of this incident got back to either of his brothers, There was no guessing as to if the brothers would complain about his inability to control the ghouls assigned to him, or if they would just make fun,  disappointment is more painful than humiliation after all. 

Copia stood by himself in the hallway for just a moment longer, to take a deep breath before turning back into the doorway,
Sodo stuck to the wall, unable to get Laurens attention away from Swiss, there was just too many people gathered in the room, 6 ghouls,2 papas, Tanya and Eva around a bed. 

Copia put on his stage smile, clapped his hands together to gain everyone's attention, all eyes turned to him in the doorway "I would normally encourage round the clock support but even looking at this is suffocating. come on, I need a minute with the patient" he ordered and stood out of the way of the door 
Despite the groans one by one they started to leave, he gestured to Swiss to hand over Eva, he leaned in to let Eva roll and flop entirely into Copias arms on her shoulder.
Innocently and perfectly naïve to the dangers around her, perfectly safe and perfectly moulded into his arms, She didn’t stir or wake from her sleep at all, Copia could only hope she’d stay like this for a little bit longer. Copias eyes met with Sodo’s, he gestured to Lauren in the bed.

 
Sodo nodded and turned to face Lauren, he walked over and tapped Laurens shoulder.

Lauren looks up to him and croaked through a sore throat. 
Sodo couldn't make any eye contact, even after being around Sodo for nearly a year this was a look she’d never seen him wear.

Guilt 

"It's all my fault, I'm the reason that prick exploded like that." Sodo admitted,

"How?" Lauren raised a brow, looking back to Copia then back to Sodo “I don’t understand”.

Sodo sighed and looked to Laurens hands and the burns on her arms, " I know Swiss has been sharing his thoughts with you during the court case, I did something similar" he paused and looked Lauren in the eye for the first time "because I was bored, But I underestimated just how fragile he was. " He stopped waiting for some sort of reaction, some sort of response, but instead She waited for him to finish.
All She did was take hold of his hand and nodded for him to go on. 

"Uh... none of us liked that he was so close to you, after everything he'd done to hurt you and humiliate you, I wanted him to prove to the judge he was still a threat, though like I said... I underestimated how easy it would be to set him off. Instead of lighting a fireplace, I basically threw a match into a bonfire ... covered in gasoline. " 

Lauren gave him a small smile "Sodo, it's ok-"

"No it's not" he argued "You got hurt, it's my fault you got hurt, really hurt. I am responsible for my best friend’s girl getting hurt and I will never live that down, I'll never be allowed to live it down”. 

Lauren placed her hand on top of his to stop him, She could feel the rushing pulse in his veins "Sodo, You need to know, the entire time I was under the box, not knowing what was real or some light I was support to look for, from the moment there was a gunshot to the second I saw Terzo’s face, being in the ambulance or being poked and prodded and told "it's all going to be ok" by strangers, I was never scared, Because I knew none of you would let me go easily" 

Lauren looked over to Copia who had sat down on the bed beside her, Lauren smiled up to him and leaned over to lean the side of her head to his shoulder, 

"I forgive you Sodo. In fact, I owe you, my thanks." Lauren looked back to the ghoul. 
"Thanks to what you did, Tanya just confirmed that Ethan will continue to be held in the prison and won’t be brought back to the court, he'll appear via video link from now on, I don't have to see him in person ever again" Lauren smiled and squeezed Sodo’s fingers in her palm.

Sodo stared dumbfounded at the two of them, then leaned back into his chair " that.... that is ...good. I… I don’t understand”. he babbled, trying to make sense of why she was so calm when Copia had been so upset, why wasn't she upset that it was his fault?

"Get on out of here, you’re safe for now little man" Copia reitterated, he nodded his head toward the door. “So long as she says so”

Sodo nodded and stood. "I won’t be far away, Call on me for anything" quickly making his way out of the room.

Lauren and Copia watched him leave, waiting a moment to be sure they were alone.

"He got bored?" Lauren croaked under a low breath. 

Copia groaned and slapped his forehead gently so as not to jostle Eva. "I swear that is the weakest excuse he's ever given." 

"He could have at least said he was trying to help!" Lauren raved, sat there in utter disbelief . 

"That's what he normally says! then suddenly My brothers papal portrait is scorched.... to be fair it's Secondos portrait, it was a bit of an improvment”. Copia shook his head and craned his head back to look at the little one on his shoulder to make sure she was still snoozing away. 

Lauren giggled but caught yourself on the sharp pain in her shoulder "oh. Don't make me laugh please" She instinctively went to cover her shoulder but stopped short of touching the bandages. "But hey, you're Sodos best buddy" she teased

Copia chuckled "I guess I am" he looked up to the monitor with her vital signs and to the bandages under her hospital gown "they've given you morphine, you shouldn't be in any pain." slightly confused why the painkillers weren't having the effect they should have had

Lauren waved him off "No amount of morphine will completely take away the pain" She shook her head, "When I was in labour Gas and Air was an absolute joke" letting out a long breath to calm down. "but the Epidural, oh, I couldn't have had her without it honestly" She lay back on the bed like She did when the epidural kicked in. 

Copia chuckled as turned to look at Eva " The things women do to create life, it's amazing" he sighed, stood and leaned over the bed, Eva was in such a deep sleep that as he lay her down on the bed she just happily sprawled out, arms raised above her head and legs dangling at her sides.

"I might need a little help taking care of her while I'm recovering" Lauren mumbled, "I can't breast feed her while I'm on all these pain killers."

"I don't think that will be too hard to arrange, it may be more difficult to organize your list of volunteers" he assured her, turning his direct attention back to lauren smoothing down the hair on her forehead and pressed his lips to her forehead.
He leaned away and whispered "but only I will be at your service until you say so"  

There was no arguing in this case, Lauren needed to accept the help while she recovered, Under the certainty in his voice she could hear the regret, he wasn't hiding it very well. " Lucky me"
Lauren tilted her head up and leaned in to give him a quick kiss. " But who will take care of you?" 

"Sodo" he mumbled as he carefully moved the hair away from her face, leaning back for another kiss.

"I'm serious" Lauren reached up and held onto his wrist " with everything that just happened at the courthouse that had to have been hard on anyone to go through, Secondo told me you wanted to go back in there guns a blazing" 

Copia sighed and looked off to the side for just a moment, he tapped her hip to make room and sat on the edge of the bed beside her, carefully he wrapped his arm across her back, being cautious of the wires and leads, Copia picked up her legs to have them sit across his lap and cradle her against his chest,

"It happened so fast, I was watching him the whole time, I didn't even see the gun, I was fully prepared to order Aether to go to you, but when the gun went off-" Copias words caught in his throat , stopping him mid sentence,
Lauren could feel his heart pounding in his chest, harder and harder, " I made a promise to you he would never hurt you again and I couldn't keep that promise, I promised you I wouldn't interfere and I kept that but now you're here" he waved out in general to the room, frustrated as he was, he let out a deep breath and shook his head "I don't want to lose you" he whispered,

Lauren kept her eyes on his, gently rubbing circles into his jacket, "Hey" Lauren whispered to him, holding his cheek in her free hand to have him look to her " It's ok, I'm here, I'm not going anywhere." reassuring him, but she knew this was too soon and too raw for him to accept it so it may not have sunk in quite the same 

Copia turned his head into her hand, being sure to take slow and deep breaths to avoid letting any tears fall, trying to controll the frustration and fear threatening to over come him.
"You know I'm going to spend every day fearing that something would happen that would take you away from me." 

"Not gonna happen" she declared, rubbing her hand on his shoulder blades and resting her head on his chest again, "your cooking is too good"

Copia gasped, caught off guard he covered his mouth to stop him from laughing and waking up Eva

There was the smile Lauren wanted to see, so watching him with a smug grin she had to keep him smiling, "as much as I love to eat what you cook, I love it when you're eating me even more. " 

Copia gasped out a breath, holding his laughter into his hand while he was at a loss for words, the laughter made the frustration and sadness fade away, he finally dropped his hand and let out a big sigh " I'm over thinking all of this aren't I?" 

"Yeah you are, but it's ok" Lauren reaches around and find his hand, taking his wrist and pressing his hand to her chest, over the lead where he could feel her heart beating, in time to the beeping on the monitor above them "sometimes we need a reality check as to how fragile we are to realise we need to cherish the things we have in our lives now"

Copia turned his head to press a kiss to the palm of Laurens hand. he turned his hand on her chest around to lace his fingers between hers and just held her hand, gently rubbing his thumb across hers, Enjoying the silence between them. 

"I now pronounce you Man and Wife" they both look up to see Terzo has been spying on the two of them this whole time, leaning on the door frame with a smirk across his face "Kiss her you fool”.

The silence broken, Copia groans and leans away from Lauren " How long have you been there?" 

"Long enough to witness your vows" Terzo chuckled as he walked in and draped his unused coat over Eva "Doctor Midford's here, and Imperator needs you back at the ministry."  

Copia shook his head " Stronzo" he mumbled, letting her hand go, moving Lauren off his lap and stood up off the bed " I'll be back soon." 

"Papa Duty calls" Lauren shuffled back into the middle of the bed as he stood up"Oh, if you're going back to the ministry could you get me something please?"  
"Anything, what do you need?" 
"Your hoodie " 
"The red one?" 
"Yeah, it's warm and it's like a hug" 
Copia chuckled and nodded " Ok" he leaned down and tilted your head up with his finger to kiss her softly "I won’t be long."

Terzo nudged his arm "Come on you lovesick fool, I'll just be down the hall when you need me" he waved to her as he went to leave. 

"Wait Terzo, why was it you who found me?" Lauren called
Before Terzo could even answer, Copia called out. 

"He's short enough to fit." 

 

Notes:

Translation:
Oh caro. ti ha preso la spalla. farà schifo, mi dispiace -  Oh fuck, it got your shoulder. this is going to suck I'm sorry
Apri gli occhi, per favore - Open your eyes, please
La donna è sopravvissuta al trauma del parto, ad un marito narcisista e violento. - The woman survived the trauma of childbirth and a narcissistic and violent husband.
Pensi davvero che la stella del mattino le permetterebbe di cadere? - Do you really think the morning star would allow her to fall?
Fratello - Brother
Capisci? - Do you understand?

Chapter 15: Empathy

Summary:

Was it regret? was it a nightmare? Was it insanity? the one place you don't want to go to is the mind of a criminal.
You're discharged from the hospital, as happy as you could be to go home and Eva again, the state of your mindset really bothered you, you reach out to the wisest man you know for advice.
You learned something unexpected.

-Bonus : Sodo is a Nanny.

Notes:

TW: Descriptions of sezzual actions.
There's something about being in a hospital room to yourself that the risk of being caught is better than being alone somehow. It's been a while since we had something a little spicy.

It was a normal family dinner,
The parents, the In-laws, The wife had made a roast chicken, despite being told to make a Lamb.
The baby stayed quiet the whole time, She's a good girl

Lauren took the Dishes away and the conversation continued, Work was good, Dad was getting used to retirement, never played a better game of golf in his life now the new greens were open.
"See i'm out there with Martin in the Autumn and he blames the wind on his swing" Dad explains "you know Martin, Always makin an excuse"
"Yeah well Martin swings like the targets are on balloons" Ethan exclaimed "Babe, bring me another drink for me and Dad!" Ethan called out
"Oh last one, otherwise your mother will have to drive home"
"Hey, you say that like I haven't been driving for the last 49 years " Mum objects.
" Yeah, you drive like you're trying out for Formula one"  Dad retorts
Everyone burst into laughter over empty glasses. 

Ethan's mum in law got up to get her coat from the cupboard, It was only 7:40pm.
"I have to say Ethan, you look well rested for a first time father" She declares "Eva wont be sleeping through the night already"
"Well Lauren has to get me up when she's crying, but that's with her getting out of bed, we share the duties you know? like you're supposed to"
"How often does she wake up in the middle of the night?" Ethans mum asked.
"Feels like every couple hours really, but when it's Laurens turn I go straight back to sleep, If she's like.. rocking the baby to sleep it just rocks me to sleep too"
Laurens mom placed a hand on her chest " That sounds like My Lauren when she was born,"
"That definitely sounds like Ethan's father, Sleeps through all the cries until it's his turn " Ethan's mom nudged his dads arm gently.  

Where is she with that drink? 

Ethan turned over his chair to look towards the kitchen  "I'll be right back, LAUREN" Ethan shouted out, getting up and crossing the dining room to the kitchen,
The room was dimly lit, Lauren stood in the shadows over the counter, but she wasn't alone,
Her voice is softly moaning into the room with lust, the form of another man is stood over her, holding her, touching her, holding her against the kitchen counters

Ethans rage boils and burns inside of him, no one else gets to touch his wife 

"HEY!" He shouts,

She doesn’t react to him at all, Lauren drops her head back into the shoulder of the man and lets out a long moan "oh Papa~" 

The Man trails his hand down over her breast and down her side to hold onto her hips “That’s a good girl, Give in to your darkest urges” his hand reached between her legs and lift her up onto the counter for her to face him, her legs wrapping around his hips and her hands holding onto his shoulders,“ I’ll show you your deepest desires” pulling their hips together, she threw her head back and moaned loud enough that her parents should have been able to hear, does she have no shame?

The stranger turns to glare at Ethan in the doorway, paying Lauren no attention as he thrusts into her, Lauren had to be hypnotised by his assault. 

That face,
That clown face from the courtroom,
Clear as day in the dim light of the kitchen
He held her legs turning back to her, leaning over her chest and kissing at her breasts, his hand moving between her legs, causing her body to twitch and grind against his while he’s thrusting up into her
Not a moment did she stop him or call for Ethans help, no she’s begging him for more.

Without a second thought Ethan lunged forward to punch his face, but something was physically holding him back.
Ethan turned to throw a punch at what ever held him, Ethan comes face to face with tall grey demon, horns on his forehead and blacked out eyes,
Fighting against his strength was impossible, it towered over him, effortlessly rendering him powerless to fighting back.

"She's a slave to lust now, Satan has claimed your wonderful wife and child," the old man commanded

"Don't touch her you freak! She's MY wife" Ethan demanded but the demon wouldn't let him out of his grip. 

"Not anymore," his voice echoed, watching Lauren as she twitched and gasped in orgasmic pleasure. "She's all mine~ that's why she calls me Papa" His smug grin turns to Ethan.

The Old man pulled her closer to him, She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned in and kissed her passionately, sloppily, thrusting against her and grinding against her, grabbing her ass and touching every inch of her body

Ethan couldn't do anything to stop him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ethan lay alone in his solitary confinement cell,
No one to talk to, no one to interact with,
Left alone with his memories growing mold on his mind. 

"Ah... fuck" Lauren mumbled as the physio helped her through stretching exercises, pulling herr arm back to find the full range of motion. 

"Sorry Lauren, It's not for much longer but this is really good" Doctor Midford mumbled as she let her arm back down into her lap

Lauren had been in the hospital for 3 days under the ministry's orders that she wouldn't leave until they were absolutely sure there was no infection from the gunshot wound. Thankfully, she were being discharged today

Eva has been looked after by her army of ghoulish uncles and aunts back at the ministry, bringing her back to the hospital every day to be with her mum. 

Copia stayed by Laurens side at the hospital, able to continue with the majority of his work from the ward when they got the laptop to connect to the wifi, Lauren took this opportunity to teach him the basics of the Microsoft office suite though he likened this to if he were to try teach her latin,as for the lack of privacy with a nurse or doctor coming in and out every hour, even when they should have been sleeping, they found the blind spots and the times between nurses check ins, but her heart monitor betrayed them.
The trial had been on recess for a week while the main witness for the prosecution was in recovery, plenty of time for new charges to be served. 

"Are you sure there's nothing that was missed in the X Ray?" Copia asked, again. 

"Papa, we've been very thorough, No Shrapnel, no stray bone, no missed torn muscle, no Poisons or toxins, no infection" Doctor Midford insisted as she opened a fresh packet of dressings.

Copia sat beside Laurens side on the bed, Holding a hand on her back as Doctor Midford cleaned the wound and changed the dressings. She'd become used to the sting of the cleaner and the pressure on her shoulder
"Is Aether outside with the car? I'm ready to get home to my own bed" Lauren asked, looking away from Doctor Midford working on her shoulder
Copia checked his phone and nodded "If he's not there I'll carry you home myself"
Doctor Midford rolled her eyes "As romantic as that would be, I don't advise that Papa, we can have transport arranged if your car doesn't make it"
Lauren giggled through the sting and looked down at his phone, seeing the very blunt messages he was sending "Hey... go easy on them, they're doing their best you know" 

Copia sighed and dropped his phone on the blanket, leaning forward to kiss her cheek "I'll apologize when we get back to the ministry" he whispered and leaned forward to watch what  Doctor Midford was doing so he could copy it later, 

Doctor Midford cut the last of the sticky tape, gathering up her bits and bobs and made her way to the door "Alright, I'll go check discharge papers are all in order and we'll get you back home. Don't get too distracted " she ordered, pointing at the couple like ‘i’m watching you’  as she left the room. 

Lauren leaned back into Copias embrace and smiled up at him " Now what would she mean by too Distracted?"
Copia chuckled, his arms snaking low around Laurens waist, smiling down at her " No Idea at all, she must be speaking in spreadsheet " he whispered, leaning down to kiss her softly. Copia reached down to hook his arm under her legs to pull Lauren into his lap.
Lauren pressed her hand on his chest, teasing at the buttons on his shirt .
Copia lifted his head for a breath of air, but this only egged Lauren on to lean in and kiss at his jaw and down his neck "Let me show you that I am just fine"
Copia growled low in his chest and leaned back in the bed so Lauren were draped over him, " In this flimsy gown, only a piece of fabric hides you from me"
Lauren made quick work of the buttons and pressed her fingers through his chest hair.
His hand trailed down and rested on her hips as she repositioned herself to straddle his thigh. The back of the gown falling open and exposing her backside to him. 

Copia looked down over her shoulders and groaned, Squeezing the flesh on her butt. "Diavoletta, I hate to be the responsible one ..." he groaned as her hand teased over his groin " Nnnngh... "

"You? Responsible? " Lauren whispers as she gently sucks on the sensitive nerve below his ear , earning a gasp and moan from Copia.

"Never" Copia hissed as he pulled her closer by her hips, pressing laurens body against his chest so she hovered over him "But I'd rather have you in a room I can lock" 

Lauren pouted but understood his point, So she sat up accepting that she’d have to wait just a little bit longer. However in one last bold attempt to tempt him, Lauren reached up over her shoulder faking scratching around the wound and pulled out the string of the top of her gown out, letting it fall down, exposing herself to him "Oops"

Copias eyes widened and reached up to grab at her hips "Cazo!" he hissed, Quickly looking behind her to the door then back to her "Temptress" he groaned and leaned forward to kiss at her collar bone.
Proud of the result, Lauren giggled and wrapped her arms over his shoulders, pulling his head closer in between her breasts. Following her lead he kissed down her chest and latched on to her breast.
Lauren covered her mouth as she moaned, her body shivering from the sensitivity.
Copia dragged his tongue over her nipple, looking up at her, and locking his lips over their peak. It sent a shockwave through her body, making her tremble in his touch.

The two of them paused for a moment. "I'm taking you home with me...now" he declared.
Lauren nodded and looked around the room for her belongings "I have to put my clothes back on" she groaned.

"I suppose so, the public would complain otherwise" he grumbled, releasing her hips from his grip.

"Do you want me to walk around in mesh clothes and hold a pillow on my chest for the world to see?" she asked with the smug grin on her face 

Frozen in thought, She could see his skin flushing under his paints, Copia was picturing it, She could certainly feel it on her thigh "get dressed" he ordered and pat her ass

Lauren shuffled out of his embrace, and grabbed the pile of fresh clothes on the chair the Copia should really have been sat in,
An oversized jumper, an elasticated off-the-shoulder shirt.
Lauren were easily able to dress herself without causing further pain or risking her dressings on her shoulders, some flowy stretch waist pants had been given to her because of the ease to dress herself, Actual underwear was a blessing compared to the mesh boy shorts she'd been provided by the hospital, 

Copia sat on the side of the mattress, eyes hard focused on the messages on his phone.
Since the courts had put the case into recess for a week, Tanya had been communicating with Copia regularly for updates to see if it will help or hurt the case, despite the positive news, the trial wouldn't be ended so early as it would come down to the judgment of the jury.
The possibility that the ministry, or even papa himself, would be called to submit a testimony on the state Lauren was in when she'd arrived at the ministry was rising as the conversations continued back at the chambers of court. 
Ethan's lawyer had come to visit Lauren out of his own kindness, not as a lawyer, Tanya suggested that Copia wasn't present as there was a suggestion Ethan's team was going to try to paint Lauren in the light She'd been unfaithful, if they knew how much time Lauren and Copia had spent together of course they could suggest this, and there was no hard evidence proving that Lauren hadn't been prior to running away.
It's a shame, Councilor Martin was a nice enough guy, if he wasn't defending Ethan, she might enjoy his company. 

When Lauren walked back out all dressed up, she threw the gown on the bed "Earth to Papa?"
Copia turned his head to look up at her, a blank stare "hmm? "coming back in to this reality 

"I'm dressed " Lauren stated gesturing to her clothes
"sei la donna più bella " he said without a thought, without changing his facial expression or anything, like he totally phased out of a conversation.
No idea what he'd said Lauren rolled her eyes and walked over to him "time to go " she leaned down to kiss his temple "can you grab my bag please?" 

"Of course" 

The curtains swung to the side as Doctor Midford came back into the room followed by the human glamour clad up Swiss. "Oh now this is a surprise, I thought you'd have run away from me" 

"We would never do that to you Penny" Copia handed over her bag to Swiss, "We'd at least lock the door first"
"Learned your lesson yesterday then?" she joked, Both Copia and Laurens cheeks flush with heat, as the Doctor turned to Lauren and held up a parcel "You have to wear this for at least 4 weeks please" 

"What in the Shibari is it?" Lauren asked, all she could make out from it was that it was a pile of straps,
"It's an Immobilizer Sling, we and to minimize any risk to the stitches or the muscle, Papa you're going to want to watch this if you're going to be the one actually dressing her in the mornings"

Swiss chuckled and elbowed Copia gentle  " or taking it off "
Copia Rolled his eyes and kept his eyes on Lauren as Doctor Midford constructed the sling around her 
"Look at you attempting greatness" Copia intentionally took off his jacket and hung that over Swiss's shoulder. "It's a shame it was only an attempt"  

The harness was tightened so her arm lay strapped across her chest, unable to move the shoulder at all. "So how am I supposed to take care of the 10 month old? " 

"That isn't your job right now, not while you're strapped up like this, you just order people around" Doctor Midford pat Laurens hip. "Now go home and see little miss Eva" 
Lauren nodded, so happy to be free of this dry and drafty room. 

Doctor Midford turned to the boys "Come on, Out, let's go home".

The group of four trudged through the halls of the hospital, out to the fresh air where one of the long sleek black cars were awaiting them.

As Lauren walked through the door, Eva abandoned the blocks she was playing with ,with grandpa primo sat on the couch, and ran directly to Lauren "MAMA MAMAAAA" 

Lauren crouched down and held her arm out for her "Hi Baby girl, I missed you too~"  she wrapped her arms around her neck, not aware of the pain it caused, and clung to her, "Did you have a good time with your aunties and uncles?" 

"mm!" she squeaked, nuzzling her head into mamas shoulder

"Have you been a good girl?" Lauren kissed her forehead and tried to balance her on her good arm and stood upright 

"Mmm-mmm" she nodded and held onto her shirt . It'd only been a couple days but when Lauren were apart from her little girl it felt like forever, anything could have happened  in the time they were apart, she could have learned more words, experienced more firsts without the others realizing the significance,
Being on a video call before bedtimes made it feel like she was even further away. 

"Can you show me what you did?" 
She started to kick in her arms "mm! pik-chur" she mumbled, Lauren leaned down to put her back on the ground tottering away to her little table. 

Copia moved past them with her bag "Mi Scusiiiii" he mumbled in a sing-songy way, handing the bag off to Sodo, who'd been posted by her side as soon as they'd arrived back at the ministry. Copia pointed to the door to her bedroom
Sodo walked with purpose, like he was marching in the military, to be fair he was in trouble but this may have been overkill,

Copia placed a hand on the small of Laurens back "are you alright? I'm needed at a leadership meeting so if there-"
"Go" Lauren mumbled, turning in to place her good hand on his chest "Everything is good here, and it will be good while you're off telling Terzo it's his turn to lead mass"
Copia sighed and leaned forward to kiss her forehead, pressing his forehead to hers and making sure he was looking directly into her soul  "Sodo is here to serve you, not help, serve" he whispered so only they could hear before making his way back to the door.

"Sodo is my new butler, got it, go! " Lauren called , waving him off, locking the door behind him " Satan, i swear i can't get him to do his job normally" She chuckled and looked over to Primo on the couch while Eva held up her picture " Thank you for keeping an eye on her" 

"It is my pleasure to spend time with Il mio bocciolo di rosa. she is quite the artist " He tried to stand from the couch,

"Primo, I could use your wisdom, don't stand for a moment"

Primo relaxed back into his place, patting the other side of the couch " How can I help you, Cara?" 

Taking the spot beside him "I'm worried over these past few days my perception has actually been delusion,"

Primos brow scrunched together "What is making you feel this way? 

"Any anxiety I've experienced is being masked by delusion because everyone else has been celebrating Ethans outburst. At the start of last week, I was a total nervous wreck. Even being in front of Ethan, I still wanted to hide from him all over again" Laurens voice cracked as she confessed to him

"Secondo did report to me you were doing your best to stay where you were, though your nerves were evident in your body language" Primo placed a hand on her knee momentarily "It is difficult for anyone to face their fears and have their moments of being dehumanized or manipulated shared for the world to hear and for 12 complete strangers to decide if justice should be served."

Eva broke the space between them as she started climbing up on the couch, cuddling up against Laurens side
Primo chuckled and gently pat her head, moving the hair from her face "You were not finished, Mi dispiace" he gestured to Lauren before picking up Evas hand and holding it between his two giant hands (comparably) 

"It's fine" Lauren whispered "When I woke up in the hospital, and I saw Tanya, she told me this was a good thing" she gestured to her shoulder " All of that anxiety from before is just …gone... I don't know if it's the drugs I was on but I noticed since then it's like all of the anxiety I had has been given to Copia, suddenly he's the worry wart of it all" 

Primo nodded and let out a sigh, understanding the situation "You have nothing to fear, this is something about our youngest brother that until recently was his main outward personality trait, Skittish" Primo reached down and slid Eva across the couch and into his lap "Like un topolino " wiggling Evas little nose like a rats sniffing snoot, she giggled and held onto his finger.

Lauren raised a brow " pardon? " 

"You are seeing a confident man who has truly grown into his place in the world. Even though he'd been put into a role where he was up front and the head of our highest projects, still he had to report to and take orders from our father and Sister Imperator, as Cardinal he still had to act according to their instruction. When it was determined that our father was beyond every capability of performing the role he was, if temporarily, expected to do  Copia had finally been promoted to the highest role, officially, He was able to build the confidence in front of the masses and in his role and grow into the man he is now"

"I never would have guessed" Lauren mumbled, 

"Did he ever tell you about his childhood?"
"He was raised in the ministry like you all, right?" 

"Eh.... He was raised in the ministry yes, But he was raised as an orphan in the orphanage before it was disestablished, While myself and my 2 younger brothers were raised by our father and multitudes of caregivers, Copia grew up never knowing his parentage, as we found out Sister imperator intentionally disillusioned him as to who his mother was even though she was right there. Poor Copia believed he was an unwanted child and would never have a family."

As a mother to a child under one, full of emotional attachment and love, Lauren felt a cocktail of emotions, Sadness of Copia feeling so alone and rejected his whole life, Anger for Sister Imperator lying to him for who knows how many decades why would a mother do that to her own child? but sadness again for Sister having to lie to her own child's face, knowing what that must have been doing to him. She'd gone quiet with so much questioning. What gets someone to that point  

"It's my understanding that because one thing Copia may have been wanting his whole life but able to keep this to himself is a family" He held up Evas hand up like she was praising the sun. "and even though Eva may not be her spawn, he's shown clearly he would do anything to keep you both close and safe, and at this point of nearly losing you"

"He's afraid of losing the closest thing to a family" Lauren mumbled finishing his sentence. her heart ached, though that might be the muscle strain, it did hurt to think of what he's been through and still going through.

Primo nodded and used Eva's hand to wipe away fake tears, "As much as he knows who he is related to by blood or...other genetic material, and how he has an enormous clergy of people to care for, there is something about a traditional family setting that he's still wanting to experience"

Lauren reached over and wiggled Evas foot " It is a shame that what lead us to this point made me fear I'd never be a good mother or that being a family was a bad thing"
"Yet you've found your lovely niche together and grown from where you've been at the lowest"  Primo lifted Eva off his lap and placed her beside Lauren "Now if you'll forgive me, I'm about to be fashionably late to the meeting Copia is at. "

Lauren helped him stand up at his own pace "Grazie, Posso mantenermi da qui" despite his protest he still held her arm as he straightened up. 

"How many times is that now that Copia has run off without something or someone important?" her cup of rhetorical questions runneth over, 
"Did he do that at the hospital?"
"Nearly, he led me towards a taxi stand when the car was actually right in front of us."
Primo let out a hearty chuckled " You rest up now" he ordered , leaving Lauren and Eva to themselves 

"Now, Picasso, Where is your picture?".

Sodo took charge in ensuring the apartment was clean and dustless, when it came to meals he would re-prepare them with a proper dining setting so Lauren can enjoy it at the table. If Lauren were served anything that needed to be cut he'd dice them up into bite sized pieces, Even for Eva. 

Since Lauren had been instructed to rest, the best thing she could do safely would be to make a dent on those books she'd borrowed from the library,

It meant there were a number of tasks in the care of a toddler Lauren couldn't do, Play time, Nap time, Even bath time.
Lauren was there for it all, but Sodo had to do the tasks. The only thing she wouldn't let him do would be changing her nappy. 

Eva was more than happy for uncle Sodo to be there especially for play time, He was instructed to keep her entertained after all, 

One moonless evening, their bedtime routine had come to story time, tonight's pick "It's a Firefly night" by Dianne Ochiltree 

Sodo sat in the rocking chair and Eva curled up leaning against his arm in his lap, the two of them sat in the dim lamp light, 

"When the moon is high and the stars are bright, Daddy tells me "It's a firefly night" I hop off the porch, i feel the air warming my legs and messing my hair' he read to her "Grass tickles my toes , I sip through the yard chasing fireflies, gotcha, to put in my jar, Can you show me the fireflies?" he asks, she leans forwards and puts her spread out hands over the picture of the bugs

"That's right" He smiled and turned the page, "Fireflies Shimmer, One, two, three, four, five. Five fireflies, My jars are like a lightbulb that's just come alive." 

"Fireflies glimmer, All of them glow, I race to show da... no ..I race to show Papa their dancing light show, Flickering quicker, they sparkle and shine" he paused and looked down to Eva "Have you ever seen Fireflies?" he asked

She shook her head, fighting off sleep "Fy..fy.." she yawned  

Sodo smile and put the book down on his lap, he moved her to look out into the room "Fireflies, they're so little you can't even see them sometimes, but when you can, it's like magic" 

Seemingly out of nowhere small orange lights began to float through the room, up and down on the air current of the room.
Harmless embers danced on the air waves, Eva leaned forward on his lap to get a better look "Fy Fy!" she gasped and reached out to grab one but it was too far away.
Eva was entranced by the moving lights in the room, Sodo was too busy watching her reaction, how she was transfixed by the magic, not magic, just ability.
She looked up and patted the book "mmm! mmm!" more, she wanted more of the story
"ok, Ok, let's finish the story"
He picked up the book and kept reading her the story, even after she passed out in his arms 

From the doorway, Sodo and Eva were being watched as Lauren and Copia leaned against the door frame, watching his spit fire ghoul retold this innocent story to, essentially, his step daughter.
"He's doing so well" Copia whispered to her
Lauren leaned her head back into his shoulder "He really is, Who knew a literal ghoul from hell would make for the best caregiver" she whispered and turned to smile at him , leaning in to kiss his cheek "and she has the best Father figure "
Copia froze and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into his chest, he couldn't hide how happy that made him "I...I know I'm not her actual father-" 

"uh uh, don't compare yourself to him," Lauren turned around in his embrace and pushed him away from the door frame back into the room "I would be so happy for you to be her father figure, more than happy, and even if it comes to a point where we...take things further ... I don't want you to just be her second father or the man who marries her mother" 

Copia dropped his arms to rest on her hips and raised a brow "I'm not sure I follow, you are happy for me to be a father figure but not her second dad?" 

Lauren nodded, wrapping her good arm over his shoulder "Nope, I want you to be the father who stepped up" 

Copias body shuddered, a physical reaction as he realized what that meant, he had the clear example of how not to be a father, he would do everything in his power to be the complete opposite of his own dad, the smile on his face was back, "I can do that" 

"Good" Lauren whispered, leaning in to kiss him quickly "we can be a broken little family unit together" 

Copia nodded in excitement, he sniffled holding back a tear "I want that.. i really want that" he whispered, pulling Lauren tighter into his arms. 

The click of the door closes behind them, Sodo standing in the doorway "Eva's down for the night"
Lauren turned and smiled at Sodo. "Thank you, you can go for the night, I've got it from here."

"We both do" 

Notes:

Insert - SORRY THIS TOOK FOREVER LIFE AND WORK REALLY KICKED ME IN THE BUTT OOOOOOOOOH MY LOOOORDS

I confess i've not really found a good way to transition through the plot without it diverting to another plot entierly.

Chapter 16: Results

Summary:

Court is coming to a close, the final testimonial has to be given, and only one person was qualified to give it.

Notes:

Tw: Mentions of sexual abuse, murder, emotional trauma .

Sorry I hit post instead of preview before I could add all this schepiel.

Monday Morning:

Copia was posted at the kitchen, trying not to start a fire over scrambled eggs or bacon,
Lauren sat at the couch nursing a hot cup of tea and reading an email from the family of the trucker who was a casualty from Ethan’s 'adventures'. 
Lauren and Stanleys wife had been exchanging messages and updates since initially sending her apologies for their loss, Sharing in the grieving process and being able to connect in the healing process, Stanley's Wife felt it was too hard to go to the courts and relive it all, So Lauren sent updates so she could still be aware. 

It was unusual, but it was nice to have someone to connect with in strange times. 

The smell of something burning caught her attention "Honey, The Bacon is burning" Lauren stated, it was always the bacon 
"It's not burning, it's flavour" he declared as he frantically tried to stop the fire from burning down the house.  
Lauren stood up from the couch and grabbed the mesh splash guard from the side of the counter and held it over the sputtering pan, standing behind Copia and resting her arm around his waist, leaning up against his back.
"I...thought that was uh... Drain... thing" he mumbled, resting his hand on hers. 

"Not quite" Lauren mumbled into his shoulder, standing up on her toes to press a kiss to the back of his neck "it's like...protection... but while you're cooking" 

Copia chuckled, a smirk across his face "Do I need protection?" not taking his eyes off the potential greese fire.
"If you want to enjoy some tasty breakfast, yes you do " Lauren whispered into his ear 

  "Come on guys, not in front of Eva" Sodo groaned, walking out with a sleepy Eva on his hip and putting her down in her high chair.

Lauren sighed and let go of Copia "Morning to you too Sodo" Lauren sat beside Eva who was still half asleep in her chair, bobbing her head like she was about to fall asleep again "Oh honey~ good morning~" She cooed, unable to hold back giggles watching her fight to stay awake and she was loosing. "It's a shame you're much too young for coffee" 

Copia put a plate down with the fresh breakfast in front of Lauren "I have to agree, waking up this early should be a crime" 

  "You believe waking up on a Monday at all is a crime" picking up a spoon of egg for her to eat. Eva just took the spoon and held the spoon in her mouth.

"It is, because then we have to go to work. you can't spell Monday without Moan" he sighed and sat beside Lauren at the table, "and not the fun kind" sipping at his coffee 

Sodo tapped Lauren on the shoulder and pointed to her food "Eat, I'm going to steam your suit for today. you're going to need your strength"  

"Ah yes.. back to school day" Lauren scooped some of the eggs onto a piece of toast and chomped that down, 

"Come now, Tesoro"  Copia snaked his arm around her lower back and pulled himself closer "After the events of your last day in court, you are at least guaranteed never to have to see  him in person, and the jury may as well have made their decision by now, it's just...formalities now" 

"So just like your days full of meetings" Lauren leaned her head back into his shoulder "which by the way you do have 3 meetings in the next two days, France is disputing that decline ..again.. pushing it out to June this time"

Copia groaned into his coffee " why wont they let it go? I must talk to Cardinal Frederic directly"

"You don't want to do that though" she watched him as she ate a bite of her food

"No I really don't" he leaned in and kissed her neck quickly before chugging the last of his coffee and standing from the chair, walking over to the bathroom

Eva took hold of the spoon and wanted to feed herself, Lauren had to stay close cause it was only seconds away from ending up on the floor,

Sodo hung up the clothes on the door frame "You really shouldn't be working you know, He's a big boy he should be able to keep up with his work for a few days" 

"Yeah..I know he can but he doesn't do it right" Lauren smiled up at Sodo "He doesn't organize his emails he just deletes them, and that gets him in trouble" 

Sodo rolled his eyes "That explains why the American tours were all bounced around the place, Our old uniforms got lost and mouldy cause someone deleted an email" 

"I heard that, not my fault!" Copia called "Ah shit!" he hissed, cutting his cheek on the razor. 

The two of them giggled to themselves while Eva pushed the bowl of eggs away from her "ah done" she mumbled and put the spoon down. 

"You get dressed, I'll help you with the zip and your shoes in a minute " he ordered as he grabbed a wet cloth to wash her face down. 

Laurens friends, Vinnie and Laura, had taken it upon themselves to find a powerful outfit she could comfortably wear while still giving, thankfully that was a Sheath style dress, an elegant option that allowed her shoulders to be exposed for movement and an open blazer jacket draped overtop. 

While Lauren was insisting that there was no need to accommodate for the bandage as she was already cleared by Doctor Penny to wear what she needed, she was not one to stop someone helping where they can.

From the siblings bringing her meals from the kitchen on a Plate and not just in a plastic tub, taking her laundry, taking Eva to the crèche, even just offering to go out and find her favourite food or treats from town. 

People around Lauren were doing what they could to make her comfortable, and those little actions meant a lot and reminded her that she wasn't forgotten. 

---

Lauren has prepared for this, They have both prepared for this. 

Copia was being summoned to testify on her arrival to the ministry. 

This was a formality on paper really, It was a stupid move by Ethan, 

They should be closing out the case, saving their time for closing statements but they've decided to double down on multiple statements that have discredited most arguments they're presented. 

"The defence now wishes to bring the next witness to the stand, Papa Emeritus the Fourth, to recount the events leading to Ms Sullens arrival." Councilor Martin called, 

Copia stood from his place in the gallery and walked up to the bench to take the oath to tell the truth, He wouldn't take the oath on the bible, of course not, they'd provided the court with a text he would swear on

“I swear by the Old one, as I shall answer to Lucifer on the great day of judgment, that I will speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

Copia took his place in the witness box, He was doing his best to keep his face neutral, those games of poker with his brothers were a big help, 

Lauren sat at the prosecution table as Tanya stood waiting for her moment to begin her questions. 

"Good morning Sir, Would you please , for the court, tell us how you'd like to be addressed?" Tanya asked 

Copia leaned into the microphone "Just Papa is Fine, Papa is my title, like Father or Doctor, unlike the Catholic Pope, please don't address me as His Unholiness or Sua Santita" 

"Papa" Tanya repeated "Would you please recount the night that you first met Ms Sullen?"  

Copia tilted the microphone down, looked to the jury, to the judge, to Lauren, then back to Tanya 

"It was a dark and stormy night, nearly 3am when I heard the car pulling up from the driveway, I expect it to be one of my brothers returning from a night on the town so I didn't think much of it at all, When a Sister knocked on my door telling me there was an emergency, I made my way down to the chapel. 

I found my mother comforting an unfamiliar woman with a new born baby. My Mother had done her best to calm the tears, so when I got down there, it was just the two of them. I introduced myself, Ms Sullen had called for respite, even just a temporary place of rest. I didn't press for why she'd come to our Ministry, but I did ask to see the damage that was on her arm, the bruises the burns, some were fresh some were scabbing over or scarring, I didn't feel it was my place to ask, Ms Sullen was running from someone, by the reserved and shaken nature, I gathered it was another man who'd hurt her." 

Tanya nodded waiting to guarantee his story was over "The Satanic Ministry is shrouded by cruel rumours that would make most people believe that it wasn't safe"

"I remember asking her why she chose to come here, Ms Sullen said that if god had failed her she would make any deal to keep her daughter safe, that stood out to me"

"And what did you provide to Ms Sullen?" 

"We at the ministry aren't usually .. the place people go to when they need help, it is within our morals to help everyone to the best of our ability when they call for it. So we provided every means we had to give her a safe haven from what she was running from, a Private quarters, food, a bed and a crib. 

The ministry isn't fully occupied so we have plenty of vacancies to accommodate. In the following days we called upon a doctor, Doctor Penny to examine her and Little Evaleigne. They've heard Doctor Penelope's testimony to her state when she arrived and we contracted a therapist to help Ms Sullen work through the trauma she'd experienced"

"It sounds like you spared no expense to provide everything within your power to help"

"That is just what we do" Copia smiled and shot Lauren a smile 

"And what is your relationship to Ms Sullen?" 

"We were perfect strangers when we met. I will not deny a friendship has grown in the months since she arrived at the ministry. Ms Sullen is also now my assistant to my Papal duties, Ms Sullen is very skilled in her administrative training." 

"So you have a working relationship" 

"Yes" 

"And you had never met Ms Sullen before that night she'd arrived to the ministry"

"No, We'd never met before that night"

Tanya put papers to the side "Tell me, Has Ms Sullen committed her life and her daughters life to the satanic mission?" 

"No, no they haven't been baptized or committed anything to our Ministry, I've personally advised Ms Sullen time and time again not to commit to a life of  prejudice, and not to make the decisions for her daughter. I would feel personally responsible if she made this decision while still in a fragile state of mind" 

The judge gave a slow nod, respecting Copias word.

Lauren shot a quick look at the screen to see how Ethan was watching.

He wasn't, He was looking past the cameras, frozen still in his blank white room. like one of those pictures where an observer feels like the eyes are watching them no matter where they go. it could have been a frozen screen if the little dot in the corner didn't say "live" 

He was just sitting there, watching whoever was on his screen, his expression sat in two corners, Uninterested or fixated, based on where his camera feed likely was pointing, he was looking directly at Copia. On the screen he's so small, it's hard to read the look on his eyes

So difficult to gather any emotion from the small screen, 

but any of that anxiety of being in his presence was gone, that might be what's making it difficult to read him.

Realizing she was staring, Lauren looked back down to her desk, the empty notepad and the two pens. 

"So, Papa, How much involvement did you have in coordinating what transpired at the memorial?" Tanya moving on to the final questions 

"Ah" Papa dropped his head a moment and flipped through a page "All we did was to help coordinate what Ms Sullen wanted to transpire, and ensure that she was safe from any further harm. Ms Sullens main concern was the explosive or unpredictable behaviour that Mr Holloway has shown us. While we did manage to get a man into the technical team to change what was on the screens, we also let the local police force know what was going to take place so they would be there for further security. The only things my men and women did was surround her for protection. Ms Sullen was in control and, as one would say, called the shots. " 

"You did attend in your full Papal regalia" 

"I did, I wanted the crowd to know that she was supported by the highest person of power, that she was protected. I admit to a crowd of those who don't know seeing me in all those robes with this paint and a tall Mitre, it's Intimidating, I don't deny that. "

"It's impressive" Tanya agreed "What would you say was the intention of confronting Mr Holloway at such a public event that was meant to bring the community together?"

" I ... I cannot speak from the words of intention for the action as that would come from Ms Sullen, but I can say that it was to expose Mr Holloways treatment of the woman Mr Holloway is supposed to love and devote his life to , especially bringing a child into this community, Ms Sullen wanted the community to know that he had been dishonest and malicious in his intent with no way that the facts could be disputed. The authorities would take over from there when Ms Sullen had said her piece”.

Copia held his confidence and professionalism like when he was meeting with tour managers or visitors from outside of the ministry, it was a side to Papa Lauren don't get to see very often, 

It was similar to how he gives his sermons, he was so used to being in front of a large crowd, he'd done interviews and performances, so it must come naturally. 

Tanya and Copia working through his testimony went smoothly as expected, when Tanya rest on the few questions she had left, Councilor Martin was welcomed to begin his cross examination, 

The bailiff walked over to the screen Ethan was pictured on and turned the volume down on the screen, confused by the action Lauren leaned over to Tanya "Uh... they just muted Ethan" 

"Yeah, based on his previous outburst, they've turned down the speaker to prevent his interruption if he's going to misbehave, it's a safety measure" she winked at Lauren and sat back.

Mr Martin put his pad down on the podium "Good Afternoon, Papa, Thank you for joining us" 

"Afternoon Councilor Martin" 

"I'm going to start with a quick question of clarity. You've mentioned that your ministry does not tend to have many people come to your doors seeking respite, how did you come to know what the signs of domestic abuse looks like?" 

"Ah" Copia shot Lauren a very quick look as he adjusted his posture "From research and from recounted stories”.

"Would you expand on this?" 

"Well, Domestic Violence is a plague on humanity. When I was studying to prepare for a leadership position in our church, I realized that a number of our community would be people seeking change or refuge after previously experiencing domestic violence. I felt it important to know what to research what people experience so as a leader I can best support people when they call for it. And this isn't just from our clergy, On top of my duties as Papa Emeritus, I am the front man for the band 'Ghost' we have quite a following where until recently I would meet with some of our fans, Some of those fans found solace in our music when experiencing or recovering from a situation of domestic violence or any other traumatic experiences. All of those stories were very important.

I have met so many survivors, never someone in Ms Sullens position where she was seeking respite being in it at that very moment. "

Copia and Terzo had recounted some of their experiences meeting with fans who thank him for the music that gave them something to live for, or their music saving them from other things, how it makes them feel validated and lets them scream out their rage in a safe place, who knows how many stories he's heard. i t'd be nice to see him interact with fans and not just the clergy members. 

"You mentioned as well that you were discouraging Ms Sullen from committing her life to your ministry due to prejudice against the ministry, if you're so worried for her safety, why would you not send her somewhere you thought safer?" 

"Because Ms Sullen had told us, as she's recounted for you, that previous attempts to seek help from other facilities had always returned her to her abuser, I personally promised Ms Sullen we would ensure she'd never be returned to Mr Holloway." 

"Yet Ms Sullen stays in the place where she's likely to face the prejudice you're trying to have her avoid"

"Ms Sullen has every opportunity to leave the ministry, but she remains, I question it every day as to why she does, but Ms Sullen has become a welcome member of the property, even if not a full member of our clergy."

Martin scribbled something down on his pad, crossing out a line, 

Copia smiled at Lauren from the box, Lauren gave him a nod that he was doing well. 

"So, you stated that your relationship with Ms Sullen is a professional working relationship." 

"Essentially it is, living in close quarters and working as my assistant, an inevitable friendship has bloomed" 

"I think it is more than just a friendship, Papa" Mr Martin looked over to the screen "Would you please describe Evidence 8B-15 on the screens please?"

On the screens and the screens around the room, security camera footage began to play from the local park, the date stamp was from months ago, late at night, 

Lauren and Papa walked onto the screen, Laurens arm looped in his, This was the night of the scavenger hunt when he took Lauren out to the park as her reward, they stood together at lakefront in the moonlight. There was no audio, standing hand and hand, he leaned in and pulled her close, they both embraced, heads tilted, sharing a kiss.

Laurens face went bright red, a shot of electricity ran down her back, She looked up to Papa in panic, He looked to her in a stunned silence. 

"Quite romantic" Mr Martin interrupted " little bit more than a friendship there, wouldn't you say?" 

"Objection, relevance?!" Tanya leaned into the mic.

"Councilor Martin?" The judge threatened.

"Please tell the court your true relationship to Ms Sullen, Papa" Mr Martin asked.

Papa sighed and looked at her again "we do still have a professional working relationship, but I admit I have come to admire Ms Sullen; a romance did uh... bloom... "

"Now we know you've been untruthful about your relationship with Ms Sullen, how can we know that what you've said in your testimony is truthful. " 

"Objection, Argumentative!" Tanya stood from her table.  

"Sustained. Councilor Martin, Papa has not been untruthful, this isn't relevant to the testimony" the judge leaned forward "And calm your client down”. 

Lauren looked to the screen of Ethan, he was screaming, being held by a guard trying to get him to calm down, Lauren could make out the words on his lips "You Whore" over and over, Thank the bailiff who muted the screen.

"Jury will disregard the last statement, a reminder to the defense that this is not divorce court, the charges the accused are facing are Domestic violence, Grave Robbery, Kidnapping, Child endangerment, Fraud and Murder. I will not entertain this further " the judge declared, Slapping her gavel on the desk.

Lauren leaned back in her chair in embarrassment, the weight on her shoulders felt heavy, like the concern and the unanswered questions from her parents behind her in the galley. 

"alright, well" Mr. martin looked through his page , shuffling in his spot "In a relatively short space of time since meeting Ms. Sullen to now, it has been 10 months after all, Would you not agree that is quite a short space of time for someone to 'move on' from someone she spent so much of her life with." 

"I would not agree, now this is going to come off as hearsay, but you can refer to logs from her visits to therapy, Ms. Sullen had not felt 'love' from Mr Holloway for quite some time before leaving. Lau- MS Sullen has confided in me that when she found out she was pregnant with Mr. Holloways child, amongst the excitement of expecting, she felt panic and... entrapment... "

"So, is it possible that in that time Ms. Sullen had possibly sought out relations with anyone else around her in her life?"

"Objection, relevance " Tanya called out, she mouthed to her ' what is he getting at?" 

"Councilors, approach the bench" the Judge called, both Tanya and Mr. Martin walked up to the judge, 

Lauren looked up to Copia who was watching her, she could only exchange looks of apology, he tilted his head over to the screen on Ethan's side, a second guard had been called in to try combat his outburst, no one was stopping the recording, no one else was bringing it attention, he was essentially there as a formality, if he had been there in person, it would be a safety risk and nothing would actually get done. 

Watching him be grabbed by these two hulking guards, shouting until his face was bloodshot, Memories of when he would throw her phone on the ground outraged from a male colleague text her outside of work, when he would get drunk and rowdy over a sports game, when he would look at her for making a joke at his expense in front of their family's, but now he was acting out without the assistance of a ghoul, taking away the filter. 

Lauren didn't know how to react anymore, she wasn't disappointed, scared or upset, not even embarrassed that was her husband. Watching his behavior just drained her, Lauren had no energy left to even acknowledge him anymore. All she could do...was sigh. 

Councilor Martin returned to his podium, continuing to press Copia on everything but the night she arrived at the ministry. 

He pressed on Laurens duties as his administrator, he pressed on bringing in private care and the plans for the memorial. If they had any further information from the police in preparation, why was it not done privately?  Because Ethan didn't keep it private. 

He had to explain about the ghouls being his bodyguards and band mates, the day to day life at the ministry, how they make having a single infant manageable and safe when children are not present there mostly.

Copia told of the wonderful community who'd come together and really loved having her around, the ministry even started to offer training in early childhood care for those wishing to pursue it, Copia really did his best to ensure that the ministry was shared in a positive light. 

As much as Minister Martin was trying to twist his involvement into being a long-time lover convincing him to leave her husband for a sexually charged affair,

Tanyas catchphrase of the day became "Objection Relevance"

---

Ethan was walked into the interrogation room that'd been fitted out with a camera and screen for the video call.

Dressed in his prison sweat suit, he was restrained at the wrists and ankles, then locked against the table.

Something he'd all become used to over the last couple weeks of court proceedings. 

Not a single guard said a thing to him, just one who stood against the wall watching him, the mirror against the wall surely was a one way mirror and other authority figures would be watching him from there. 

This was the most socializing Ethan was allowed while kept in a psychiatrist hold, Ethan had been classified as unstable and a danger to others and himself.

Yet it'd been cleared at the time of his initial arrest Ethan was of sound mind to commit the crimes, so trying to argue he was not guilty by reason of insanity was dismissed quickly.

His unstable mental state was described by a professional to be degenerative over time, they had been fighting for him to be removed from what was essentially solitary confinement, this was not the main priority, so day after day Ethan sat on his own, in his cell, alone with his thoughts. 

The Tv Screen rang to life as a call came through, the guard answered the call on the screen and Martin was on the screen. 

"Morning Mr Holloway" Martin was dressed to the nines, not even looking up at the camera for more than a split second at a time. 

Ethan watched the man on the screen, the man who'd poorly defended him, never even given the option to fire him for siding with her, helping Laurens defense, missing the whole point that he was supposed to be helping Ethan, not Lauren. 

Every time Ethan suggested to try something new to fight to prove he did this all for the right reasons, it was shut down, wouldn't even try it, 

"The way it's going to run today is going to be very straightforward. The judge is going to open court, remind the jury of their duties, The prosecution has rested their case, we have rested our case. Today is all about closing statements, then it's up to the jury to decide the ruling." 

Martin grabbed his pen to take notes "now, I'm going to be honest and upfront with you Ethan, It's not looking good" 

"How long?" Ethan asked 

"huh?" 

"How ..long.." 

Martin could only assume what he was asking "Honestly man it could take the Jury 10 minutes they could take 10 hours"

"How long will I be sent away! " Ethan shouted in frustration, yanking his hands up and slamming them down on the table.

The guard jolted in his stance "HEY. Settle down!" he yelled in retaliation 

Ethan growled and slumped back in his chair. 

"It's um.. it's unsure at this time, but for the uh,,, murder, kidnapping, the arson, you're looking at concurrent life sentences, and who knows how many years for the other charges" 

Ethan looked away at the empty wall in defeat, 

He had a perfect life, great job, great house, a wife and a kid. She was the one who wrecked everything , she kidnapped his kid, She's the mentally unstable one, everyone's calling him insane in the papers, mentally deranged, He'd given her everything and yet she ruined everything. 

Why couldn't he give their family the story ending they should have had, he did what he could to at least let their family mourn. It was an accident after all. She is the one who drove him to do this. She ran away, she hurt his parents, she hurt him, she couldn't be a housewife, it's not that hard to take care of a home, his mum did it, she was proud of it, but one kid and she goes insane. 

yet the fucking judge wont see it that way because she's a new mother. 

Crying rape because he wanted to celebrate being a new family , it'd been too long , 

That truck driver was probably a dirty cheat anyway, he deserved to die, all truck drivers are cigar smoking, cheating, disgusting assholes, They all are.

Now his daughters goIng to grow up without a dad, she'll be sacrificed by that satanic clown for halloween or some bullshit, she's not safe there, not with some postnatal depressed bitch of a mother, she'll grow up hating men, she'll grow up to be some kind of terrorist , without her dad in her life she's going to grow up wrong. 

A loud SLAM on the table broke Ethan out of his trance as the guard grabbed his attention " focus on your lawyer Holloway" he ordered and pointed at the screen 

"Thank you Guard" Mr Martin called "Ethan, it's not good just...prepare for the worst man, i'll organize a therapist- " 

"NO! Fuck off!" he shouted, done with other people deciding what was going on through his mind. 

Mr Martin sat patiently waiting for a chance to speak, "look, you've got to be on your best behavior man, if things go well today it'll make it easier wherever you go next" 

He checked his watch and sighed "You need every boon you can get from the prison system man. when you get to a gym, then you can punch it out at the punching bags. It's time to face the consequences of your actions. We fought the best fight-"

"No you fucking didn't, you pitied my fucking wife, you didn't fight for me, you didn't do shit" 

Martin sighed and shook his head "I'm going to hang up now Ethan, you'll be brought back on line when court is being set up " Without a second to argue, the screen went white, asking about the quality of the call. 

Ethan shoved at the table, pushing him away from the table and falling to the floor, throwing a tantrum screaming out to the room, the guard walked in and grabbed Ethan by the shoulders, sitting him up, having to fight the thrashing body around.

There was no way he would just sit there and accept that other people are deciding his life for him, he worked too hard, 

Everyone else was wrong. 

---

The jury only took 2 hours to deliberate, Despite it feeling like it took much longer watching the clock on the wall move at a snail's pace. 

Lauren was joined by the full company of the ghouls Copia kept, and the full Brotherhood of Emeritus, today was going to be victory no matter what.

Even Eva was brought to the court proceedings, She had plenty of fun being dressed up in a jumpsuit and skirt, her hairs long enough now it can go in a pair of pigtails. Cumulus and Cirrus did their best to keep her quiet when the judge came in. 

As Lauren sat in the cold, sterile courtroom, Laurens heart pounded in her ears with a mix of anxiety and anticipation. 

Laurens hands trembled slightly as she clasped them together in her lap, waiting for the judge to arrive. 

The memories of the past years - the terror , the sleepless night, the endless fear - flooded her mind, threatening to pull her under to the mindset she'd been stuck in before.

But today was different, 

Today she was on the brink of freedom. 

When everything was quiet, hearing her little gurgles and babbles was a comfort to her. It was Lauren, Tanya and her team around her at the table. Ethan's team were present, but he was still only present on the screen. 

The Judge came in, then the jury. 

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, Those who've joined us in the Galley today, I'm aware that this has been a long process. I thank you all for your time, your support and your professional nature when in this courtroom.

To the families who've been affected by what brought us here today, I thank you for your patience, those who gave testimony, I thank you, 

That being said, Due to the nature of this case, I will not tolerate any outbursts until I call court adjourned, Alright?."

She waited a moment to see the nodding heads watching her every move.

"I trust the Jury has come to a unanimous decision?" the judge called. The jury nodded, "alright, May I have your decisions for review please?" 

The Bailiff walked the verdict forms from the jury to the judge. She didn't review them before for any errors, watching her read over them felt like an additional hour. Lauren didn't realize she was shaking with anticipation until she went to take a sip from her glass and she nearly missed. 

Tanya leaned over and put a hand on her arm "Hey, it's all good, this entire galley is all on your side, think about what you're going to say to the press later" she whispered as a sort of comfort, however the idea of talking to the press was more nerve wracking than the verdict. 

"Court, is there any reason we can not impose sentences at this time?" 

"No your honour" Mr Martin Called. 

The judge nodded and handed the documents off to the Court Clerk, a lady in a maroon power suit. 

"In Case: CL20230317 . 

On the charges of First degree murder, Robbery, Desecration of the deceased, Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Fraud and Child Endangerment. We the Jury find the defendant, Ethan Malcom Holloway,"

 

Guilty

 

A wave of relief washed over Lauren, the anxiety, the panic, the near death experience, a tidal wave of emotions hit that she'd held back for far too long. Laurens chest tightened, but this time, it wasn't from fear. 

It was from the overwhelming realization that she was finally safe. 

Tears welled up in Laurens eyes and she didn't bother to wipe them away. They were tears of release, joy, of a burden being lifted after carrying it for so long. 

Tanya slid her box of tissues across the desk, Lauren shook her head passing them off, letting the tears fall freely down her face. 

On every count against him Ethan was guilty. 

"At this time, Mr. Ethan Holloway, guilty on all accounts, you will be sentenced to 3 life sentences and 17 years concurrently. You will not be eligible for parole, You will be ordered to pay the damages to the victims of your actions. "

The judge addressed the jury, thanked them for their time and sacrifice and welcomed them to leave.

The judge smiled at the court "This that, Court is Adjourned " the judge slammed the gavel down.

Tanya stood from her chair and dropped her hand on Laurens good shoulder " We did it! " 

Lauren smiled so big and stood from her chair to face her " You did all the hard work, Tanya" 

"Couldn't have done if it you hadn't taken that first step" Tanya held onto Laurens left hand and gave it a squeeze, she couldn't shake her right hand since she were still in a sling, 

As the courtroom began to clear, The weight that had pressed down on her for years was finally gone. Lauren could breathe deeply, without the suffocating presence of fear that had become her constant companion. The future, once dark and uncertain, now stood right before , bright and full of possibilities. 

Laurens family looked on at her in waiting for her, they were all bouncing in excitement all clambered together. 

"MAMAAA" Eva yelled, leaning out of Cumulus's arms out to her. Everyone stood from their chairs, awaiting her attention. 

Lauren stepped over to them and took Eva from Cumulus's arms "We won! "Lauren whispered, Eva was just happy to see her mama, so she wrapped her arms around Laurens neck, and Lauren leaned over the gallery , wrapped up in arms of the ghouls. It was warm, no need for quintessence to celebrate. None of them cared to remember that she was injured or that she was holding a baby, they all squeezed her tight, nearly pulling her over the barricade.

"Ghouls, Desist! let the poor girl go before you suffocate them " Sister imperator called , Pushing past the ghouls to lean against Laurens back "Congratulations, dearie" 

"Thank you Sister" Lauren whispered back to her, 

The ghouls stepped back and let Papa walk up to Lauren, wrapping his arms around her, and pressing his head to Laurens, his paint was dripping from his eyes, He pulled her close from over the barricade "He's never going to hurt you again" 

Lauren smiled so bright and rested her head on his shoulder, wrapping her free arm around his back. "Thank you Copia, for everything" she whispered to him, Laurens voice cracked thinking about the memories of all the preparation, the therapy, the nightmares, he was there to make it all better.

"Aba! " Eva cooed and leaned against him too, holding onto the lapel of his jacket "Aba cry?" 

Copia sniffed and leaned back " yeah, Papa is just happy your mama is ok now. you both are” he smoothed down her hair that was ruffled from the embrace

Tanya leaned over and pressed a hand to Laurens shoulder " I know we're all excited, but we have to get outside and face the paparazzi's."

Copia sighed and let Lauren go "All you have to say at this time is No comment, then it's home and dinner, we're celebrating with everyone tonight." he announced.

Lauren walked out through the halls, surrounded by the company of the ghouls, the Papas and the highest clergy. Feeling lighter than she had in years making their ways to the exit. 

---

Each step felt like a declaration of her newfound freedom. Outside the courthouse Lauren paused and looked up at the crowd of journalists waiting for answers. 

Tanya looked to Lauren, curious if she wanted to go up to them. Lauren nodded, Tanya by her side, Eva in her arms, they walked side by side up to the crowd. 

The journalists were shouting questions out their way, "My client wishes to make a statement, no questions today. So please listen to her" 

The crowd went quiet for Lauren, only the click of cameras and murmurs 

Lauren stepped ahead of Tanya

"Uh, Hello, Thank you all for following the journey that was this trial and getting the word out to the world. I am no longer a victim, I'm a survivor. Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life, one where I could finally live without looking over my shoulder, without the shadow of the past, known and unknown, looming over me. I hope that people in similar positions as I was in can look at what I’ve been through and find their own courage to speak up, seek help and not give up."

Tanya pulled Lauren back from the crowd and waved to the journalists. "Thank you and goodnight"  She pushed Lauren in the direction of Copia, taking Eva from her. 

Lauren walked up to him and wrapped her arm over his shoulder 

Copia held Lauren around the waist "That was brilliant" 

Lauren looked over his shoulder, the sun was shining brightly, warmer than I remember it ever being. I closed my eyes and leaned in to kiss Copia, not caring about the people taking pictures, their relationship had already been exposed thanks to Mr Martin, Copia gulped but couldn't resist kissing her back, pulling her close into his embrace. 

The ghouls and Terzo whooped and hollered behind them, the cameras clicked and flashed around them.

When he pulled back, he looked at her quizzically " I'm...not used to showing affection so publicly" 

"Make it a statement. We don't have to hide anything anymore" Lauren whispered to him, 

Notes:

Where the heck will this lead ? The relationship is out in the open, Ethan is going insane without the help of a ghoul. (any more) and Eva is about to turn one.
Where could this all lead from here?

Genuinely, thank you all for hour your comments and kudos and for sticking around this far.
This hasn't been an easy story to write for sure. So knowing a few people have stuck around has been a brilliant encouragement to keep writing . Thank you all so much .

ALSO: I never have put this down as any specific town or area.
But I've been imagining this is set in a little/medium Town somewhere in Europe . No specific location.
Somewhere that copia and the other ministry members we love go to hide between tours, since Tobias is the only one who goes to do interviews anymore 😘
When it comes to law terms I've been researching, slot of the info I get is from my own country's law (New Zealand ) but I cross reference it with other law standards around Europe .
But also i watch WAY to much Emily D Baker for my own sanity.
As MUCH as I would love to slam Ethan down with the ' ultimate ' penalty . Not legal in Europe

Chapter 17: Nesting

Summary:

Still in the celebrations of the freedom to enjoy the relationship you two share, it's a special date night for the two of you.

And you wanting to send your lover just a taste of what you were cooking up.

Notes:

NOW UPDATED YAAAAAAAY

Just a short and SMUTTY chapter to tide us over.
I have a bit of writers block as my personal life is SUPER FEKING BUSY .

It has been so long since I wrote some good smut! Enjoy!!

"So the final report of the Australian tour in 2023 has shown that there was a significant profit," The trio of siblings who represented the finance team sat in front of Copias desk in his office, this meeting was long overdue, pushed back many times.

"Fantastic" Copia mumbled as he was briefly scanning over the paragraphs of data and numbers, Copia kept glancing over to the time on his desk,  the fact they were already running over time didn't bode well for the plans he'd made this evening.

"Merch Sales alone covered the costs of venue hire, and transporting equipment. Once we deducted all additional costs, security, venue staff, catering, all of the admin and advertising, we've seen a profit of a good few million, a surprise considering the leg was only 3 shows" 

"I would argue that it's not much of a surprise as this is the first time that Ghost have made it to Australia since 2020 and that was for a festival, there were many reports of fans flying over from New Zealand to attend the ritual" the red headed sibling stated, looking to the brunette beside him.
"we anticipated some profit but not this much" The brunette sibling smiled, hoping for praise for their detailed work, but Copia stayed silent as he flipped the pages 

"Have you calculated reports of any costs incurred from the change of venues? you've stated the profit but what did the venue change cost? how much in refunds and charges for the website. I believe the closing show had to change the site where the tickets were organized, yes ? that must have incurred significant charges" Copia asked, flipping to the next page. 

*BZZT BZZT* 

Copias phone buzzed on the desk, catching his attention. he dropped the report and flipped the phone up to see the message " Amoure sent 1 new Image "
A smile grew on his face, the finance siblings were surprised to see the change of emotion from the stoic expression he'd had on all meeting
"Forgive me, My partner probably sent me a picture of the bambino" 

The men all relaxed  "It's nearly her first birthday right?" the brunette called. 

"Mmhmm, Si " he mumbled as he unlocked his phone " it's likely a messy dinner"  watching the screen for the photo to load. 

"Who would have thought it, Our Papa is a papa to a Princess" the red head stated.  "Princess Emeritus"
"Hey that sounds good"  the blonde agreed, watching him " imagine her growing up to be the next leader of the church"  

Copia shook his head and sighed, dang internet in this room was slow.  Can't deny that he'd thought about seeing her grow up to give sermons, having learned the same way he had.  Lauren and Eva weren't even official members of the clergy, but welcomed family. 

The image loaded, Copias face dropped, his eyes wide and his grasp on the phone tight.

"Is everything alright Papa?" 

"Uh... Uh Si Si, just a uh... surprise," Copia flipped the screen down onto the desk quickly and stood from his chair, " Gentlemen You have done brilliant work but right now I need to take my leave" Copia held a hand out to shake all the siblings hands, he had to do his best to rush the gentlemen out of his office before he was caught out.  

The siblings all looked at one another , shook Papa's hands and filed out of the office. 

Once the siblings had left and the door was shut, Copia picked up the phone again to make sure he wasn't fantasizing..... nope...

Lauren really sent him that.   

 

The sun was still low on the horizon as Lauren opened the double doors to the balcony of Copias apartment, despite him having essentially moved in to her little abode, The apartment was still designated as his, The warm sunset glow filled the room She'd spent all day dusting and cleaning. 

Tonight was a celebration. Lauren wore a black satin dress Sister imperator had found for her in Italy, a V neck bust line, figure hugging dress, ruching up the left side to  where the skirt splits down the thigh, Lauren wore her hair down, Simple enough make up, and a deep red lipstick she didn't dare wear for many occasions, in a past life She'd have been called a tart for wearing a red lip, Lucky tarts are a favoured dessert around here. 

The kitchen was alive with steam from boiling potatoes and the smells of roasting vegetables in the oven. 

Lauren checked the time on the clock, 4:47 pm, 13 minutes, Plenty of time. 

Take the potatoes off the heat and drain them, mash them into submission, A little salt, a little more pepper, A splash of milk, and Butter.
Let that melt for a moment, The skillet is smoking with butter, drop in the two sirloin steaks right in, timer for 3 and a half minutes.
Plenty of time to flip on the kettle and mix the potatoes.

*DING* 

Pot down, Flip the steaks, reset the timer. baste the steaks with the butter, 

*Click* Boiling water into the jug with the gravy powder, Tiny whisk,  Ideally She'd make a mushroom sauce but she can't guarantee there will be enough time to make it when Copia walks through that door. 

4:54

Steak out of the pan and set aside to rest for 7 to 10 minutes , Oven open and vegetables out. Skillet in Oven, Plates out 

Lauren could hear the sound of keys jingling as the door opened on the other side of the room, He's early. Let the games begin

"Welcome home, honey" Lauren called, not looking up from the plates as she scooped a heaping of potatoes.
Copia stood in the door way "you planned this?" he called, shutting the door behind him
"Dinner? Yes Mio Amourem I did" she smirked to herself,

"No no no" Copia stalked across the landing over behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, pressing his face into her shoulder, " Tu, piccola scema " Copia pressed himself against Laurens back,  his face felt hot and flushed on her shoulder, "Sai cosa hai fatto " Copia growled, having heard how he growls at the start of ‘faith’ thanks to a private recording and the excited response she had, he made sure to practice.
Lauren bit her lip, playing the fool was easy when it came to teasing him, but not so much when she could feel how rock hard he was against her backside. "I don't know what you're saying, Papa" 

" You sent me a very nice picture" Copia growled into her neck, pressing frustrated kisses to Laurens neck and over her shoulder "With the financial team in my office" his hand trailed over the satin of her dress finding its way across her breast, he pressed his hips harder into her backside, sending a warm sensation down between her legs. 

" A picture? you're all upset about a picture" Lauren put a cloche over the resting steaks, and moved the dinner plates aside. She braced herself on the counter top, 

"and dressed like the tease that you are " he growled, reaching around to grab her chin to look at him, His cheeks were flushed red, his gaze was dark and hungry. His hand around her waist sat on her lower stomach, and pulled Lauren into his hips. The friction alone through the fabric made him gasp and shudder against her "look what you do to me" he groaned. 

Nothing compares to a lust driven man, and yet he showed restraint "What...what about dinner?" Lauren babbled, the heat rising in her cheeks betrayed her, Copia could feel her skin flush as the way he touched her sent shivers through her body, there was no hiding flexing her thighs that heightened the sensitivity between her legs.

Copias teeth nibbled at the lobe of Laurens ear and grumbled " That beautiful lace, drawing my eyes to the curves my hands should be on, and all posed on my bed, did you like the velvet blankets?" 

"I did," Lauren whispered, turning to look right into his eyes gently wiggling her butt into his hips.
Copias breath hitched as he grabbed Laurens arms and moved her down so her chest was flush against the counter top, pressing one hand on her back keeping her down.
Copia pushed Laurens legs aside with his foot, his dominance excited her, taking control and using her for his carnal lust, She could feel the cold air rush across her skin making her shiver, His free hand hiking the satin of Laurens skirt over her ass exposing her to the chill night air.

"You are much too proud of yourself, Amoure, I want you to know the overwhelming lust you've caused me" he pulled the leather glove off his hand with his teeth, rubbing the meat of her ass with his bare hand and pulling down the panties with one easy swipe, circling down Laurens thighs "much too clean"  he grumbled as he traced two fingers between her lips making her legs tremble from the sensitivity.
Copia lowered down to his knees behind her and held onto Laurens hips "Dinner smells wonderful" he called

Lauren tried to turn back to look at him , but he was out of sight.

"But I want an appetizer " he growled as he leaned forward and traced his tongue up between Laurens folds from her clit to her taint, being sure to leave a trail of saliva behind.
Lauren let out a moan and pressed her hands forward into the counter top, "Oh,,, ff,,fuck' she moaned, relaxing down on the counter. 

Copia squeezed Laurens inner thighs as he held her flush against his face as he lapped over her lips, dipping inside with a pointed tongue, and teasing her clit.
Laurens knees buckled as the waves of sensations shot through her body, her mouth hung open as she gasped and moaned into the counter top. 

Copia replaced his tongue with his fingers, gently pushing them inside of her cunt, and pushing his thumb against her clit, leaning back enough to watch Lauren tremble "good, good girl" he called, pushing his fingers in a steady rhythm to keep Lauren trembling on his fingers " Sei così bisognoso, così bagnato, così caldo. " Copia licked his lips "Adoro il tuo gusto" trying to use his free hand to undo the zip on his pants and release the pressure building against his tight pants . 

"ah,, L...Let me" she begged, turning her head to look for him again " Let me do that." Lauren begged him, trying to lean up off the counter to see where he was. 

"And deny me the view of you quivering under my touch?" he twisted his fingers in and pressed against her g spot , her knees buckled, leaning into his hand ."oh fu..."
Copia withdrew his fingers and gently pulled on her hips, guiding Lauren down to the floor so she didn't fall from her unstable legs, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her in.
Lauren turned around on his lap, straddling his thigh, he was staring straight down at her chest "you know how much I can’t resist you when you wear lace " he whispered under his breath.
Lauren grabbed the lapel of his jacket and pulled him in, crashing her lips together. The kiss was sloppy , She could taste the tang of herself on his tongue and it felt so good.
Laurens hands pressed on his chest, tracing down to his waistband, making very little work of the zip of his pants, Laurens fingers pulled at the waistband of his underwear to free his cock from their restrictive pants.
"Oh fuck" he gasped from the freedom pulling away from Laurens lips to rest his forehead to hers, relaxing into her touch keeping an arm around her hip to keep her upright, .
Slowly, wrapped her hand around his stiff cock, starting to stroke her fingers up and down his length, Lauren watched his composure crumble under her touch from how sensitive he was.
Copias hand traced up her back, pushing the straps of her dress off her shoulders, exposing the lace of her bra. 

"the.. the longer you tease me, your lovely dinner is going to get cold".Copia was much too focused on the smells when he could be focusing on her touch, so at the base of his cock Lauren gently squeezed him and flared her fingers out to trace over his balls.
Copia gasped, dropping his head into Laurens shoulder, little pants and little moans muffled into her neck.

Lauren cocked her head into his shoulder "Then Take me, You love drunk Pope" 

Copia grabbed Lauren by her hips and pulling her close to him as he stood up from the ground, lifting her with him with no issue, his fingers dug into her ass making her squeal from the surprise, he rest her on the edge of the counter and leaned over, he struggles to find the zip of the dress and in his frustration he grabs the center of the dress, tearing the fabric down the middle with the shrill ripping sound catching her off guard and letting it drop down by her sides.
Lauren had never seen him act so feral or driven by desire "I didn't realize you were so...Hungry" Lauren mumbled , Copia stepped between Laurens legs towered over her, pulling her hips forward and bracing his arm on the wall behind her. 

Copia leaned into her shoulder, a low feral growl vibrating in his chest, he declared "I'm starving" with one skilled thrust, he was buried deep inside her cunt. Caught by surprise Lauren grabbed onto his shoulder and dropped her head back,  He wasted no time finding a steady rhythm. 

His hands trailed up Laurens chest and around her back , making little work of the bra, throwing it behind them onto the floor, Using his fingers to grope her breast and pinch the nipple between his fingers,  His lips were sucking and nipping at her neck, 

Thrusting, pinching, sucking, it all left Laurens body tingling from the variety of sensations, it took all the strength she had left to keep her legs wrapped over his hips. 

Her moans echoed through the apartment and into the open air of the ministry at night. 

"Yess..." Copia hissed, turning his arm up to cradle her drooping head in his hand.  

"Co...copia" Lauren moaned out, trying to keep her legs up and over his waist. 

"Let them hear you sing for me" his head tilted to the side and a wicked idea crossed his mind, "let's let them watch" he chuckled as he lifted Lauren off the counter, flush against his chest and turned to walk over to the open doors of his balcony.

In Laurens haze ,suddenly being so close to him, she tugged at the buttons of his shirt and leaned in to kiss his neck, his cologne was still fresh the intoxicating musk he refused to tell her what it was . 

Copia turned and leaned Lauren against the door frame,

Her cheeks flushed as the cold night breeze hit Lauren and the sounds of siblings working down in Primos’ garden below, Copia knew exactly how to put on a show.

Holding Lauren up with his thigh as he moved his arms to hook under Laurens legs, exposing her cunt in full to him "Let the ministry know you are all mine and no one else can satisfy you like Papa does" . Copia looked down to where his cock was sheathed in her pussy, slick and wet as he started thrusting into Lauren again. Copia had her, all of her. 

Lauren reached her hand above her head to hold onto the wood of the frame, her breasts bouncing to his rhythm "oh Fuck Copia!!!" She cried out as his cock hit her cervix, slightly pangs of pain drowned out from the ecstacy that coursed through her body. 

Her other hand reached down and held his jaw, moving his head up and pulling him into a sloppy kiss, his tongue pressing against hers , gasping and moaning into each other's mouth. Her hand rested around his neck, finding the throbbing jugular below his jaw and gently squeezing. 

"Haah" he groaned pulling away from Laurens lips, "I won't.. last.." he admitted as his thrusts became erratic "touch yourself " he begged "Cum with me" 

Lauren let go of the door frame and ran her tongue over between her middle and pointer finger, dropping her hand down between their legs, and pushing her fingers along side his cock , pressing her thumb to her clit, sending a quick shiver up her body, his movements enough to stimulate the building sensation up Laurens body. 

"Oh fuck, co...Copia" they moaned together ,louder and higher as they both were chasing that release. building and building.

Copia throwing his head back as his body shook, filling her with his hot cum, he let go of Laurens ass to grab her breast, squeezing her nipple between his fingers, drips of milk falling down the back of his hand.

That was enough, Laurens voice cracked as she let out a loud cry "PAPAaaah!" , Laurens legs shaking and body squeezing around him, the high sending tingles through her arms and her mind felt like she was on cloud nine, high above the world. 

He collapsed into Laurens body, slowly falling to his knees with her still in his lap. His arms wrapped around her waist . 

The two of them sat there as the high faded and exhaustion set in, Lauren wrapped her arms around his shoulders ,holding him close to her chest, 

" Ringrazia il signore oscuro per averti mandato da me" he mumbled under what breath he had left. " ti amerò incondizionatamente”

“ anchio ti amo" Lauren whispered, kissing his forehead. 

They could finally hear clapping and cheering down below as Lauren faded back into reality, "Get it Mama! " a sibling cheered from below. 

Laurens eyes shot wide and back into the apartment, as if looking away from the sound would hide her from the apparent audience. How much did they see? 

Copia laughed as he leaned In to her,hooking her chin with his finger and turning her to look at him so he could kiss her softly, despite still catching his breath. " Are you OK?" 

Lauren nodded and looked down to the state they were in "are you still hungry? I think dinner might be cold now"

Notes:

now with translations whoops

Tu, piccola scema - You little fool
Sai cosa hai fatto - you know what you did
Sei così bisognoso, così bagnato, così caldo - You're so needy, so wet, so hot
Adoro il tuo gusto - I love your taste
Ringrazia il signore oscuro per averti mandato da me -Thank the dark lord for sending you to me
anchio ti amo - I love you too.

Chapter 18: Welcome Home

Summary:

Even though you won the battle and you've embrace your life free in the ministry,
But it turns out the anxiety still haunts your lively hood .
In your best attempts to show Eva that even though there can be things you're afraid of, you will never walk alone.

"What do you think about replacing these tiles? Maybe with some Obsidian Marble " Copia called as he washed the suds over his shoulders, letting out a hiss under his breath as the soap stung at the scratches from Lauren's nails on his back, Still fresh and raised on his skin. 

"What's wrong with my bathroom tiles?" Lauren called from the bedroom, rubbing body butter over down her arms and chest, her wet hair still wrapped up in a towel. 

"They're from my mothers Era" 

"Oh yeah? What era is that, the Mod Era?" Lauren pulled the Red Satin slip over her body and pulled the robe over her shoulders "The Victorian Era?" 

"The Mesozoic Era" the smirk on his face could be heard in his voice. turning and letting the hot water run down his aching body.

Lauren faked a gasp, stalking into the bathroom and pressing down on the flusher.

Cold water drenched his skin in an instant, the steam disappeared while Copia let out a high scream and jumped from under the water, grabbing the shower curtain and taking it with him as he jumped to escape the icy water.
Totally bare he grabbed for a towel to warm his shoulders, gasping for air from the shock as he looked to her with surprise. 

Lauren looked up to the bar of rings now sliding down the broken rail of the shower "well....maybe we do need to renovate the bathroom. " Lauren crossed her arms and smirked at him

"I'll show you renovation " he dropped the curtain and the towel to the floor, stepping over and grabbing Lauren by the waist and pulling her into his embrace.
Lauren gasped  as the water soaked the satin of her slip, "Copia No! I just got dry! " she held onto his forearms as he leaned in and pressed his lips to her neck , letting his soaking hair drip down her shoulders and down her back.
His arm dropped down to grab her ass through the satin, squeezing hard.
Lauren let out a squeak, reaching up to undo the towel wrapped around her hair, dropping it over his head but this only encouraged him to kiss her neck harder, nipping and sucking at the veins, sending shivers down her arms and her spine "co...oh..." she moaned, melting into his embrace. 

The sound of glass shattering and a shrill cry ripped through the apartment, both Laurens and Copias heads turned towards the sound, Laurens heart sank "Eva" she gasped , Copia let Lauren go and grabbed his pants.
Lauren rushed out and across the landing into Eva's room, lit only by her night light on the wall, the window had been shattered, glass glittering across the floor, Lauren hopped over to the crib,
Eva was red in the face from the screams of fear, she kicked and squirmed in her sleep sack, "Oh baby..." Lauren gasped, leaning over to pick her up and cradle her against her chest. all Lauren could do was shush her and cradle her in her arms,
"It's ok Baby, Mummys hear it's ok" but nothing would settle her. 

Copia appeared in the door frame "Is she alright? is she hurt?"  he scanned the room and the floor,
"She's not hurt, just very scared, " Lauren sighed, bouncing around trying to comfort her.

Copia held his hand out to Lauren " Come away from the glass" as she walked out of the room and into the light of the lounge.  "Stay here, " he ordered.
He leaned into the room and spotted a figure on the carpet rug in her room. He walked out and grabbed a pair of shoes, arming himself with a letter opener from the shelves.
Copia cautiously walked into the nursery, The crunch of the glass underfoot was all he could hear trying not to alert whatever could be on the floor if it were alive and dangerous.

It didn't move as Copia stepped past to look at it in the moonlight, feathered shimmered under the light of the nearly full moon that cast onto the carpet, distinctly white speckled feathers, a small and pointed beak in the pile of white feathers, and a pair of amber eyes stared up at Copia from the ground, an Owl lay still on the rug breathing quickly but slightly.

The window had been shattered and the glass thrown inwards to the room, but the owl had landed quite close to the window sill.

The owl chittered quietly, quietly asking for help. 

Copia grabbed one of the blankets off the change table and dropped to his knee in front of the bird, " Sei molto lontano da casa tua " he whispered, draping the blanket over the birds wings and carefully scooping the bird up into his arms, careful not to squeeze the bird or flex anything, the owl lay calmy in his hold,
Copia turned the bird around looking over the feathers , between the wings at the bottom of the owls head was a splatter of blood, still wet and shiny, 

" Non hai mancato il tuo obiettivo, vero? " Copia sighed, gently running a thumb across its skull, " Tu eri l'obiettivo . "  

Evas cries continued to echo through the room, Laurens thighs starting to burn from the constant bouncing, her eyes stung as tears threatened to fall down her face, no matter what she were doing wasn't calming her down, her voice, her embrace, the soothing, she wouldn't take her binky, she just screamed and cried. 

The front door opened suddenly as Swiss, Aether and Sodo charged in dressed in their sweatpants and T Shirts "What's going on, we heard the glass smash " Swiss's voice called, " Are you hurt?", Sodo went to the bedroom to assess the situation. Swiss did the same, checking the Nursery where he found Copia holding the bundle. "Call the Veterinary hospital and have them send our associates, this Owls been hurt, it's far from home" Copia ordered , Swiss pulled out his phone and dialed.

Aether crossed over to Lauren and the screaming Eva "Was it her room?"  Lauren just nodded, Aether placed a hand on Lauren arm and a hand on the back of her head, his hands were warm and tingly "Don't stop what you're doing, you're doing great" he whispered as he looked down to Eva,
Finally her cries dimmed, Lauren scrunch her eyes together in relief and frustration, tears escaping down her cheeks.
"She'll go back to sleep soon" he mumbled and gently rubbed her arm " Hey... " 

"I can't do it on my own...." Lauren choked out, the feeling of not being enough to help sooth her own daughter only started the spiral. She was all alone in the room when something scared her to an inconsolable state, Her cries were of true terror, true fear, everything Lauren should be able to keep her from. What kind of mother cant sooth her own child when they go through a waking nightmare. Laurens love and her touch was no match for a ghouls influence.
She's not always going to have ghouls nearby to keep her calm. 

Aether held Lauren arms and guided her to the couch to sit down on" oi Spit fire. Make some tea for her, will ya?" Aether called out, sitting on his knees in front of Lauren  "I don't need to ask, you're thinking your way down the rabbit hole, I know you are. Stop it, Sometimes a mama needs help, it's ok." he placed a hand on Lauren's knees "Even the old one seeks help from time to time, that's why he has ghouls, why Papa has Ghouls".
The couch sunk beside her, Sodo held a cup of tea beside her " You've got her, She's dreaming again, drink this" 

Eva was fast asleep against Laurens chest, snoring away softly. She gently lowered her to lay on her thighs, her little arms held up above her head, Lauren adjusted the blanket to rest over her body .The sounds of her screams , pure terror and fear, like she feared for her life, echoed over and over in Laurens mind. Lauren placed her finger on her palm and her fingers closed around it. 

"See, she's at peace now" Aether whispered as he moved the hair around on Evas head with his finger, Sodo held the cup in front of Lauren  "drink it. " he insisted, So she did,
Aether lifted Laurens foot in his arm " Sodo, get the bandages, tweezers and the cleaner "  he sighed , picking up the other foot " how did you not feel this? you walked all over the glass, you're coursing with Adrenaline, is that what they call the mothers instinct?"

Lauren looked down but couldn't see more than pink flushing on her skin, but still she felt no pain. 

Sodo brought it all in a metal bowl. "move over, your hands are too big " he ordered moving into Aethers place. Sodo started picking away the shards of glass from the souls of Laurens feet, she could feel the short sharp pricks as he picked them out one by one, quickly and without hesitation, but she stayed still so she didn't rouse Eva from her sleep again.
Aether kept a hand on Laurens ankle to hold her still and to numb any pain she might have experienced. 

Copia and Swiss charged out of the Nursery towards the front door "We will be right back, I need to look into this further " Copia called,
Lauren looked over her shoulder to see him carrying the white linen bundle "What was that?" 

"A snowy Owl. Far from home" he called as Swiss opened the door "Still alive, and it'll stay that way " , before Lauren could beg for him to stay, the two of them were gone. 

Lauren was left with her feet on the legs of a ghoul, a Baby on her lap and a cup of tea. It was quiet once again. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Copia and Swiss met the stable hand in the infirmary first, the vet team would take some time to get there, all they could do was make sure the owl was comfortable and alive. 

The stable hand instructed Swiss to hold the feet of the owl and gently press on the owl's torso so he could do a basic examination "We don't get many owls in the stables, more bats but not often Owls.  Papa, are you certain this owl didn't just fly into the window chasing a bat?" 

"I'm positive, there's a small impact on the back of the owl's head but no ripping, it's not talons." Copia called, checking his phone to gauge how far away the vets would be. 

Swiss turned the bird over and the stable hand found the wound " you're right.." gently pushing the feathers away to examine closer. "a small projectile... not quite a bullet.. maybe a stone... " he mumbled "Why would someone do that to an innocent creature?"

"I've been asking that for a year now... Cruelty rears its ugly head at the most unexpected times"  Copia mumbled 

It was determined that the owl was struck with intent, no damage from the impact of the glass, no damage to the spine, just shock.
The owl would recover in a specially constructed aviary, it would take little time for the ghouls to construct.

There was still one question left unanswered.

Who did it? 

The siblings knew harming another living being was forbidden,  but no one else would come onto these grounds.
No one could or would identify who it was that hurt the owl, The ghouls did pick up on a scent trail but it was unfamiliar to any of them, it was a frustrating situation as all he could do would be to let it go for now, if the opportunity arose that the offender would show themselves.

In the morning when the sun had risen,  Copia took Lauren and Eva out for a walk in the brisk morning air, Going slow as Laurens feet were still raw from the stitches but well sprayed with Lidocaine pain killer spray, he insisted in carrying Eva in his arms as the two of them walked through the garden to the aviary that had been prepared from an unused stable, Lauren stood back to watch the two of them. 

"Do you see the little one? " Copia stepped up to the chicken wire fence and pointed to the white blob hiding in the pile of straw on the shelf "That's the unexpected guest you had last night that woke you up"  

Eva leaned forward and held onto the wire " ducky" she babbled,
The owl lifted its head hearing Evas voice. 

Copia chuckled "yes, that's a night time ducky" he waved at the owl " She didn't want to hurt you at all." 

Eva waved her hand at the 'ducky' too, then sat up and clapped her hands.  

"Let's go say Hi to the night time ducky"  he mumbled and looked back at Lauren " Are you coming?" 

Lauren nodded and followed behind them as they all walked into the stables and through the wooden door. Not once did the owl move from her nest, Copia walked up cautiously to the nest " Ducky is still a wild animal, Unpredictable. So we are...gentle " Copia reached out his hand and let the Owl lean into his touch, pressing its cheek to the side of his finger . "There we go,"  Copia whispered, gently rubbing this finger between the feathers of her head, and started to purr from the affection.
"See, Ducky didn't mean to scare you" he whispered, Eva was curled up against his chest, holding onto his shirt, still afraid of the creature in front of her. 

"It's ok to be scared, Principessa," he leaned down to kiss her head.  " Whenever you're lost, or sad, or afraid , I promise your Mama and your Papa will be here for you, no matter what. Call me, little Sunshine " he looked over his shoulder to Lauren with a smile " that goes for you too" 

Lauren walked over and held onto his forearm, leaning up to kiss his cheek, but he had the same idea, the two of you shared a quick kiss. The owl watching wide eyed from its nest let out a chirp.
"Now how did you make it all the way here, you are so far from your home" Lauren sighed, reaching out to hold her hand to the Owl, who again leaned her head into her palm  "You don't think she escaped from a black market buyer do you?" 

"Black market pets? around here?  highly unlikely" Copia mumbled, "not from a zoo or sanctuary either. She is Wild, maybe the arctic winds drove her south. but she made her way here, so maybe she's lucky after all" 

Lauren rested her head on his shoulder "you love taking in injured and abandoned ladies" Lauren mumbled .
Copia rolled his eyes and kissed the top of Laurens head "Just the ones who burst through my doors" 

Copia sat in his office trying to write the sermon for the coming mass, last year He'd let Terzo take the mass to celebrate the tradition of St Valentine's day, as he does best, He spoke on Lust, the connections it brings, the positive influences on ones body, how Christians use restraint and abstinence as worship which leads to built up desire, leading to harm on another being. 

In the past it was very easy to speak on lust, the most favored sin of all among the clergy, But since Lauren arrived at the ministry the desire to indulge in lust had passed in significance to what passion and love had done to his old burned heart.

Copia reached over and held the wooden photo frame holding the photo he'd captured of Lauren and Eva in the glow of the last summer sunset.
Laurens smile frozen mid laughter, Lauren's hair floating in the air.
Eva holding onto the straps of Laurens dress, her hair tied up into two little spikes that they both accepted were charismatic pigtails. 

Copia had never pictured himself being a father or even a father figure, ironic yes but he assumed that if he were to sire an heir it would be through an assigned prime mover, Doomed to be seen to them as an aloof figure so lost in his work to the church, and the child would grow up to resent them.  

But Eva, Little Evaleign , He wanted to be there for her, he wanted to spend time with her, sing her to sleep, She was perfectly innocent and untouched by the troubles of the world. He may have just been a step father to her, and only time will tell if she grows to resent him as the man who her mother started a relationship with instead of her biological father, but Copia finally understood what a Parents love for one's child should make one feel.
How Eva's innocent laughter makes the stresses of the day melt away, Watching her firsts come by so unexpectedly and how it fills him with joy and pride, how her presence alone has softened the behaviour of even the most fierce of his ghouls,
The sounds of her screams send not only a cold shiver down his spine but the instinct to protect and save his little princess no matter the cost, he couldn't even fault Lauren for charging into her room and running over the glass, he would have done the same thing if he'd gone first. 

Copia reflected on how his grumpy asshole family, his brothers and his asshole father softened as soon as Eva entered a room. Secondo especially embracing the title of Great Uncle. The grumpiest of the Emeritus brothers would read her to sleep, The eldest walking her through his private gardens, her whole hand holding his pointer finger, the two of them both walking slowly through the gardens. Even the playboy Terzo seemed to have a particular space special for her.

Life in seclusion was not a difficult choice when it came to ensuring everyone of their flock was safe from judgment and prejudice of the close minded, Maybe after all this time they'd neglected to embrace socializing and teaching the future generations of the Satanic Ministry.
While the Ghost project has certainly opened their world to the knowledge of the ministry and the respect for their dark lord among the masses and fans, Metalheads are some of the happiest and most respectful people after all, Fans aren't always flocking to join the ministry with true passion to serving the dark lord, and some fans have a romanticized vision as to how the ministry actually runs which wasn't entirely encouraging. 

When he thought about the flock in this ministry alone, most of the siblings on this property ground alone are those cast out of the Christian or Catholic Faiths, Those who've found home in the "dark" and misunderstood.
Lauren was the only person who came here out of need for sanctuary, begging for help, not just for herself but for the tiny innocent life in her arms.

Copia remembered the woman who'd first arrived here, hiding fear and uncertainty behind a smile that Lauren would put on to make people around her feel at ease, It took quite some time, but Copia would do anything to see her genuine and warm smile, Now he's seen the difference between the Mask and the Genuine article. 

The thought of how he's watched Lauren regain her confidence and her sense of self in such a short time having been here,
He knew she would thank him for providing the facilities Medical and Therapy she never have been able to afford any other way, but she's the one who's done the hard work,
That smile, That beautiful, Genuine smile. 

Lauren took a risk for her daughter's life and look where they are now. 

Maybe it was time for him to take a risk himself. 

The Siblings gathered to the chapel for this highly anticipated Mass, Rumours had spread when additional practices with the ghouls had been called late into the night, but no other information had been confirmed, There were no visiting clergies or guest speakers, All that was asked was the siblings attend in their best dressed.
The anticipation alone made it an exciting affair.

Mass was to be held during sunset, earlier in the evening as Copia had asked that Eva come to her first Mass.
The bells chimed as the sun hit the steeple, The siblings all took their seats in the pews. The chorus of siblings stood together and began to sing their chorus to Infestissumam, an extended introduction, no music, this was just the beginning.

Leading the congregation was Primo, waving the Thurible of incense, cleaning the grounds they walked.
Secondo followed, his staff freshly polished, the Grucifix held high,
Terzo carried the ministry's sacred text.
Finally Copia, dressed in his full teal jeweled regalia. His paints crisp, not a single thread out of place. 

Sister imperator and Papa Nihil escorted the two girls down the aisle to the front pews, her normal place, the best seats in the house, Papa Nihil dressed in his regular embroidered regalia. Sister Imperator made the effort to dress up for the occasion, wearing a Two toned gown, a crimson red floor length skirt, Black top with black mesh sleeves, her hair tied back and a crimson red lip. She looked glamorous.

Lauren had been given a tea length black satin gown, one sleeve down her right arm, her left exposed to the warmth of the sunset. She made an effort to recreate the natural smokey eyed makeup look from her wedding day, the only time She felt truly beautiful, it's a shame it was for the wrong man.
Lauren's hair straightened and left to flow down her back like a veil. Simple low rise heels, and sheer stockings. 

Cumulus had crafted a special black satin dress and bow for Eva to wear, All dressed up like it was her birthday party, no matter what was going on, she'd be the star of the show.

The Papas placed their pieces down to the mantle on the stage, and left, Terzo wrapped his arm around Laurens back and guided her to the front pew, reserved for the family of the high clergy.
Once the song had finished, the family sat, the siblings sat, and Eva crawled over to sit in Uncle Terzos Lap, All he could do was smile and reposition her so she sat on his leg
there was no fighting it, she'd cause a fuss. 

Copia took his place to light the final candles to signal the beginning of mass.

"This evening , there is no reading to take from. Tonight, if you'll lend me your ear, I wish to thank Papa Terzo for his sermon on lust to celebrate St Valentine's Day this past week. We are all well experienced and learned on the most favoured of sins" he chuckled with the rest of the clergy. 

"I wish to talk about something we take for granted more often than we care to admit." Copia stated and took a deep breath" When lust grows...into love..." 

 Copia paused to pull out cue cards from within his robes. The siblings chattered amongst themselves, "What is papa talking about?" "We know what love is"
The siblings chattered amongst one another in their confusion, 

"Many of us will never experience the same kind of love, Not in the same way, because of this many of us seek that feeling through fantasy and fiction, Exaggerated truths that one can put themselves in the position of the person who's the target of desire and affection, the object of one's desires, but when we turn the pages and finish the story...that's it... we only get to experience that love for a short time. We use lust as a way to fulfil the needs of pleasure and desire temporarily. As Papa Terzo described, Lust is not just the desire for contact with another being, not just short lived pleasures, It is infact one of our basic instincts as humans.

We all are free to participate consensually. My concern is simple, we have become too accustomed to no strings attached relationships. I don't hear much of anything regarding relationships among one another, I may just be out of the loop, I may just be one to ignore the gossip among the halls, but not once since my ascension have I officiated a wedding. 

Now, I'm not saying I want you all to rush into weddings , I only wish you'd all share the bliss that is love. It's not something that's rushed, it's something that grows and builds." 

Copia looked down to Sister Imperator and Nihil "My own Mother and Father are quite bad at keeping secrets." Sister shot him a disapproving glare.
"Despite all they've experienced throughout the last .... 50 years?  they still tolerate one another, They still find solace in each others company, they still bicker, they still roll their eyes at one another, but they keep each other in their lives after all of the decades, For that I am thankful "

"This is the love I should have grown up influenced by, Due to the fact i was raised by the clergy around me, the siblings who cared for me, I was unaware to who my parents were until recently, in that time I could possibly have been exposed to aggravated behaviour or raised to resent either one of these parents based on their opinions at the time.
For the clergy who raised me, I'm thankful. I've come to know the parents who have grown tired of holding grudges,  the parents who have grown past the anger and have embraced the decades of longing they still had after all this time. Personally I am thankful. I wasn't raised to expect that a romantic partner will take advantage of my love, I was raised to cherish love, but appreciate the fleeting moments as they are, True love can last, It may just take time for it to find you"

Copia turned to his parents and bowed his head quickly for them, he gestured to his brothers

"The previous Papas are my Biological Half Brothers, we may gripe, we may get on one another's nerves, but we have an unconditional love between us all. we bonded over time for our mission to serve the dark one to the best of our abilities, to learn from our predecessors, and to tolerate the conditions we all grew up in and now live in" 

Copia flips his page "In mythology, the strongest relationship that's widely desired is from Greek Mythology, The love shared between Hades, the god of the underworld, and Persephone, the goddess of spring and chaos. When spring comes around and Persephone must leave the underworld for 3 months, the longing hades has being apart from his wife can only be described like apart of his world is missing,
Mythology talks about how Hades tricked Persephone to eat the seeds of the pomegranate. Having spoken with witches working with the Greek pantheon, over the centuries their love has continued to grow, they build together, they grow together, their longing, their lust, their worship of one another, has survived the centuries and the development of the modern world. They are not a symbiotic being, they both are their own beings , Rulers of their own worlds, casters of their own abilities, they support one another, they are not bound to each other in the sense they must do everything together. They are their own beings, that live and work together to keep their world running as they should"

"The gods and deities show us that even with high responsibility, Through War and Famine, no matter how big or small, Love can not be crushed. Just as a world can rebuild after a natural disaster so long as we come together and work as one, Love can persist , Love can be found again, Love can rebuild, Love gives us motivation to stay strong, to support and protect those around you. "

Copia put his book aside and stepped out from behind the podium " now I know, Not a lot of this will make sense, I sound like a love struck teenager, But my motivation behind today is for you all to know that I encourage you all to take the risks, take the chances to find someone who supports and will love you the way that you deserve."

Copia walked down from the stage and over to his family members, Eva bounced in Terzos lap holding up her hands, Copia scooped her up in his arms "Hello my Principessa "  he held his hand out to Lauren, he hadn't told her at all what he planned to do for this Mass, She took his hand and stood up. He led them both up onto the stage behind the podium, not letting go of Laurens hand. 

Eva touched the jewels on his robes and waved to the ghouls and siblings in the pews. loving having the spotlight on her, 

"I had accepted that in my old age i would be spending the last years of my life dedicated to the olde one, But when you came to our clergy I had not a single clue the impact you'd have on us all, Evaleigne has grown so much in a year, bringing a light of her youth to the clergy, smiles to even the grumpiest of the clergy, and opened our minds to what we could open our doors to for our own development." 

He turned to face the crowd " So I will be working to develop Orphanages in ministries around the world, to provide care even to the young people born into poor conditions who can seek a better future under the care of our clergy. No Child should be subject to poor conditions, no child should go without food, no child should be denied medical care, We can offer this, we will provide it to those who come to our doors for respite, where we do not have those trained to provide this kind of care, we will create scholarships for siblings to train and earn qualifications in that field. " 

The siblings erupted into cheers and chattering, this was a huge development for the ministry. Many of the education opportunities benefited the ministry specifically, architecture, gardening, hospitality, administration and management, but this would be benefiting the next generation of clergy. opening up nursing and child care, pediatrics, education, Many possibilities, It was a wonderful change for the clergy

Eva clapped and bounced in his arms, fully unaware what was going on, "yeah, it's exciting" Copia kissed her forehead  and let go of Laurens hand for just a moment to silence the crowd. He passed Eva over to Lauren and pulled her into his arms, leaning in to whisper "This isn't a Proposal of marriage, I promise" 

"You had me fooled for a moment there"  Lauren whispered back, choking on her own voice , Lauren turned her head to press her cheek to his, the topic of marriage had never come up, it was too soon.

He leaned back for the clergy to hear him speak. 

"I have had experiences people can only dream of, I have dedicated my life to worship, I had accepted that I would grow old on my own.
Lauren... You have been through your own hell, Experiences no one should ever have to go through, you came here, you won, and now you grow, You have changed the way i think, the way i work, the way i see myself, Because you are the one I can come home to, you've welcomed me into your lives, welcomed me into your heart, and you've had me near by as you've rebuilt your own life. I could never have imagined that someone as kind or beautiful as you would have taken me into your heart, not when your whole heart is filled with the life you've created. It's because of you that I smile, It's because of you I'm motivated to care for my own well being, to keep up with such little legs. I love you like Gomez loves Morticia, a weird little Italian man falling for the goddess who drives him crazy when she speaks, I wish to be your Gomez"

"I will take this vow to you, So long as you will have me, Whenever You or Evaleign need me, I will be there to support you, to encourage you, to love you with every last fiber in my body, Because I have fallen in love with you, I fall everytime you smile, and I will love every part of you until i leave this mortal coil and step through across the threshold of hell.
And should the day come that we part, I will never stop loving either of you, I will still be here for you" 

Such a public display of affection, Dedication and passion in front of his entire clergy, in front of his family spoke volumes, No one should be afraid to find love, no one should be afraid to love again, no one should have to hide, Not even the head of the clergy.
A tear fell down Laurens cheek, how could she respond to that? 

Lauren held up a finger and put Eva down "Go to Nana Imperator honey"  gathering her thoughts and her breath

Sister leaned down and held her hands out as Eva lowered herself down the stairs and tottled over to her, the siblings that could see all sighed as they watched her run to her Nana. She takes the biggest steps like she had to use the full motion of her legs to get anywhere. 

Lauren wrapped her arms over his shoulders and stepped closer to him "I would give you a big speech like that... how you could love me even after being broken and battered and abused, how you'd still kiss me even if Eva would spit up on me, How you would just know what I needed on some of the toughest days.
You still come back to me. Every day, You've shown me what it means to be loved, what actual support and safety feels like, everyday I get to fall asleep and wake up in your arms, I know that i'm going to be ok. Because I'm with you."  

Lauren took a deep breath and looked deep into his mismatched eyes "All of this to say....I'm in love with you too, Copia." 

The siblings all sighed in aww, the example they needed to see what love can do to a person. 

"Kiss her, Stronzo!"  Terzo called from the pews, the siblings erupted in laughter. 

Copia shrugged and pulled Lauren close, leaning in for a slow but passionate kiss. Lauren reached up to bap the miter of his head and push her fingers through his hair, pressing herself as close as she could.
His arms wrapped around Laurens back as he turned to dip her down, a totally unnecessary flare, but he knew how to make the crowd cheer.
Lauren dropped her head back from the kiss and laughed, his kisses trailed down Laurens neck and to her chest  

The crowd clapped and whooped for them both, this was supposed to be a lesson of Love, not an example of lust.
Copia stood them back up and kissed her forehead.
Lauren fixed his disheveled hair stuck in his makeup "Are you sure this isn't a wedding? feels like a wedding to me" 

Copia sighed " Il mio sogno è trascorrere l'eternità con te " using his finger to push the hair behind her ear " ma aspetterò finché non sarai pronto " 

Lauren pressed her head into his hand, this place had become her home, everything Lauren learned, the worship, the community, the clarity, it all makes sense.
It may not be a wedding, but an idea crossed Laurens mind, how could she show him she truly loves him and the people around her. 

"Baptize me" Lauren said 

He froze, "you're sure?" 

Lauren nodded 

Copia whipped his head around and looked to the ghouls who jumped into action. He stepped ahead of her " Siblings, Please join us for a surprise of this evening, The ghouls will hand out candles, and gather together by the lakefront" 

The siblings all stood from their pews and filled out the front of the chapel, the chatter and talk filled the room,
Sister stood from her pew carrying Eva , the papas following close behind "What's going on? this wasn't in the agenda"  

"Are you getting married after all?" Terzo called "Certainly looked like you were exchanging vows in a hallmark movie- AH"
Secondo clapped him on the back of the head 

Copia wrapped his arms around Laurens waist " as much as you do look like a beautiful bride, no it's not a wedding" 

"I've asked Copia to Baptize me," Lauren announced. 

Sister reached for Laurens arm " you're certain? "

"I am, I'm ready to dedicate my life to the ministry, to Lucifer Morningstar. He brought you all to me, I'm ready to be reborn into as an actual member of this clergy. Not Eva, we'll wait until she's old enough to make that decision on her own" 

Sister smiled and looked to Nihil "We already consider you both family. This is wonderful" Eva was leaning into sisters shoulder and yawning."I'll ask one of the ghouls to take Eva to bed. Copia You should head down to the lakefront and prepare, we will escort Lauren down"
You leaned forward and kissed her head "Goodnight honey, I'll be up soon I promise" 

Copia nodded and kissed her cheek "I'll see you in a moment" practically jogging down the aisle and out to the lake. 

Lauren watched him go, "I know this is sudden and unexpected but I've been thinking about this for a while now."
"No time like the present" Terzo stepped forward and wrapped her arm around his " Come. While the night is still young" He looked around to everyone "Move, we follow in the path of the elders" he ordered, Lauren let a giggle escape in response to his subtle sass

They all walked out the way they had come in,  Nihil and Sister, Primo, Secondo , Terzo and Lauren.
Out into the cold night air, the full moon was rising over the hills to light their way. 

"I have to thank you, Mio Fratello has really come out of his shell since you came here, you gave him a purpose to stay in his top form, Since his tour finished in Australia I was worried he'd fall into old habits, "Terzo turned to smile at Lauren

"Old Habits? what do you mean?"  Lauren held his arm with both hands, 

"Seclusion, Dedicating his time to worship. As a cardinal he was entirely plain, Hardest working cardinal for sure, but he left little time in his life for his own indulgence. his entire papacy has been quite stressful, tour after tour, coming back and it's right into mass. When we were retired from the position all we did was play poker and sleep around."

Lauren giggled and leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked. “You're happy he won't be a bitter old man like those two huh~" Lauren teased .

"Exactly, that and I don't know if i could handle having his rats around the clergy again" 

"Funny you say that, we were just talking about adopting a couple rats for Eva to get used to interacting with small animals" 

Terzos eye twitched " alright but they smell quite bad at times " 

"You haven't smelled Evas Diaper after taco night" Lauren replied with a smirk on her face.

He rolled his eyes and sighed "another reason you two are perfect together " 

The crowd of Siblings gathered by the lakefront was beautiful, a sea of twinkling flame lights split into two. Shrouded in darkness and moonlight.
The procession heads down the hill towards the lake, passing by all the siblings all humming the tune of 'he is' ghouls playing just the guitar to this song.
The Papas parted their ways, Terzo walked Lauren up to the stairs of the dock, but let her hand slip out of his arm, 

Walking alone down to meet Copia at the end of the dock.
Lauren were certain of her choice, it was time to embrace the world she lived in,
The lessons from mass, From texts, what they stood for, what she could learn, it felt more like home, the life before lead her here, this is where she's meant to be. 

Copia held his hand out to meet Lauren at the end of the walk way. His infectious smile cut through the darkness, the jewels sparkling , mental note; call him a lighthouse.
"You continue to surprise me, Mio amour"

"You love it" Lauren mumbled taking his hands and standing in front of him, 

Copia took a deep breath and squeezed her hands "Lauren, You have declared your intention of rebirth in the name of Lucifer Morningstar. To live your life embracing the teachings of the Ministry, to live by the Satanic Tenets and dedicate your life to justice, and to do as your Papa says " he smirked 

"I don't remember that being in the Baptism prayer" Lauren cocked her head to the side 

“Of course it’s in there, Tesoro, i’m not making this up on the spot” rushing through his words, he was ecstatic to be doing this for her, he wanted to keep a little joke in there just for her.
Copia stepped to her side, and turned Lauren to face the crowd of siblings, his hand resting on Laurens lower back, his other hand holding her chin

"You will live among a clergy of like minded people, You'll live your life free of the guilt and prejudice of sin. Free to fulfill your every desire" his hand trailed down Laurens back, resting on her butt, he leaned in to whisper to her ear
"You know what you do to me when you're dressed in satin " 

"Papa~ Let's not make the clergy jealous" Lauren whispered in return. 

He nodded and leaned away from her,
"Under the light of the snow moon, We leave behind the person you once were, You will fall as Lucifer fell from the heavens, and emerge a follower of the Morningstar. "
His hand on Laurens shoulder gently pushed her back "Because of your faith in the Olde One and in obedience of to his teachings, I baptize you in the name of Satan"

His grip on her slipped away and Lauren fell back from the dock, taking a deep breath before she hit the icy cold water. The cold was a shock to Laurens system, feeling like falling through glass into needles,  she felt the need to gasp for air, but she had to resist.
There was no current or waves to carry her away, just the sound of the water bubbling and settling around her.

It was peaceful for just a moment. 

Laurens lungs burned from the need to breath, she kicked her legs and reached for the surface, breaking through the surface of the water and gasping for air, The masks of Swiss and Aether reached down for Laurens arms and hoisted her from the water, The cheers from the crowd behind them drowned out by the fussing these ghouls had over her, they turned Lauren to sit on the end of the dock with her legs dangling over the side

" Still with us? " Swiss called as he wrapped Lauren in a warmed robe, her jaw and hands started shivering immediately as the night air breezed through her dress to her skin, clutching the robe around her shoulders for any shred of warmth. All she could do was nod . 

Lauren could feel a hand on her shoulder and a pressure on her head. "Ti Amo Tanto" 

"Ok she's reborn now lets keep her from getting fucking hypothermia " Aether ordered, Scooping Lauren up from under her legs and around her back and charging back down the dock "OI SODO, Get a hot bath going!"  he yelled  

Lauren lay naked under the velvet sheets, cuddled up to an equally naked Copia.
Sweat dripped from her skin, still swimming in orgasmic bliss. Laurens fingers stroking down the hair on his chest. 

"I don't think we needed to consummate my baptism" Lauren mumbled into his chest 

"Oh no we didn't need to, But it's fun" He chuckled, looking down to play with the stray hairs falling in front of her face  "Are you warm enough yet?" 

"I was warm when you fell into the bathtub" Lauren smiled up at him

"Yeah not my finest moment" his hand rubbed up and down her back "I'm sorry the whole affair tonight resembled a wedding... I didn't realize that until I saw you walking in in that gown, My mother loves you and Eva and she wants you in the family. " 

"It's ok, I was too relaxed for it to be a wedding. Still, The fact you'd make a declaration like that in front of your entire congregation, it was so sweet. You just want them to find love like us?"  She sat up beside him, his arm wrapping around her waist, 

"Of course" he patted her hip, "Do you want me to continue bearing my heart to you? Lavishing you with improvised poetry ?" 

Lauren pursues her lips thinking for a moment "Can you Lavish me with poetry....between my legs?" 

Chapter 19: International Guilt.

Summary:

The opportunity to travel abroad with Copia and the other Papas came up, of course Lauren took it at the first chance she got, unprepared to be wrecked with guilt of leaving Eva behind, will she able to enjoy the journey?

Notes:

There's ALOT of google translated Italian in this one, if you're on PC you can hover over the hyperlink for a translation - though don't click it, It'll take you to the A03 Home page.
ALSO - I'm going through the earlier chapters and making edits and re writes to it, so go back and read it for some sneeky changes (honestly i'm after grammar errors)
So feel free to re read why not.

"And she only likes apples cut up into sticks, the wedges are too overwhelming for her so please cut them into sticks, Oh! you can call Cumulus if things are too overwhelming, Eva's gotten used to them in their natural form, so she'll respond to her better that way, the blue backpack is also filled with shirts I've worn, don't wash them, they have my smell, she'll sleep better with it"

"Honey"

"Please don't give her peanut butter or any nuts, i haven't been able to test it myself and i'm afraid she'll have some of her fathers genes"

"Honey" 

"I've written down the numbers of the ghouls who act as her nannies, the siblings who take care of her at creche, Doctor Pennys number , it's all there, they know to pick up as soon as possible if you call" 

"HOney!" Laurens mother snapped her out of the over-explanation trance she was in. "I've got this, I'll take as many photos, send you updates every 4 hours, and call the satanic ministry on the off chance there's an issue. I'll take care of her better than I did you" 

Lauren froze, looking at her little one year old in her mothers arms. There was still so much more to cover, she knew for a fact she wasn't going to read the instructions she'd written for her, she might follow the diet and snacks, but Lauren fully anticipated her sleep schedule is going to be out of sync even after a week.
Lauren felt terrible having to leave her baby alone without her mother for 7 full days, she'd never been apart for more than a day, even when she was in the hospital, she still came for a small visit each day.
Eva’s going to cry, every night, the one time Lauren goes away she can guarantee Eva's going to get sick and she'll come back right away. 

A pair of warm leather hands held her arms " Tesoro. It's going to be ok" Copia leaned in to look at Lauren "This is the one woman who has the most experience about raising a wonderful little girl" 

Lauren sighed and dropped her arms "you're right...I'm going to miss her so much though"  Lauren leaned in and kissed Evas cheek over and over, Eva squealed with giggles. 

A muffled voice called out the speakers announcing that the flight was now boarding for the priority passengers
"Cara, we have to go" Copia gently pulled Lauren back from her toddler's face. Lauren knew she had to go with him, so she stepped back with him " Bye Helen, Thank you for taking care of Eva" he called as they stepped back towards the terminal.

Laurens mother and father waved, Eva waved her hands at Lauren "Mamaaaa" she called out. 

Lauren waved back at her as she reversed away from her.

"Come on, Lauren! You're going to love Naples. I'm going to find you the best Pastries" Terzo called from the boarding line 

Copia rolled his eyes and turned her towards the line "You're not going to have time, Stronzo, We have too many meetings.  " 

Lauren kept looking over her shoulders at Eva who was getting tickles from her grandpa. It was a very sweet sight to see,  but she just knows how much she's going to cry when she realizes her mama's gone. or how much Lauren wi'll cry if she doesn't notice her mum's gone. 

It was going to be a torturous week, they were going to the wonderland of Naples, it was work for the Papas, they needed to meet with the ministry there and meet with Pope Francis. All of the Papas, Sister Imperator and Lauren were going.
Copia insisted that Lauren come, he wanted to show her his home, it was very exciting until the realization that Eva was not coming with her, Lauren felt like she were abandoning her, Secondo made a very good point, she's too young to remember this trip anyway, it'd be more worthwhile to make memories she would hold onto for years to come.
It was odd to be traveling commercially, but the ministries private jet was in America for refurbishments, so Public travel it was. 

Copia wrapped his arm around her waist and held Lauren close as Lauren both walked " Its a 2 and a half hour flight, Tesoro, 3 hours until we travel to our lodgings, plenty of time to spare before the first update from your mother "
Lauren pressed her eyes as tears fell down her face. "It doesn't change that I feel horrible for leaving her behind and I'm supposed to have fun without her."
Copia pressed a peck to her cheek "i'll find some ways to distract you, and we'll bring an entire suitcase of things for her till her next birthday" he handed the boarding passes to the agent as Lauren made her way down the ramp to the plane. "You're still a great mum"
Lauren walked down the ramp, still holding back the tears, the excitement of traveling internationally for the first time in nearly a decade hasn't hit at all, Not even when they both were escorted to their seats in the first class cabin, Being sat and offered free champagne. Her seat by the window, it was a rather spacious space, like they both had their own pods, tvs, plenty of legroom, all Lauren can think about is how Eva would love this space, plenty of places to explore, a great window, she'd love it. 

Copia sat in the Aisle seat and got comfortable, reaching over for her hand, he laced her fingers, and kissed the back of her hand. "3 hours, that's all "
Lauren nodded "three hours" 
"How about a little wager?" Copia offered
"Three options. 1 Will my brothers and I complain about the food? 2. How long until Terzo starts flirting with the air hostess or 3. Who will actually be successful in seduction. Terzo or Secondo?" 
Lauren couldn't hide any smile, Copia reached over and touched her cheek "there we go"
They were all great options. "if we could add a 3.5? "
"Oh?" Copia raised an eyebrow
"Which of your brothers gets kicked in the balls first?" 

Copia snorted and covered his mouth " that..is fantastic, alright you're on. If you were to win, what is your prize, My dear?" 
"I want to try the best pasta in Naples" was a simple option, but knowing him he could make a show out of a simple pasta date night.
Copia leaned down into her hand, pressing his mouth into the back of her hand "I can do that, For you" he kissed her knuckles again 

"And if you win?" 

His gaze darkened, he had to stretch over the console separating the two of them so he could whisper into her ear " I want to eat Tiramisu off the curves of your ass" leaving a kiss on her neck before pulling away,
Laurens face flushed bright red, hot red. "mmm ok" Lauren nodded, what if she agreed to " Secondo is going to succeed" she mumbled . 

"Ladies and gentlemen welcome above ITA Flight 679 to Naples, My name is Frederick McDougherty ,I am your Captain for this flight, If you can get to your seats quickly we can depart quickly and reach the shores of Naples in time to watch the sunset and partake in a lovely dinner, We'll be off as quickly as we can."

The Air hostesses made their way down the Aisles and prepared the cabin for take off. 

As Lauren watched the ground disappear beneath them, she looked out for their little township below, how small it was surrounded by the mountains and forest 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Once the plane was at cruising altitude and people were walking about the cabin, Copia had his printed out notes to read through, his glasses perched on his nose and She'd settled on a movie. 

Sister imperator appeared by Copias side and whispered something to him, he nodded and put his papers down on the console, leaning over to get their attention "Un momento amore mio", Lauren shot him a smile and a wave as he got up and walked back into the plane.
Sister imperator took his seat and got comfortable, leaning on the console "Are you alright dear? you weren't very happy when we were boarding"
"Oh... well, You know I haven't been away from my baby for more than a night, It feels like I'm abandoning her, Copia just wants me to go and have a good time, support him, but She's going to cry when she realizes I'm gone, my mum could easily ignore the instructions I gave her, she could easily let her stay awake too long or eat something bad.. I ..I don't know I'm just in my head overthinking, especially after what happened last week with the owl." 

Sister reached over and placed a hand on her arm, "Only you know what's best for your child, you've done all the hard work to keep her alive and safe. She's a good girl, and you've prepared your parents the best way possible, it's up to them to respect your wishes. Plus, when she's in school and going on field trips, she'll want her independence over time. little humans continue to surprise us no matter what they do"

She gave her only child to the care of an orphanage, a part of Lauren immediately feels the advice is moot as she gave up her child, it was hand off and done. but she's still a mother, still caring for her child even now. it was conflicting, Lauren could at least appreciate the gesture to calm her mind. 

"You're right, When she wants to go out on her own i don't know what i'll do with myself ,Thank you, Sister"  Lauren pat her hand 

"Any time, Honesty if you weren't upset then I'd be more concerned" Sister chuckled and leaned back into Copias Chair, "Now, if you need anything at all, just wave for me ok ?" 

"I will" Lauren grabbed her glass of bubbles to sip from it and waved as Sister got back up and went back to her seat. She was right, this was the first step to being able to teach her independence, Still it just put Lauren back into the funky mindset. When Copia came back , he just let out a sigh, "Stand up, Cara" , she looked to him then stood up again, he went and sat in Laurens seat and pat his leg "come... " he ordered,
Even though it felt silly to sit in the lap of her lover like a scared child, Lauren wasn't one to pass up the opportunity for the embrace. she sat down on his legs and he draped her legs over the console after retrieving his papers, wrapping an arm around her back "get some sleep" he whispered as she rested her head on his shoulder.
He fanned out the papers and went back to reading through his briefings, her arms hanging around his torso, turned in to get comfortable on his lap.
Lauren couldn't really fall asleep due to the loud roar of the engines, but she were able to let her mind shut off for a short time,

Terzo walked past the two of them later on during the flight, headed to the bar, he spotted Lauren on Copias lap and smirked, unable to keep the comments to himself
" What, did she get tired out on her introduction to the mile high club?", An airhostess walked past him " Potresti portarmi un doppio whisky, per favore ? " she nodded "si Papa"
" Grazie mia cara " he waved to her and sat in Copias seat. " Allora Dimmi, cosa le hai fatto ?"
Copia gave him an uninterested glance " Se vuoi saperlo , Il mio amore si sente come se avesse abbandonato il suo bambino perché siamo andati via senza di lei ."
Terzos expression changed quick to that of sympathy " Questa non è la prima volta che si separano "
" No, non lo è, ma lei non è dietro l'angolo se dovesse succedere qualcosa " Copia put his papers down, Accepting this wasn't a brief distraction.
" Capisco, ma possiamo tornare a casa tra un attimo, se necessario "  Terzo was struggling to understand the stress.
" So che finora non hai avuto la responsabilità di essere padre " Copia leaned over " O qualsiasi vera intimità   Ma ti chiedo di immaginare, se il padre della principessa la rapisse e noi non avessimo modo di tornare a casa subito, come ti sentiresti? Zio Terzo "

Terzo looked down to think " Sarei arrabbiato ," 

" Il mio amore sta pensando a ogni scenario che potrebbe accadere nel tempo in cui sarà lontana da sua figlia. " Copia gestures to Lauren 

" E niente che tu possa fare lo fermerà ? " Terzos face was solemn, he reached over and placed a hand on her ankle 

Copia just shook his head " Lo ammetto, ho paura che succeda qualcosa anche a lei. ma sono un papà, devo mantenere una faccia coraggiosa. " 

Terzo pursed his lips into a line, trying to find any way to help " Chiederò a Omega di tenerli d'occhio " 

"Grazie, Ora vai via " Copia chuckled and nodded to the air hostess with the whiskey . "Aiutami a vincere una scommessa " 

Terzos smirk was back as he stood up " you dog" he went to talk to the air hostess again, it was unusual to share a bond like that between the brothers, there was still bickering, but Terzo has always been a playboy, never really understanding the consequences of his actions, or at least he played it off like he didn't.

Copia gently jostled Lauren awake for the dinner service being served meaning Copia had to return to his seat A Hot meal of spinach and ricotta tortellini in a tomato and garlic sauce, A simple side salad and toasted bread, on the suggestion of a Sauvignon blanc, despite it being a French wine, it paired beautifully, much smoother than the plonk Lauren was used to. 

"Avrebbero potuto almeno fare la pasta fresca" Lauren heard Secondo complain 

"O almeno usa l'aglio fresco "  There was Primo 

"Zitti e mangiate, vecchi cani "  Terzo growled, this is why the older men stopped touring

Lauren looked to Copia with a shit eating grin, Satisfied that Secondo was the one complaining first , "ok but he's got a point"  Copia retorted.
Lauren rolled her eyes and finished her dinner. her wine glass was never empty, though she did sip it over time 

Sure enough, Copia got Laurens attention when he pointed out Terzo walking out proudly re-fixing his collar buttons and shooting Copia a wink. Laurens eyes went wide realizing what that meant, Copia leaned over to whisper in her ear " I look forward to dessert, Tesoro" , Lauren cheeks burned bright red, uh oh... she lost, Consolation prize, she turned and grabbed his jaw, leaning in and stealing a kiss from him. 

Soon enough the plane began to descend into Naples, Copia leaned over Lauren to watch as the plane tilted, they flew over a sea of red roofs of raised buildings, a small mountain rising from the ground, a motorway peaked out over one of the hills , the city seemed to stretch out much forever, the city was enormous, their little county looked like part of a suburb compared to the expanse below .
Copia pointed out some of the larger buildings below  as the plane came into land. a Museum there, that used to be a bank, That's the Gordon River ,they filmed that one movie over there, but the ministry is all the way over there. 

"Signore, potrebbe per favore sedersi al suo posto mentre atterriamo? " the Air hostess called from the galley "Scusa!" he called and sat back upright in his chair.

The landing was smooth even for a big plane like this. Phones around the cabins started pinging with 'welcome to Italy' messages. They all waited until everyone else had gotten off the plane as their group would be traveling separately, even though they were traveling commercially, they had the luxury of a private transport and private transfer through security. Copia had to translate for Lauren as it seemed very few people for the high class clients spoke English, That's fine. "We are going to have some Italian lessons later, Mi Amour"  

All of their bags were collected and taken to the cars out front of the airport. Walking hand in hand with Copia through the airport, Laurens phone was disappointingly silent. She'd organized international roaming right? surely.

A line of 4 men with name boards stood out front, all in identical suits, each with the different Papas titles. The man with "Papa Emeritus IV" greeted Copia with a bow "Benvenuto papà, è un piacere accompagnarti al tuo hotel stasera . " , Copia shook the man's hand " Mi chiamo Stefano " 

" Ciao Stefano, Questa è la mia amante, Lauren ." Copia gestures to Lauren " Non parla italiano " 

" Benvenuti in Italia, Lauren " he bowed to her, unaware of how to respond, Lauren just stood there and smiled nervously "uh..Benvenuto" Copia chuckled "yeah i need to teach you some Italian"

"Andiamo adesso?" Stefano put the tablet under his arm.

"Sì, sono sicuro che il mio amore vorrebbe riposarsi " Copia smiled and followed Stefano out to the car waiting for in the pick up bay

"Why aren't we all traveling together?" Lauren asked seeing the other Papas being ushered into separate cars
"It's a safety measure, when traveling, we travel separately incase of an attack. The British monarchy does the same, now Prince George is 12 years old, he'll travel in a separate car to his father to ensure the safety of the heirs to the throne"
"Right, so if one of you were mortally wounded, it wouldn't be all of you at once, that makes sense"  

Stefano opened the door for his passengers, Copia let Lauren slide into the car first before sliding in after her. Stefano jumped in the front and the procession left the airport.
Lauren tried to look out the window but they were heavily tinted "Do you think we'll get to the ministry before sunset?" 

"Oh we're not staying at the Ministry, We're staying at a hotel in the city, We will be driven to the Ministry each day we go" Copia rested his arm on the window, watching her. 

"How come? I thought the Naples Ministry was the largest one?" 

"It is, but there's no accommodation for us there, Not even a Proper Papal suite, Not for all 6 of us"  Ah.. that would do it hang on..

"Wait, where are the ghouls?  we've not had any security guards" 

"Not entirely true." Copia smirked and pointed to Stefano in the driver's seat as a familiar demon's tail waved from the driver's seat. They've been with us this whole time, glamoured up as different people, now Lauren had to think about anyone they interacted with, the pilots? the airhostess? the TSA agent? Now the driver? any of them could have been the ghouls, that explains why they were so keen to keep the wine flowing. 

"Look!" He leaned over so he would sit behind Lauren and pressed his finger on the window a little too hard "ah.. shit.. that's the Real Albergo dei Poveri, it was built in 1751, Europe's Largest Public Palace" he pointed to a long white building that stretched at least 300 meters across, if Copia didn't point it out it would have looked like an average building, maybe a government building, there was fences blocking off the entrance and scaffolding on the sides "Looks like they're refurbishing it"
Lauren could just see the carving above the tall arch ways "pav..perm..Hospital?" 

Copia nodded " It was built as a hospital originally for the poor, the name translates to Royal Hospice for the Poor" 

"What is it now?"  Lauren turned her head to see the bright excited smile on his face
"I'm pretty sure it's an event space, or some sort of museum now, I can only imagine what it looked like originally "
Lauren leaned back into him " you really missed this place huh?" 

Copia held Laurens arm " I did, and I'm excited to show you the place I grew up" Lauren looked back out the window, driving down a perfectly normal street,
"Oh up that little street is Sant'Aspreno ai Crociferi , it was built as a church but it's currently a museum for an artist called Jago. the building itself is beautiful, even if it's a Catholic church" he chuckled, " I'm not going to have you sit in the hotel room waiting for me to finish my meetings all day while we're here, that would be cruel" 

"You're going to draw me up a travel pamphlet aren't you?" 

"I already did," he smiled brightly . 

Copia kept pointing out museums and palaces along the way, it was odd that these were located right around the city, but it would make traveling more convenient. one thing you did notice, despite how excited Copia was to see these supposed historical landmarks of the city, the bases were covered in graffiti, and it certainly wasn't street art, it was typical ruffian graffiti, but still Copia was excited to see the buildings despite the condition they were in.
The convoy of cars turned left down an open street, Lauren looked ahead and saw cruise ships, they must be near the coast 

"Mia Amoure, Look" Copia leaned over to open the window for her, Looking as though the building had been plucked from the lord of the rings. A Massive stone castle that looked as if it could tell tales of knights and rulers from centuries past, among the more modern lighter coloured buildings and cruise ships surrounding it, it stands out as an imposing dark structure, the sheer size and sturdy boxy shape, Lauren could see it was guarded by at least 3 (there must be 4) rounded towers that projected forward like protected arms.
Each tower was capped with battlements that made the castle feel both open and fortified, as if built for snipers or look outs.
To add to its already massive size, it looks as though it's been built up upon its own raised hill so it stands tall above anyone who passes by it. 

"It's a real CASTLE" Lauren squealed in delight, leaning out the window to try to look closer.

Copia wrapped his arms around Laurens waist to keep her inside "Si Si! Per favore, resta in macchina, amore mio" he panicked thinking she might jump out, instead he held her in like a dog hanging out of the window.
Laurens rational mind knows actual castles exist, but Lauren's never seen one in person before, the excitement coursed through her like she were a little kid again. 

When the car turned the corner Lauren came back into the car "Oh Copia please tell me we can go there!  Please take me there Copia!" she begged him
Copia laughed and nodded " I'll have it arranged, I'll take you there myself" 

It wasn't that much further down the street when the cars pulled up onto the side of the street, before them was the most modern building she'd seen since they landed, bright blue windows overlooking the harbor towering above her. Just a few blocks up from the castle "you're kidding we could just walk there! " 

Copia turned to look out his window with a disappointed look on his face " ah..of course we're staying at a Ritzy hotel" he shrugged and waited for Stefano to open the door for his passengers to climb out. A team of bag boys lined up on the street to collect all the luggage and run away with it.
Copia stepped out first and waited to take Laurens hand, helping her step out, when the warm sea breeze hit her, the exhaustion from the days travel hitting her all so suddenly, her eyes felt heavy and sensitive in the bright sunlight,
Copia laced his fingers with hers and Stefan gestures to the door " Lascia che ti mostri la tua stanza. puoi riposare lì "

"Grazie" 

They both were shown through the hallways to the elevators and taken to a high up floor, the hallways were decorated with modern artworks and sculptures. When Stefan swiped a key card and opened the door for her . "Benvenuto nella tua stanza " 

Lauren stepped forward, but Copia let go of her hand, ducking down to swipe his arms under her legs and across her back, sweeping her off her feet into the air. Lauren grasped at his shoulders and squeaked " Copia!"
He just grinned and carried Lauren across the threshold, through an alcove and left into the suite before her. This wasn't just a room, It was an apartment!
A comfortable sitting area before them with a large marble like fireplace, the couch was built into a Shelving unit?  No! that's a raised platform to sit by a window overlooking the harbor, a TV Mounted above the fire, to the left was an extra large double bed right there in the room.to the left of the bed was the main bathroom, to the right of the bed was a small desk area, suitable for one worker. Panels of the wall were full length mirrors. there was a pair of doorways to her right. That had her curious to explore

Copia walked over to the bed and set Lauren down there "Well. What do you think, Mio Amour?" 

Lauren looked around on the bed "This is insanely fancy, It feels like a celebrity would stay here" 

"They do, Only the best for Papa and his Love after all" he chuckled and rubbed Laurens arm gently "do you want to rest?" Lauren pulled her phone from her pants pocket and saw one message from her mother, " Just a little bit, am I going to miss the sunset?" 

The message showed a picture of Eva in her PJs with one of her books and Laurens dads hand holding a thumbs up "Hope the flight was lovely" 

"Maybe, if you go to sleep now, you could end up sleeping through the night" Copia looked around for tea and coffee facilities, "Scusa, Stefan, potresti ordinare un caffè corretto, per favore? " he called out 

Stefan appeared from the alcove "Si Papa" crossing over to the phone and calling to order.

"How about we take a dip before sunset?"  Copia suggested, "there's a private spa out in the garden" Lauren whipped her head around and gasped, their bags had come ahead of them "Why didn't you lead with that?" 

She'd spent a majority of the night waking up to expect any sort of update, though at 3am when Lauren checked, Copia grabbed her phone and put it on his side of the bed and trapped her in his embrace for the rest of the night.

As the morning came, the call time to leave for the ministry was rather early, 8:30am. Though thanks to the time zone Lauren was conscious at 5am. 

Dressed in a pencil skirt and black blazer, no button up shirt but a lace blouse underneath, Thigh high lace fishnet stockings - with the silicone so they'd stay up on their own, but Lauren insisted on wearing a garter belt for appearances sake, only he could take them off. appropriate low thick heels with an ankle strap, a small grucifix dangling from the clasp, hair tied back in a bun, and minimal makeup, Lauren was there today as his assistant. 

Copia dressed in his informal black blouse and pants and the black and gold embroidered waistcoat. "My longer vestments are reserved for mass or more formal occasions, Today is mostly meetings" 

They met the 3 other Papas and Sister in the lobby as they were ushered to their respective cars.

The drive took 40 minutes, passing Mt Vesuvius along the coast, having Pompeii pointed out to her left, a quick history recap on what Vesuvius did that led to Pompeii being ground zero for its destruction. 

Turning off the coast and headed towards yet another hill, The cars pulled up upon an even older building, crawling over gravel.
Two Castles in 24 hours?  this one looked like it was less cared for, possibly an even older design "Copia this is beautiful!  oh my Satan! " 

"Welcome...to the Italian Satanic Ministry, Mia Amoure" 

A large crowd of Siblings, Sisters and Nuns in their Habits and Brothers and Monks in their Cassocks, Bishops, Cardinals . Their home ministry's congregation was less than 100 bodies, this crowd had to be at least 300. It was rather intimidating.
To any tourist walking past it could easily be assumed it was a catholic gathering. 

When the cars pulled to a stop, the crowds began to cheer as One by One the Papas emerged from their cars. Sister imperator on the arm of Secondo. 

As Copia stepped out into the morning sun, the crowd cheered louder, Copia waved to them briefly before holding his hand out to Lauren, "It's alright, They're going to love you" Word hadn't gone past their own ministry about any sort of relationship, The anxiety popped up in Laurens mind if people would say nasty things as if they were back in high school again, one thing She'd learned about living in a small county, and an even smaller community, Talk spread fast.

Lauren had to trust Copia, She took his hand and stepped out of the car, the wind carried the warm breezy air, Copia wrapped Laurens arm into his as he waved to the siblings. "Is this what it's like to be Papa at every ministry?" 

"This is what it's like to be a rock star" he chuckled and leaned down to kiss Laurens cheek, leaving a black lip mark on her cheek "uh..whoops" 

Lauren rolled her eyes and shook her head "rookie mistake~  Well now you've marked me, i am so blessed to be kissed by Papa" they teased him, but knew that trying to get rid of that now would just smudge, grease paints are a bitch "I'm going to get you some different lipstick" they mumbled as she wrote a note on her book. 

A Cardinal in a red cassock approached the Papal entourage  all " Buongiorno a tutti voi , Sua Santità , Benvenuti nel nostro Ministero " he gestured to the castle behind him. " Vuoi unirti a noi per colazione? poi potremo continuare con le questioni importanti " 

Copia leaned down to translate " Breakfast first, then meetings" He lead the way, walking ahead first and the others close behind , lead right down the middle of the siblings , they reached out to the Papas for a passing touch or greeting, all the attention was fascinating, thankfully it wasn't on Lauren. 

One particular squeal caught Lauren off guard but she knew it was from whatever attention Terzo was giving... 

Lauren were guided through the stone arch way and down a hallway, down some stairs and into a grand dining room, Despite the time worn appearance on the outside, it was a surprise to see that the interior of the castle was very well maintained, as though She'd stepped through time and were dining in the halls of medieval times, carvings and art works were fit for royals, "This place is beautiful, how... How did the Satanic Ministry come to live here?" 
Copia turned to look at Lauren " uh.. Primo might know, Fratello!" he called out, Primo joined them both up front.

"Well, this Castle was built in 1033 AD, so the preparations for the Millennium celebrations are on the mind, but what is often overlooked is how citizens nearly 1000 years ago conspired that by building a structure would encourage war on their lands, When Mt Vesuvius Erupted in 1037, it's said the rightful owner of the building was crushed by falling debris, no one would take over the management, every time someone brave enough signed the deed of ownership, that same year Vesuvius would erupt again, Superstition lead for this building to be abandoned. In 1150, there was one final eruption, right as the ownership was being signed by a powerful ancestor of ours, the leader of the opposition to the Roman Catholic church. Since then, this building has been under the control of the Satanic Faith" 

"But...Vesuvius has erupted multiple times since then." Lauren tilted her head 

"Yes, but in between those times of eruption, Rumors and superstitions died down, So it wasn't a concern anymore" Primo chuckled and looked around " This building is a tourist hot spot, but because it looks like the building is in poor condition, tourists are kept at a distance, and the siblings here can live in peace " 

"Well that is handy" Lauren smiled, Copia pulled out a seat for her beside him at the table. They all took their places at the table and shared breakfast.

Straight into long meetings...all in Italian, so Copia had to take his own notes. Lauren sat around looking at the maps and documents being passed around, trying to make sense of what they could be talking about, growth of the community? Need for expansion? reconstruction? a festival? 

As they all broke for lunch, Copia was kept in talks with some old friends in the cardinals, so Terzo came to Laurens side "Are you bored out of your mind yet?" 

"I'll be honest, not being able to follow along has made it hard to stay engaged, I don't know how much help I actually will be" Lauren groaned, "At least my mums sending me updates on Eva on schedule"  picking up her phone to see the pictures she sent, the same messages over and over again 'She's alive, she's been fed, Have fun dear'

"I could organize for someone to give you a tour of the grounds if you like? Surely the old man can take his own notes for the rest of the day" 

"We're here for work though.." 

"You are here to support, and you can't really support him being monolingual, So you might as well take advantage of the sun and the scenery " Terzo pointed to the window  

"Believe me I know, I don't want to just sit around and be eye candy, it's not professional" 

"Oh please, we have siblings around meetings just to look at all the time, You are being helpful in other ways, we try to keep these meetings informal but that doesn't mean they're not boring" he chuckled and pointed to a type of salad " Try this one it's lovely with a red vinaigrette " he dipped a tomato in the sauce and ate it fresh " That's the real reason we're not staying here " he chuckled and escorted Lauren back to the main table, Copia still in conversation with the cardinals, It was nice to see him interacting with other people so friendly,  

"Could you ever imagine your lover being so pally with a bunch of guys like that?"  Terzo pointed to how he was laughing so freely, they were all talking so joyously and freely together,
Lauren smiled at the sight " I sort of hoped he had other friends besides me who he could act like that with, he's always so grouchy with you a lot, did he serve as Cardinal with them?" 

"mmm. And Bishop" he nodded " no one confirmed his parentage until recently, so he was just another member of the flock. Dedicated to his faith." 

Copia looked over at the Terzo and Lauren and waved to get her attention, urging Lauren to come over
"Go to him, he wants to show you off" Terzo chuckled, standing from his seat to help her out. In public they were putting on a show to be the influence of the flock, So he was on his best gentlemanly behavior. 

Lauren walked over to Copias' side, his arm wrapping around her waist and sitting on her hip.
"Amore mio, These are my long time friends, Cardinals Aldo, Mateo, Enzo and Franny" he smirked. All dressed in their red cassocks, Aldo was Brunette with blue eyes, Mateo had black here and brown eyes, Enzo had brunette hair and hazel eyes and Franny had black hair and Hazel eyes, That was the only way to remember.
" Amici miei, vorrei presentarvi la luce della mia vita , Lauren " 

The men all bowed their heads " è un piacere conoscerti ", Lauren nodded to them too "uh..Buongiorno " the only other Italian she knew.... they all reached forward to shake her hand, one by one, In return, she did.
" Grazie per aver tenuto il nostro amico fuori dai guai " Matteo said as Lauren shook his hand

" Sta appena imparando l'italiano " Copia waved off,
"What did he say? he thanked me for something?"
"Mateo thanked you for keeping me out of trouble"
Lauren smirked and rolled her eyes "Oh if only they knew you're basically a father now" 

"Eh? E' un padre? " Enzo gasped, the other men gasped "Copia....un Padre?" 

" Il mio amore ha una bambina, spero di essere il suo patrigno . "  Copia clarified "Would you show them?"  Lauren reached into her pocket and pulled out a picture from her first birthday party, Sat on the stage in her birthday dress, hair in pigtails, caught with the sun behind her  

"This is my Evaleigne"  they all leaned in with big smiles, " Lei è bellissima " " Una principessa " " Meno male che sei un patrigno, Sarebbe maledetta con il tuo vecchio naso " 

Copia rolled his eyes and dropped his expression " Cosa c'è che non va nel mio naso ? "
Mateo responded " il tuo naso faceva sembrare piccolo il Vesuvio " the men burst into laughter.

"Lauren, Ti va bene stare lontano da tua figlia?" Franny asked
"He wants to know how you're doing away from Eva" Copia whispered 

"Uh. I'm worried all the time, I wish she could be here" Copia being the translating middleman again, 

They gave Lauren a sympathetic look,  " Quando tornerai a casa tua, sarà così entusiasta di vederti ."
" Lo stress di essere mamma può essere dannoso, spero che tu possa trascorrere questo tempo rilassandoti. Per la tua buona salute " 

Copia translated their kind words, "Grazie!" Lauren gave his friends a bright smile, 

The group of Cardinals talked with Papa and his ‘assistant’ until it was time to return to meetings, Enzo offered to give Lauren a tour, he was the only one who could understand English, but had minimal practice in speaking it, So yes or no questions would suffice. 

Enzo showed Lauren through the catacombs under the castle where the chapel was for sermons and gatherings, their statues of Baphomet and Lillith, The siblings quarters, even where Copia grew up, Despite the language barrier, there was no trouble navigating the tour. 

As the sun began to set, their 'driver' Stefano came to collect the Papal entourage, start making their farewells for the day and head off back into the city of Naples.

Notes:

Thank you once again for reading this fic, i didn't think it'd make it to chapter 19 , let alone chapter 10! <3 Thank you all <3

Also - those landmarks mentioned are very real. google and googlemaps them, they are AMAZING! oh i want to see these castels up close.
and the hotel I'm referencing is Romeo in Napels. check it out for yourself. :3

Chapter 20: Balliamo Insieme

Summary:

The ministry isn't the only the Papas came to meet with .Dinner with an old friend exposes you to a life style you never could have imagined to be apart of , even for a night. .

Notes:

Edit - now updated with the new perspective.

LOTS OF GOOGLE TRANSLATE ITALIAN - SORRY - I don't put the translations in the notes because with this chapter especially, it would be an entire repeat of this chapter otherwise.

TW: Descriptions of drugs, Beatings, violence, blood,

Ya'll heard of a Beach episode? How about a MAFIA Episode~

Copias days were filled with engagements at the Ministry, long dreary meetings about plans for restoration, events coming up, the promotions of siblings. no amount of tea or pain killers could keep his headaches at bay.
He would reach into his pocket finding something he kept there, not a pen, not a pocket square, it's like he slipped his hand in there just to make sure it was still there. As translating the entire conversations for Lauren just to make notes would be more work than it was worth, Lauren had been dismissed from her assistant duties for the time being, Lucky for Lauren that Copia prepared a travel pamphlet for her to take advantage of the time she had while in Italy. 

A guided tour of Pompeii, the Catacombs of San Gennaro, National Archaeological Museum, Lauren even partook on a tour of the Old town and to see the Veiled Christ. Who could ever deny the opportunity to see such beautiful and skilled artwork in person? 

"What did you think, Tesoro?" Copia called from the bathroom as she lay across the couch, resting from a near full day of walking, Lauren's Hair up in curlers and her face freshly painted , minus the lipstick

"It was so beautiful. The marble was so smooth, you could see so many of the details in his face and his arms, it looked like he could just start breathing in and out." Lauren called out , snacking on grapes Lauren  picked up at a market 

"It's a shame the statue was created 300 years ago, could you imagine if we commissioned something for our own ministry? The visage of Lucifer laying across jagged stones, singed wings, bruises and cut skin, all carved in marble. Imagine worshiping at that alter, Cara" he called 

"I think some sisters would do more than worship at that altar, Papa~" Lauren teased, it sounded sarcastic but they both knew she was right. The thought of encouraging siblings to worship in the best ways they know how, made her smirk. Done with the grapes, Lauren sat up "What's taking you so long in there?" 

Copia walked out in a fitted Jet black 3 piece suit, a grey button down shirt and teal pocket square, a chain hooked to the button on his waistcoat to an interior pocket. This was not his normal attire, She could imagine this being worn by Secondo naturally, and Lauren had seen Copia in a suit before, especially over the trial, the double V in his lapel accentuating his torso, unsure if it was the clothes or his posture of just how used to his disheveled wardrobe she was, he looks powerful, he looks expensive. Screw the Lucifer statue, Can Lauren worship at the Altar of Copia?
He walked right over to Lauren, unaware how she was undressing him with her eyes "Can you help me with these buttons on the cuffs, per favore?" 

"To do them up or take them off" Lauren leaned over the couch, reaching out to hold onto his hips and slowly sat up on her knees to carefully do up the buttons on his cuffs one by one and looped the cufflinks through, insignias of his Grucifix design. “ I really love you in this suit”

"heh...Down girl" Copia traced a pair of fingers down the side of her face so as not to smudge the foundation she wore and hooked them under Laurens chin and lift her head up, she followed his lead and lifted herself up " I have to stay crisp and clean tonight." he leaned in to her neck, whispering to her ear" Then I'm bringing home Tiramisu"  

"Is that a promise?" his suit wasn’t painted, she pressed her fingers to his chest. 

"I'm claiming my prize tonight, Now get dressed, I want them to know who you belong to" he ordered and let his hand drop from her chin. 

"Si, Papa~" Lauren whispered, standing off the couch and walking to the bathroom,
Not wanting to waste the time he had, let alone that spark he could in her eyes, Copia grabbed Laurens arm and pulled her back into his chest " One kiss, before I have to suffer for hours." 

"Gladly" Lauren leaned forward, pressing her hands to his chest, carefully he leaned forward and presses his lips to hers, his hands resting on her ass, she wanted to mess up his paints with a passionate kiss, if it was the only one for the night she wanted to make it count, but she know all too well how long reapplying his paints would take. 
Lauren reluctantly pulled away from his kiss and smiled up at him, pressing her chest into his to savour the smell of his cologne while she could " I love you" 

" Ti amo di più " Copia slapped his hand on Laurens butt, she let out a yelp and jumped into him "Now go get dressed" stepping away from her, walking over to the dining table to distract himself from watching her dress, they’d never leave if he did. 

This time she made it to the bathroom where her dress for this evening hung on the wall, Lauren stripped the dress she wore from her adventures of today, even the underwear, she replaced them with a teal lace set of Lingerie for her Papas pleasure later on, the corset to accentuate her waist and her bust, the stockings for comfort and to smooth her figure down, then the black Body-con dress, long sleeves to her wrists the skirt down to her knees and a scooped neckline to leave gawkers wanting more. Lauren took her hair out of the curlers and shook her hair out into a voluminous wave, quickly brushing it down into a bouncy Farah Fawcett style hair-do . 

"Are you sure you're not afraid to come with me tonight? It's a very different mindset we all need to be in" He called from the table, going over his notes again with a glass of red to calm the nerves, for him it was easier to meet with Pope Francis than it was to be around unpredictable and armed company, 

"All I've been told is to stay quiet, look stern, wait for my cue, we want things to go in our favor. Mentally I'm just back at court" Lauren called as she applied the ruby red lipstick Copia loved, though she contemplated the black lipstick to match his to steal a few more kisses, Laurens hair and make up had been done by a Sibling from the ministry earlier in the day, waiting to be released for when they were ready to leave. Lauren tried to reach around the back of her dress for the zip, but this corset and shapewear holding her in restricted her range of motion. "Copia, Can you help me finish up here? I am supposed to be the prize of your company tonight, right?" She walked out of the bathroom 

Lauren stood at the foot of the bed as he turned to look at her, "Cazzo..... Sono condannato " he mumbled under his breath, silently begging for any excuse to cancel dinner and skip right to dessert
Lauren opened the brown shoe box and held up the black stilettos with a deep red sole, encrusted with carefully placed crystals. "Papa~ per favore~" 

" Siediti adesso " Copia ordered as a smirk grew across his face. Copia walked over to Lauren, she sat down on the bed and presented the shoes to him, 
Copia knelt down on the ground before her, he traced his hand up the back of her calf, lifting it off the ground, and carefully sliding the shoe onto her foot. "I wish i could have you dress like this every day, head to toe in these lavish designs"

Lauren lift her other foot as he put the other shoe on "The only flaw in your plan implies I would never take these off" 

" Verissimo amore mio " he leaned forward to Laurens knee 

"Ah! you said it yourself, you have to stay crisp tonight" Lauren pressed a hand onto his hairline . "Later my love~" Lauren whispered and pushed him back .
Lauren stood up from the bed and went back to the bathroom to pick up the special box of jewelry selected for tonight, 

"Your turn to sit my love" Lauren pointed to the bed for him to sit, he stood to sit on the edge of the bed, she put the box open beside him, and turned to sit on his knees, lifting her hair for him, He leaned forward and pressed his lips between her shoulder blades, she briefly turned to look over her shoulder at him but couldn't see him past her hair,
Copia leaned back, taking hold of the base of her dress as he zipped up the back of her dress, his arms ran down her back and around her waist, pulling her back into his lap
"You're torturing me" he whispered 

"Good~ we both have to wait for dessert " Lauren held up a black velvet box to him, He opened the box and put it to the side , 

The cold metal of the necklace tickled Laurens skin, teardrop crystals shaped into leaves on a vine, trailing down the chain to a Trillion cut Sapphire Pendant, surrounded on its sides with smaller trillion diamonds, mimicking the shape of his intricate Grucifix crafted from priceless gems, resting just above her cleavage.
Copia did up the clasp and traced down Laurens arms, to hold up her hands, one by one he slid various gems on to her fingers, sleek rings, Gem encrusted rings,
"Final touch" he whispered as he held up his own hand and transferred his signet ring from his hand to her pinky finger.
"You'll wear my ring, as a symbol that you are not to be touched, You are mine" he fished something out of his pocket " and just as a ... safety measure, Humor me"
He slid a 3 set of rhodium black rings on her left ring finger, with a Teal Marquise cut crystal in its center. 

"It...looks like...a wedding set.." Lauren whispered, looking at it closer, to take in the intricate details. 

"Just for appearances sake tonight, Some of them are still roman catholic, some don't take too kindly to public displays of affection if not married or claimed. They have their own morals." Copia rest a hand on Laurens thigh and held his hand up, holding a black thick ring 

Lauren took the ring from him, and slid it onto his ring finger. "Does this make me your Cinderella bride? Married until Midnight?" 

Copia smiled and turned his hand around to lace his fingers with Laurenss " I like the sound of that " he leaned up to kiss the back of her hair  

All 4 of the Papas were dressed in their best fitted suits, Driven in one Stretch limo, driven through the streets of Naples, all practicing their stern faces. 

With these rings alone, Lauren would be respected, there were rules against disrespecting the boss's wife.
If Lauren weren't by Copias side, she were to be on the arm of one of the other Papas at all times.
There would be security checks, no weapons at the table at any time.
This wouldn't be an easy conversation, the Nepalese crime family was known for selling drugs and weapons, controlling the neighborhoods, they were known for infighting at times.
Tonight was an annual … catch up of sorts.
The ministry and the mafia didn't necessarily need something from one another, it was a matter of respect to keep in touch.

The car pulled into the courtyard of a private estate, tall bushes of flowers grew up the sides of the sandstone villa. the red roof tiles glowed in the sunset
3 more "Stefano" guys dressed in suits stood waiting for the car, as the car stopped they stepped forward to open the door for her, one by one the Papas all left the car, Copia waited to take Laurens hand, show time.
His hand around Laurens waist, Primo was the first to approach the man in the center in the Navy blue pinstripe suit, dirty blond hair styled back , styled facial hair, they shake hands and kiss one another's cheeks,
Then to Secondo, Terzo, and Copia,

Terzo took Laurens hand while Copia talked to their confidant, until he looked at her.

" E chi è il tuo adorabile amico qui, Papa?"   

" Questa è la mia Sposa, la luce della mia vita solitaria e oscura " 

" Sposa? Congratulazioni amico mio !" The man clapped Copias shoulder, " Posso io? "

Copia nodded " Mia moglie sta ancora imparando l'italiano " 

Navy Suit stepped forward to take Laurens hand, he bowed and kissed the back of her hand " Buonasera , signora Emeritus"  

"My Love,” Copia addressed her” This is Mr Nico Rossi. The Advisor to our host this evening.” introducing him to her

" Buonasera , Signor Rossi" Lauren replied, holding her stance strongly.

"It's a pleasure to be meeting the woman who captures the heart of our dear Papa Copia" Nico stood tall again and released Laurens hand, Lauren stepped back into Copias embrace. 

"Grazie, Mr Rossi, Thank you for having us here" Lauren looked around at the flowers of the building around them.

"You're most welcome. Well, Shall we go inside? The boss is waiting to see you all after so long" Nico walked backwards, guiding them through the halls of the estate into a sitting room, 

The two other men from out front had entered first to announce their arrival. Again, one by one the Papas entered the room and walked up to greet the man only referred to as the boss. 

Dark hair, slicked back, Dark brown eyes, his facial hair well trimmed and maintained in an anchor style, an extended goatee and angled moustache,
He wore a velvet suit jacket with a red pocket square, and dark suit pants. He too wore many rings on his fingers. He smiled when his eyes met with Copias, he held his arms wide, Bowing low "Buonasera, Papa" 

Copia chuckled "Buonasera, Antonio. Non è necessario farlo " He waved for the man to get up, like he was being teased. 

" Oh ma devo per Sua Santità " he stood up again, his arms held open wide, Copia handed Lauren off to Secondo behind her as he stepped forward to hug his old friend. Again they kissed each others cheeks "Mio vecchio amico, è meraviglioso rivederti dopo così tanto tempo "  

" Ed è meraviglioso anche vederti, Vorrei presentarti la mia bellissima sposa, Lauren " Copia turned to her as he took Laurens hand back from Secondo. Lauren stepped forward to Copias side, and smiled at this man and bowed her head quickly. 

The man referred to as Antonio stood there in shock " Sposa? Hai sposato questa bellissima donna? "  Copia tilted Laurens hand in his direction towards Antonio to show off the stack of rings on her finger. 

" Sono sorpreso quanto te che abbia accettato il mio anello " Copia chuckled "My Love, This is Antonio Giordano , He is the Boss of the Napelese Mafia, and an old school friend " 

Antonio dropped to one knee in front of her, taking Laurens free hand, his eyes never left hers when he kissed the back of her free hand "It is my pleasure to meet you, Mrs Emeritus. I welcome you to my home."

"You're too kind ,Mr Giordano, Thank you for having me as an unexpected guest" his grip on Laurens hand was tight, He could have yanked her away from Copia much too easily if he wanted to, the imagery of a toy being stretched out as a pair of toddlers both wanted the doll.

"I confess, I did think Sister Imperator would be joining us this evening, but you are a much welcomed surprise" Antonio stood tall over her again, Letting go of Laurens hand. "Later you must tell me how you found this beauty, Papa. Maybe I could follow in your footsteps and find me an equally beautiful bride" 

" Credimi, amico mio, non vorrai seguire le mie orme " Copia chuckled nervously,
Antonio held his hand out to shake Copias again. Copias arm wrapped around Laurens hips and pulled her back into his side, "Still, It is good to see you again my friend" 

Mr Nico Rossi and another unintroduced man walked into the room and waved to Antonio from across the room

"My friends, let's not waste the warm evening sunset, join me for dinner on the patio." 

Copia leaned forward and kissed Laurens hair "Well done, La mia luce stellare " he whispered to her. The group of men followed Antonio through the hallways out to a rather large bricked patio, appropriate for a social gathering for sure, A long table had been prepared with 8 seats.
Antonio and Copia sat opposite one another, Lauren by Copias side, the Papas all dotted around Antonio and his two colleagues. 

Lauren were served a Venison steak with fresh salads and roasted root vegetables puree and broccolini for dinner with a red wine that was grown and built on this mountainside 

" Primo, Dimmi, come va la terra nel tuo ministero, hai pensato di coltivare la tua vigna? " Antonio called down the table
Primo dubbed his mouth " Il terreno è favorevole, ma il clima non è abbastanza stabile per l'uva da vino ."
" Allora sei troppo in alto? hai detto che eri sul lato della montagna? "
" Sì, è una bella posizione, ma non favorevole per questo tipo di colture "
" Ah, è un peccato, potresti provare con il tuo ministero francese? "
" Sì, ma ciò significherebbe vivere tra i francesi " the men all burst into laughter 

Lost in translation, Lauren could pick up on some of the fast paced conversation being thrown around,
a heated part of the conversation included "cocaina, bambine, pistola" 

" Ci sono osservazioni di soldati che vendono ai bambini. Questo deve essere controllato Antonio " Copia argued as a piece of broccolini was waved around in the air
" Sono consapevole che ciò sta accadendo, devo isolare la situazione e da lì possiamo dare l'esempio "  Antonio agreed
" Questo non è un episodio isolato, sta accadendo in tutta Scampia. " Secondo Chimed in 

" Pensi che dovremmo fermare il reclutamento finché non avremo risolto il problema? " Antonio turned to look at him
" Considerando che i ragazzi vanno in overdose di orgoglio, è solo questione di tempo prima che rappresentino una vera minaccia e ti abbattano solo per associazione. " Secondo waved a fork at him,
Antonio sighed, leaning on his elbows on the table in defeat " Capisco il tuo punto, con la condizione instabile in America, è solo questione di tempo prima che qualche pazzo sconsiderato agisca "
" C’è l’orgoglio nel potere e nel perseguire la giustizia, poi c’è l’ego che porta agli idioti e alle rivolte " Terzo chimed in
" sei riuscito quasi a sradicare il problema delle lotte intestine all'interno della tua famiglia, non dovrebbe essere così difficile trovare l'idiota che coinvolge bambini e adolescenti in questo. " Copia encouraged him
Antonio went silent, looking off to the side thinking about this, " Capisco il tuo punto "

Lauren focused on savoring the meal,
The venison was cooked to medium rare, melting between Laurens every bite, moist and sweating the buttery salty goodness across her tongue. The flavour is similar to beef, with a rich and earthy tang that tells it apart. The texture was slightly leaner than beef, yet the scent of its seasoning was pungent. Lauren's never had venison before, she didn't know if there was anyway after this. 

Lauren tried the broccolini, salt and vinegar alone to boost the flavor and the texture of the vegetable. Lauren tried the Root vegetable puree, the consistency and taste of potato was the most prominent, buttery, creamy, but she could taste a sweet tang mixed in, like small chunks, she thought it was the butter that created the yellow tinge to this, maybe pumpkin? a type of yam, Lauren turned and waved over a server. "Uh. Excuse me" 

A young man stepped forward "Yes Ma'am, are you having an issue?"  his English wasn't fantastic, but it was good enough to communicate 

"No no, I was wondering if you know what's in the Puree?" Lauren pointed to the portion on her plate 

"There is uh.. potato, crema, butter , salt and pepper, and a sweet potato from New Zealand. It's purple on the outside, but yellow on the inside. Do you enjoy it?" 

"Very much, Yes, Thank you, that's all I needed to know" Lauren smiled, she'd never tried a sweet potato like this after believing sweet potato would be less savory and dry like an American sweet potato, but this was creamy and tasty, they blended so well.
Lauren wondered what it must taste like from its origin country, but there's no way she'd be able to travel all the way to New Zealand any time soon. 

The server nodded to Lauren and reached over to take her wine glass " You're welcome Ma'am, I'll refill your glass for you" 

"Grazie~" Lauren called as she watched him go

"It's called a Kumara " Lauren looked over to Antonio who caught her attention, "The sweet potato" 

"Kumara ... How... Did you get this to Italy? I thought you couldn't import native root vegetables internationally" Lauren asked

"Well being able to travel with a private aircraft does have it's benefits, pre organized security checks, we went them an on board description of all luggage, Who's going to argue with me if the luggage is … incorrect" he shot Lauren a wink and shrugged " the weight is correct so no one should have any complaints, it's not seeds" 

Right, Antonio is a Mafia Boss, Smuggling products must be in his 1st nature, so long as it doesn't affect the horticulture of Italy, what's the harm in bringing some potato's home?
Lauren did her best to give him a smile and nod as if she were impressed. " I guess it's much more relaxed if it's a private airline."
"Oh yes, Has Papa taken you for a flight on one of the Ministries Private planes?" he tilted his head 

"Not yet, This is sort of our honeymoon because I've had some personal priorities that prevent me from traveling" Lauren leaned over and placed a hand on his arm " Maybe someday though~"
"Prioritizing your work over your honeymoon? Now that's unique. Have you been able to enjoy some honeymoon time for one another? I know Papa here is a uh...how you say? Work-a-holic?"
"You could say that, I've spent the last couple days exploring with our driver Stefano. I've been through Pompeii, The museums, I went through a Market this afternoon, that was lovely"

"Bah." Antonio leaned back in his chair and pointed to Copia " Papa, Your wife is exploring your home city and you're stuck in meetings talking about what? Endless buffets to indulge in the traditional sin of greed?"
"Believe me, I wouldn't leave her side if it were up to me, If it were up to me we wouldn't be leaving our suite at all this entire time, If my brother actually listened in meeting then i'd leave it up to him, but you know how brothers are" Copia Chuckled and dropped a hand onto Laurens thigh. "But I am in need of her legs to be working " 

Lauren snuck bites of her meal, not wanting it to go to waste, the new glass of wine was placed in front of her "enjoy miss" she waved off a thank you, Antonio watched the waiter walk back into line, "Signora, Would you pass your glass to me for a moment please?" 
The wine? Lauren reached over the table to hand him the glass, He grabbed the glass and looked at it through the sunset, swirling the wine around in the glass and sniffing. The table went silent as the Papas finished their meals.
Antonio put the glass down with a suspicious look on his face " Rossi, Mrs Emeritus has been served an unsatisfactory glass of my wine, Could you please organize a fresh glass and investigate why a bottle of my wine has a tinge in colour and a bitter tone to it? "
"Do you want me to see if it's just the one bottle or the whole batch?" he asked, taking his napkin off his lap.
"Investigate the whole batch, I wouldn't want to be associated with a tainted batch of wine" If the Papas were complaining about quality control of their meals on the flight over, Lauren can see now that it is in fact a common trait among the company they keep

"Got it boss" he stood from his chair and looked to the waiters "You three, with me" he ordered, the 4 of them walked back into the house. 

Antonio watched them go before picking up the glass and tipping it out over his shoulder "It's a shame, this glass is very comfortable to hold", he turned in his chair and threw the glass out into the air, it crashing on the pathway below them with a pop.
"How do you all feel? He asked the table, everyone was happy with their meals, no complaints, most Papas had finished their meals by this time, Lauren wasn't that far behind.
Copias hand on her thigh, squeezed as Antonio and Copias eyes met together, 

"Fratello, stop scowling, you'll look older than primo if the winds change" Secondo called from across the table, Lauren couldn't help but giggle. 

As the plates were emptied, and replaced with a simple dessert. A chill came over Laurens shoulders, the sun was just passing behind the mountains and the night chill was quickly behind this,
"Papa, My I borrow your lovely wife for a moment, I'd like to show her something unique to my estate "
"Tesoro?" Copia looked at Lauren with a smile .
Lauren nodded, Antonio stood, walked around the table to pull Laurens chair back to stand, all those at the table stood as Lauren did.
Antonio walked by Laurens side and offered his arm to her "I won't take her far, She's safe with me, you'll never lose sight of her" 
"Of course"  he called as they all sat down again
Lauren looped her arm through his and rested her hand on his forearm, Antonio led her back towards the door but up a stone carved spiral staircase up to the 1st floor . "Quickly now, we don't want to miss it" he chuckled looking down to her feet,
The Stairs were steep and close together; it reminded her of the design choice in some castles where stairs were crafted to make it harder for invaders to travel up the buildings. They were never anticipated to be climbed in stiletto heels.

"Sorry, I don't want to become Cinderella. " Lauren smiled up at him nervously
" It's no problem, I wouldn't want you to fall, not with your husband watching"

Antonio lead Lauren over to a balcony facing the mountain side, "You see, I own this mountain here in Camaldoli, I organized it to be a sanctuary for the wildlife found here in Naples. and every night, as the Sun falls behind the mountain" Antonio pointed to a spot on the side of the mountain where he could see dust rising at the top. A herd of Stags and Deer came running one by one over the top and down the side of the mountain towards the property.
" Oh wow!  are they being herded into a stable?"
"No, I don't understand what it is, It's in their nature that with the sunset they come to this side of the mountain, they spend their evenings closer to the property of the estate. They were not trained to do this either" he explained as Lauren watched in awe, seeing 18 Stag and Deer ran in a pattern down the mountain side, the thumping of their hooves drumming louder and louder as they got closer, Antonio crouched low and pointed out one deer where the white on her belly went up her neck and over her whole head, "She's beautiful" Lauren mumbled, watching him go 

"That is Rita, I named her after Doctor Rita Levi-Montalcini , She lead incredible research into illnesses like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease " Antonio explained
"Why her?" Lauren looked up to Antonio,
Below the balcony a yell came from out of nowhere, and the stampede sharply angled away around the fence. It must have been some sort of onsite caretaker for them. 

"Two reasons, Mia nonna lived with Alzheimers when I was a boy, Doctor Levi-Montalcini visited mia nonna to help her, She was very kind to me as a young boy" he explained patting her hand " I remember her as a motherly figure who didn't treat me like a stupid child and dressed in white." The herd had come to a stop in a medowie area with long grass.
"And when this Deer arrived on my property, she would care for the fawns, if she became a foster mother to the fawns, but if she paid particular attention to a fawn, we found them to have something wrong with them, like it was in her nature" sure as he was explaining, she was nudging a small fawn towards a clear area to nibble on. 

"These...deer aren't family of the venison we had tonight right?" Lauren looked up to him nervously " Absolutely not, I do not carefully name the live stock, Those deer are raised on my land out in Casola"  

A loud commotion came from the sound of the house, thumping on metal and raised angry voices, Lauren turned to look down at the table below on the patio, Papas were still conversing amongst one another like nothing was happening, though Primo was admiring the deer behind them.
Lauren looked to the left and couldn't see anything that would cause the commotion, He noticed the concern in her eyes as she looked around for the source of the noise. 

"Don't worry, Signora, it seems it was more than one bottle of wine that wasn't up to my standards. It'll just be the kitchen disposing of the wine. Surely my cook is complaining we're wasting good wine" Antonio chuckled and pointed to the stares
"I understand where you're coming from, though I also understand it's not ideal to waste food or drink." she smiled, thinking about every time Eva would throw her plates to the floor over and over again, though she'd take cleaning up her messes over being thousands of miles away from her any day. 

Mr Nico appeared out of a door onto the balcony " Capo, Il vino è stato indagato, tutto il vino contaminato è stato smaltito " 

Antonio nodded and placed his hand on top of hers "Come, let's return before your husband thinks I've stolen you away" Antonio lead Lauren back down the stairs. 

Once the meal was done and the sun had set over the horizon, the party moved back inside the den to share conversation 

"Come, you must tell me how you two met"  he gestured to the chairs for Lauren and Copia to sit in,
Copia sat first, Lauren perched herself on his knee and leaned back against the arm of the chair, "Well, my friend, it's not the most romantic of first meeting stories like 'our eyes met across the lake , I sent her letters every day until she came running into my arms" "

"Well not for you Papa, When I knew you you were always a nervous wreck around beautiful women, not until you took the stage that is" Antonio chuckled. 

"No eh... Actually, it was nearly a year ago that My love came to our secluded ministry in need of sanctuary" he looked up to Lauren with a questioning look, if he could tell the true story of how they came to meet, she gave him a small nod. "you tell him Tesoro, it's your story to tell really"  He reached over for Laurens hand and squeezed it. 

Lauren took a deep breath, it was never easy to recall this with a straight face, mentally preparing for any pity or pitiful looks she'd be given. "Before I met Copia, I was in an abusive marriage, at the time I had a 2 month old newborn daughter and I was afraid that he would eventually do the same things to her. So I ran.. I'd tried to leave him multiple times before that and I'd be returned to him every time, but this time the Satanic ministry refused to let me go until I was safe" 

"I see, I thought you looked familiar" Antonio leaned forward on his knees " Was this the man who faked your death and murdered a trucker? and...you stood up at your own memorial to expose him?" 

Lauren nodded and looked down to her hands, so Laurens story had been broadcast internationally, she wondered how the world had reacted. Since being a mother and an assistant was a full time job, she paid no attention to social media at all, it came as a surprise to hear this. 

He leaned forward and rest a hand on her shoulder "That was extremely brave of you, I know how unpredictable a man who believes he should be treated like a king can be, with all of the awful things he'd done to you, I'd never have guessed I was in the presence as the same woman from those stories" 

Copia looked up to Lauren to check her facial expressions, Lauren didn't like being pitied like this but in the presence of a Mafia boss it couldn't hurt to act vulnerable, and yet she turned to smile at Antonio "Thank you, It's very kind of you to say that. If it weren't for Papa here, I wouldn't have access to the facilities to help me heal. I found my home in the ministry, The clergy supported me and my daughter every day, they've become like family long before I fell for him" 

"What is your daughter's name?" 

"Evaleigne" 

"A unique and beautiful name, Do you have a picture?"  

"I do" Copia chimed up, reaching into his breast pocket and pulling out a pair of small polaroid's, Eva was looking up at the camera from inside Primos garden standing sitting next to the tulips, no more than 7 months old, The other from soon after they arrived, 2 months old, wrapped in her swaddle, held in his Copias, Lauren leaning on his side. Lauren looked a little worse for wear there, bandages down her arms, some bruises and red marks, it was all she could look at  

"How long have you had those?" Lauren asked him
"I keep them on me all the time, a little motivation never hurt" 

Antonio took the photos and smiled, leaning onto the arm of the chair "She is beautiful, Papa you look so nervous to hold her " 

"She was so fragile and so small, I was afraid some idiota would bump me and she'd fall " Copia chuckled, gesturing over to his brothers

Antonio handed the photos back to Copia "I'm glad you found a safe haven for you and your daughter, should anyone harm this sweet innocent girl, I think Hell would be too kind a punishment for scum like him." 

A man brought a tray of drinks over to the trio, a white wine and two whiskeys, Lauren accepted the wine and the men took the whiskey  "Still, tell me how this old man managed to capture your heart" 

"mmm, well, I don't know if I fell for how much of a natural father figure he was to my daughter, or if I fell for the way he shimmies his hips on stage" Lauren fixed a hair that was falling out of order from Copias forehead "But I know I fell for the man who showed me what love and passion really are, what it's like to give and take in a relationship, not just take. I fell for the man who saved me from Hell and built me a home"
Copias arm around Lauren pulled him closer to him to squeeze her against him. 

Antonio rested his head on his hand, leaning on the arm of the chair. "Now that is a rare kind of love." 

"Thank you" Lauren mumbled and looked back to Antonio " Can I ask, I didn't know that my situation garnered international attention, how did you find out?"

"Of course, There was initially a story about how a shipment of gasoline had been destroyed in the car accident and could affect the delivery of gasoline around Europe but I believe the true contents of your story didn't break internationally until after the incident at the memorial, Interest did pick up again when the court case was happening, When you were shot we had to retrain some of the family on proper court behavior, i can't avoid my men being sloppy and ending up in court. but none of them are as mentally unstable as that man..." he looked to Laurens shoulders " who's stupid enough to shoot someone in front of the judge?" 

"Uh... there may have been some Ghoul involvement there" Copia chimed in and waved a hand  

"That..... " Antonio had to think about it for a moment "actually no, that does explain the extreme lack of common sense."  he chuckled and rolled his eyes " no but that's besides the point, your story did influence some women's groups around the world to build campaigns to remind women that they can get help if they need it, but it also made those safe heaven-" 

"Haven" Copia corrected

"Haven, Grazie, it made them review their policies about interaction with the person they're running from as well as how to treat mental illnesses and Postpartum Depression. It was appalling to learn that you had been returned to that monster more than once. Did you ever receive apologies from those people who returned you to him?"
Lauren looked to Copia thinking back on any interaction with media or involvement after the trial concluded. She hadn’t seen any emails or communications to Copias office regarding the situation, no mail or phone calls. Lauren had asked her sibling friends to try to keep conversation on the trial to be minimal while they were trying to readjust to normal life again, there were a few more important things to do than sit around on social media.

"I don't think so, if they said it on the news or tv I didn't see it. I just wanted to spend as much time with my family as possible. Lauren shrugged, “ Has Sister asked you about it?”
Copia shook his head "I don't think they ever contacted us" 

Antonio's eyes darkened, he grumbled to himself, leaning forward on his knees and holding his hands together " now that is just disrespectful, that would not do in my family." 

"Unfortunately, it's not up to us if they apologize. I'm not exactly going to go down there and demand an apology any time soon. If they won't make amends for the wrong they've done, Then that will sit on their conscience until their judgment day. Then it's out of my hands"  Lauren shrugged "Plus i doubt they're going to go back in their records to see that they were apart of the problem " 

"Well, that's a surprising response considering what you've gone through" Antonio leaned back in his chair again,
"Yes, even I'm surprised, When did you accept that?" Copia asked. 

"Well I have a good teacher and a great therapist for one" Lauren wiggled her butt on his leg. "I thought on the sixth tenet that People are fallible, they should do everything in their power to rectify a mistake they've made, and I know  they are at fault for returning me to him, giving me hope that I was safe when I wasn't. But... If I were to hold onto the desire for an apology and made it my mission to get that, it'd rot inside me, my mission has always been to get away from Ethan and see justice for what he did to me, It was never my mission to see justice from the others. I don't want to teach my daughter that the world owes her everything. " 

"That is a very mature way to think about it" Antonio contemplated what she said 

"Like I said, I've had a good teacher" Lauren leaned back into Copias arm. 

"I guess I've had a good student, now if only i can get the other siblings to listen" Copia rolled his eyes "I hate to change the subject, but tell me Friend, will you be coming to the gala on Saturday? you have an open invitation after all" 

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"fantastico" Copia looked around the room , Terzo, Secondo and Rossi still chatting away in Italian, Primo had fallen asleep on the opposite chair
"I think it's time we take our leave, Mio amico " Copia chuckled, patting her hip "Could you wake my brother please? he's kinder to you"
Lauren nodded and stood up from Copias lap. 

"Of course, I'll call your car around " Antonio pulled his phone from his coat to text away. 

Lauren walked over to Primo and bent over to him at the hip, if they were going back to the hotel, she knew what was on the horizon, why not give her 'husband' a little teaser?
" Primo, Wakey wakey, It's time to go home" she called, tapping on his leg gently
Primos face contorted as he grumbled back to consciousness "mmm...oh.,. it's you bella" his eyes opened and looked up to her " You can't fault me for falling asleep Cara, When a meal and wine  is as good as the one we had, it tires me out i can't help but take a nap" 

Lauren smiled and held her hand out to help him stand. His knees, his back and his shoulders all cracking and popping as he stood up, "nnnngh... I may need to make use of the spa at our hotel, though I wonder if I'd need to pay for therapy for their staff?"  

"Oh Primo don't say that, you're still as handsome as ever" Lauren patted his arm, as she turned to slowly walk towards the front door. 
Lauren escorted Primo to the front door since he was going to take a while to get there in his current state. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Copia watched Lauren go with Primo, Terzo walked over and sat in Primos chair and secondo sat on the couch 

" Dimmi, il vino è stato avvelenato da quel cameriere? "  Copia asked Antonio flatly
" Sì, quei camerieri sono stati assunti da un'altra famiglia per fare del male a una donna al mio tavolo stasera " Antonio sighed
" Ciò non significa particolarmente che mia moglie fosse l'obiettivo, vero? "  Copia suggested,
" No, non è così. Erano dilettanti nel loro approccio, i miei camerieri sono addestrati a versare il vino al tavolo. " 

" È per questo che hai tolto mia moglie dal tavolo ? " 

" Sì, ma il cervo che torna a casa è comunque uno spettacolo da vedere " Antonio chuckled nervously " Non vorrei che sentisse il trambusto in cucina, se posso evitarlo. " 

" È ancora in pericolo? " 

" Non ne sono sicuro, ma ci sono problemi. Lo so " 

It didn't make any sense at all, if she was the target, how would that be possible since the only person with any sort of grudge against Lauren was locked in prison on the other side of the continent,
Was it someone wanting to hurt the Ministry? to kill Copias Mother?  

" Sei sicuro che l'obiettivo fosse una donna al tuo tavolo stasera? " Terzo asked, 

" Hanno detto solo questo, abbiamo molte informazioni, ma non hanno specificato chi fosse la donna " 

Secondo scoffed " Patetici sciocchi, Chiunque siano, hanno inviato reclute sacrificabili a casa di un boss mafioso " he looked over to Terzo
" Sapevano che i ragazzi avrebbero fallito, quindi era un avvertimento " 

Copia couldn't even be mad, she should have no risk to her life being sat at Antonio's table, his welcomed, if unexpected, guest. Yet the "what if" ran loud in his mind, what if he hadn't caught it, what if She'd drank from a poisoned cup, an innocent victim in a war that doesn't involve any of Lauren.
Copia leaned forward and rest his elbows on his knees, holding his head up under his chin. " Non dirò a mia moglie della minaccia alla sua vita stasera " Copia announced, 

" Sarebbe saggio " Secondo agreed " Nessuno di noi lo farà " 

" Lei è qui per rilassarsi. L'ho portata via dal posto dove si guarda sempre alle spalle. " Copia mumbled to himself, a heavy hand rest on Copias shoulder, gathering his attention

" E continueremo così, con il fuoco dell'inferno o con le armi da fuoco, la terremo al sicuro " Antonio gave his friend a smile " Lo garantirò " 

Copia rest his hand on Antonios " Grazie, vecchio amico " 

" So che è già piuttosto tardi, ma vorresti unirti a me nella risoluzione del nostro problema "  Antonio looked over the three men, All of them smirking among one another.

" Perché no " Terzo chuckled .

" Potrebbe essere terapeutico "  Copia agreed . 

" Guanti, signori " 

3 boys,

3 waiters, 

3 fools. 

Tied up with rope and lined up against the commercial rubbish bins.
Already bruised from the beating earlier, Drenched in the bottles of wine they tainted. 

They didn't deserve names, they wouldn't be missed, if they would be remembered at all , it'd be because they were reckless, stupid, fueled with dreams of grandeur.
They could have done anything in their lives and they ended up on the front line of a mob war, a shame. 

"Papa, Did you happen to catch the recent football game?" Antonio called 

"Ah, you know, I missed it, How did it go?" Copia shoved his hands in his pants pockets.
"This was Italy versus Belgium, Si?"  Terzo stepped forward, rolling his sleeves up his arms, 

"Si, it was " Antonio  "A shame you missed it Papa" 

"Why don't you tell me how it went?" Copias eyes locked on the waiter who served Lauren the dirty glass, sitting on the left of the trio. 

Antonio nodded " gladly, Mio Amico, "Adolfo handled the ball with skill and patience, until he was a good 10 meters from the goal line when the cameras captured him go for the goal, like this"
Antonio leaned back, twisting his body, in a quick swipe Antonio launched his leg low in a quick swipe, making contact with the right waiters head, knocking them into one another down the line, skulls making contact in a quick thunk thunk thunk , they all yelped out in pain as they were thrown to the side from the powerful strike. 

"Oh, brilliant, tell me more" Copia encouraged

"You really missed a good game, Fratello," Terzo stepped forward" you should have see when Mikello stole the ball back with a move like this"

Terzo reached around the middle waiter's head and yanked it forward, pulling the waiter's nose into his knee cap. The sound of the cartilage in the waiter's nose crunching from the force, blood running down his chin. 

"What a fantastic move, I'm sure that's what won us the game, Si?" Copia teased, 

"Oh no no no, The move that won us the game, looked like this" Antonio chuckled, eyeing up the left waiter, He hopped forward and threw a quick strike into left waiters lower ribs, two very squishy quick pops, The waiter lurched forward  and yelled out in pain, gasping for the air that was rushed out of his lungs. 

"Though... how would you have won the game Papa? would you care to show us how a rock star would win a game? " 

"Oh I'm a lover of the sport not a player" Copia waved off Antonio

"Oh Papa, Please~  I've seen the way you move on stage" he encouraged

"well.. I guess I do do this one thing on stage which fans seem to love" Copia chuckled as he lifted his slacks, Copia stepped back to wind up , stepped into a turn as he lift his leg and spun, he planted his foot down as he quickly spun and lift his other leg,  launching a quick Tornado roundhouse kick to the skull of left waiter, the decorative buckle slicing the skin at his disheveled hairline, blood starting to drip from a gash on the side of his forehead 

"That's what I'd put out if all the cameras were ever to be on me for a good game" Copia stepped back and looked down at his shoe, a splat of blood on the toe of his lovely shoes

"Hmm maybe you are right, soccer may not be your sport, How about golf?" 

"Ooo now that's where I become interested, Did you ever get a hold of the fairway wood I showed you in Milan?" Secondo stepped forward

Terzo stepped over to Copia and gestured mimicking a lighter, a cigarettes' hanging from his lips, Copia pulled out a matchbook from the hotel in his pocket, striking the match and leaning forward to light Terzis cigarette and a spare. He held it out to Copia but he turned it down, assuming Lauren would probably not kiss him if he did. 

"Fratello" Terzo called, holding the lit cigarette out , Secondo reached over and took the cigarette into his mouth "Tonio?"

Antonio chuckled and shook his head "I like them thick" he replied pulling a cigar from his breast pocket. "I did, though you know me, I'm a sucker for a good wedge" Antonio called, handing a generic wedge 

Secondo bounced the club between his hands and took his stance "it's a good wedge, you can still get a good slice out of it " he wound back and using his full power swung down and struck the right waiter on the shoulder  on the follow through. 

"bah" Secondo groaned and looked at the club " not my best, I need to get back on the green"
"I'll take you over to Circolo if you've got a free afternoon, my friend" 

"Please stop" the left waiter spluttered out " you've got what you wanted, this is just torture, you got us"

all the men looked down to the little loudmouth "You are right, we do have you, we did prevent your pathetic attempt at poisoning my sister in law" Terzo called. 

"Even worse, it seems that your goal was to harm someone in my family" Copia wouldn't even look at him " a Woman at this table, as you say was the target, tonight it was my new wife, the mother of my one year old daughter, but that could also have been my mother"

"One of the most well known rules when it comes to being involved with these crime families.  Disrespecting a boss's wife or their Mother will lead you to an early grave, that's what you deserve" Antonio called. 

"we're just recruits! The boss said it was our initiation, "the left waiter begged. 

"That's where you're wrong. You're not recruits" Terzo called, leaning down and blowing smoke in his face 

"You're expendable," Copia added, his phone buzzing with a message. It was the nightly update of Eva, sleeping cuddled up to her black sheep snuggle buddy. He leaned over to Antonio " Look who would have been an innocent victim if any of us had been careless tonight" 

Antonio smiled at Copia and patted him on the back "Such a precious little girl, If these idiots had been somewhat experienced, She could have been motherless." 

Secondo leaned over to see the picture "Is that the one I gave her?"
Copia nodded "She sleeps with it every night" 
"She does? I'm glad the sigil for protection while she sleeps works" 

The middle waiter spat at the 3 men "screw your family, you all deserve to burn in hell" 

They all just looked at him with surprise, after everything they did he still has spite in him. 

Copia looked to Terzo and gestured for the cigarette, nearly finished , he crouched down in front of him with a blank stare on his face " Another reason you're an expendable, you don't realize who you've targeted tonight, You see i miei fratelli  and I have a special relationship with the underworld, When we pass the mortal coil, you will be burning in a pit of coals and spikes, in constant sickening pain, The denizens of hell will push you further and further on those spikes.
I miei fratelli and I will be stood beside Lucifer himself as an old friend, watching as you beg for mercy" 

Copia took the last drag of the cigarette and blew the smoke in his eyes. 

"Lucifer would use you as a footrest " the waiter spat "you're nothing AHH -"  He yelled as Copia pressed the Cigarette butt into the waiter's cheek, twisting it as it went out.

Copia stood up and back in line "untie them" he ordered, confused - Rossi and the other friend of Antonio untied the waiters 

"Antonio, Mio Amico , Do you know what my favorite sport is? " Copia pulled his phone back out and sent a quick message 

"I don't know Mio Amico, tell me" Antonio backed up with Nico. 

The ground was covered with a layer of fog as the full moon was hidden behind a cloud, shrouding them in darkness

The tall a lithe, grey, thinning , ghoul of mountain appeared from behind Copia,
Sodo walked out from behind Terzo, a large clawed hand reached around and slammed on the rubbish bin, making the waiters jump on the ground, a hulking grey figure stepped out from one side of the bin and leaned close to sniff at the blood of the one on the right , his skin was dry and dipped in at places, his eyes darkened over as he took in the scene of fear and piss.

The ghouls left all glamour and kind appearances at home, wearing their natural hell spawn figures out for the waiters to see. jagged bones, unnaturally long and thin limbs, their skin stretching over the muscle, their legs cracked into haunches, satyr like

The waiters shrunk down on the ground as they looked between the ghouls, whimpering, on the verge of tears in their beaten and bruised states. "it's not real... it's not real..." the middle one begged. 

"Hunting"  Copia looked to the ghouls "and they're hungry" 

Sodo turned to look at him, his jaw dropped and his tongue flopped out, his mouth dripping with saliva. 

"well go on..." Copia waved at the men, they all clambered to their feet and pressed back against the cold metal of the bin 

 

 

Run

 

In the Limo, Copia slid in to find Primo fast asleep next to one another on the back seat, Lauren sat beside him checking her phone for updates. 

"Sorry that took longer than we anticipated my love, We had to discuss one last piece of business before the night was over " Copia whispered, looking over at Primo " he's comfortable at least" 

"It's ok, Mum sent me multiple pictures. I haven't had a chance to see her all day" Lauren smiled, shuffling up to his side. 

Terzo climbed into the car and sat on one of the side seats. 

Secondo climbed into the driver's seat and took off down the driveway. 

Lauren raised a brow looking at Secondo in the driver's seat "Where's Stefan?" 

"Family emergency" Copia wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled Lauren close, kissing the top of her head "Did you enjoy yourself tonight?"  

Lauren nodded, leaning into his embrace " I did, The food was incredible, Plus I loved being close to you in front of another powerful man like that" Lauren turned to rest her head on his shoulder 

"You do this kind of stuff in front of me all the time" Terzo looked up from his phone 

"You're family" Lauren mumbled and sniffed, the smell of burned tobacco lingered on his clothes and in his breath "Did you have a cigarette? I'm not judging but I didn't think you did..." 

"eh.. they did, I had one drag. I'll wash my mouth before I kiss you again, just a social thing, Italian Tobacco is better than European , but it's still a nasty habit " he looked up to Terzo and chuckled 

"ah yes the sin sticks, we can't say no when the don is offering, you know?" Terzo chuckled. " but Antonio's going to work on getting rid of the dirty drugs on the streets, if you're going to smoke it should be the good quality tobacco" 

"I understand" Lauren smiled and leaned on him "who knew the mafia were working against the law but trying to clean up the product" 

"it's better money to sell pure products after all" Terzo agreed and shrugged. 

Conversation died down after that, everyone was tired.

Lauren went to sleep none the wiser of the ulterior motives behind tonight, but Copia could barely sleep , holding her in his arms, tonight could have gone very differently all because of some war they weren't involved in.

Tiramisu could wait for another night. 

Chapter 21: The Gala

Summary:

The big event this trip to Italy has all been leading up to.
The Gala.
Tonight is all about celebrating these achievements of the ministry and giving one final send off to the current era of the Ghost project,
It's all about getting dressed up and having a good time.
It's time to have some fun, let your guard down and embrace the safety in this family you've come to know.
This is the night when a grand plan is set in motion.

Notes:

BIIIIIG TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Drink Spiking, Vomit, Paralysis, Physical abuse.

PARTY TIIIIME YAAAY
You gotta love when there's a big event, your partner is the target of everyone's desires, No one speaks English and you can NEVER spend any time together.

But you get to be dressed up like a Hollywood star for a night.
I have a diploma in Wedding/Event management and this is how I use it! the stress and the accidents that happen happen more often than you think, a good event manager will make sure the hosts never know, though when your partner is the events host they're going to find out!.

You can thank my cat for deleting 7 hours of my work so the lovely breakfast date you and Copia have, gone. everyone say THANKS PIPER...

I'll rewrite it one day. I'm still grumpy at her.

From the second they woke up, it was busy, Copia woke Lauren up before sunrise for a beautiful surprise breakfast date on top of Castel Nuovo, which had them out of bed before the birds did.
As the sun rose, Copia led Lauren in a romantic waltz, the ghouls popped in to play a romantic acoustic song for them as they danced together. Finally Copia had Lauren try authentic Italian sfogliatelle, No bear claws or "lobster tails" could ever compare, he was right.  

It was the last quality time they were going to get to spend together today, since today was all about the Gala.
All the siblings of the Italian Monastery would come together to celebrate the graduation of the bishops being promoted to cardinals, Priests to bishops, and nuns and monks to bishops, everyone gets all dressed up to the nines and dances like it's 1669. 

Laurens girlfriends are going to throw a hissy fit that his dates are all proposal quality and it's much too early to propose, it'd barley been 6 months since they both made their feelings known to each other originally, things had just fallen into place, like sprinkles on ice cream, it was already great but being together just made it all better, they both knew how to live their lives independently, they both knew how to function together.
Copia was always learning more about being a father and raising a developing child, and Lauren was learning about the world he'd known his whole life. 

Because their time in Italy was coming to an end and there was still much to do , in the middle of the day Copia would be hosting the graduation ceremony at the Ministry, while Lauren would be overseeing the preparation and the sound checks for the orchestra to play, and later in the evening the band would play their swan song for this era of Ghost. No way Copia would turn down the chance to get on stage again.
Set up started simple, tables and chairs, stage areas, the tubs of decorations and atmospheric lights.
The Gala was being held in the courtyard of Castel Nuovo ,If any stranger were to walk in to see the set-up, there would be no clue this was for the opposition of the catholic church.
Lights were being set up strategically in the windows overlooking the courtyard, the stage was simple but long and positioned beneath the decorative circular window that would catch anyone's eye the second they walked in.
Lauren had a plan, she had a team, but she had no ghouls, so it took much longer than she were had become accustomed to to get a simple stage setup, this was no Madison square garden’s so it shouldn't have been that complicated, even with the riser set up,
somehow she's been sent risers that better fit a choir and not a full orchestra, delay number one. 

How hard was it to set up tables in a single file banquet style against the walls to leave space for dancing? These were well trained event staff, why was it taking this long to explain how the set up was supposed to be? She'd even made and printed out multiple diagrams. 

Somehow the “bar set up” that was brought in was from their Horror world theme park, so the comical carving of Frankenstein and Bram stokers Dracula clinking a large pint of beer together did not suit the setting, she know that Terzo would get a kick out of it, but she'd specifically requested an elegant set up that would be decorated with the grucifix LED Light borrowed from a materialistic Sibling with a temu addiction .
So that had to be sent back and replaced, Delay number two

When the catering team and chefs set up for the kitchens, it was the first thing to run smoothly, they even left space for the bar staff to prep their own things. How kind of them.

Just before 4pm: Sister Imperator came to inspect the venue and insisted that she take this break to go with the styling team and have her hair and make up done.
It was hard to sit down and not do anything for an hour while her face was assaulted with brushes and product, Laurens hair was sprayed to death and tackled into an elegant updo, Laurens face had been painted for a red carpet, she finally checked her phone for all the updates on Eva, the swings, lunch, a trip to the zoo in the next town over. She was having a great time with her grandmother.

When Sister imperator walked in with Lauren's dress safely in its garment bag, she herself was stressed from her own busy day, running around the ministry coordinating the graduation, she'd had to have lunch in the car on the way over.
“I’m impressed, despite delays it looks like everything here is very well set up. I would have assumed I’d done it myself “ She chuckled, hanging Laurens dress up on the bar of the garment display.

“Well, I had a wonderful woman to inspire me to do betterLauren called from her chair, the make-up artist held her chin with a brush to stop her moving.
“I can’t believe they sent a bar table from their theme park. Where did they get that idea?  We sent them clear instructions!”  she called; Sister flopped down on the couch of the green room.
“Did someone use a previous request as a template and forget to delete parts?  I hate doing that, I prefer to start from nothing to avoid that “

“I agree with you, the amount of times I’ve seen a document say [INSERT TODAY'S DATE ] it makes me want to push for administration educationLauren sighed and leaned back in her chair.

“Well you’ve done very well and should be very proud. For now, leave the contractors to do their parts. When the Waiters arrive we will give them their briefing, then we can enjoy the night ahead" Sister sat in the chair next to her 

“Oh, did that background check on the contractors come back like Copia asked? “

“Yes It did, we’ve already cut a couple people but that won’t change much, Do you know why he asked for that so last minute?”

“Honestly, I have no idea, I wonder if Antonio said something last night at dinner that made him worry. They spoke in Italian like 80% of the night so there’s no way I could knowLauren shrugged , now being given grumpy looks by the lady doing Laurens makeup, holding her face in her finger tips, 

Sister was brought a glass of wine to start the night. “Did you hear ‘assassinare’ or ‘pistola’ at all?”

“I did hear Pistola, there was a problem with the wine and Antonio had an entire batch thrown out”

Sister pursed her lips together thinking about that, “Well, Toni is pretty particular about his wine 

“That’s what I was thinking!Lauren laughed and rolled her eyes. “Hey, maybe we should have some of his wine set up here in the green room, I bet Copia and Antonio are going to talk about business at some point in the night”.

As the sun began to set on the busy day, they were ready, the kitchen was plating, the bar was ice cold, the lights were working, the orchestra was ready, a quartet would be playing as the siblings filed in.

Lauren was dressed by her stylist team into the dress, A black satin fit and flare skirt dress, with a teal sequin bodice, a low v neck bustier corset and strapped in tight. Long opera length black gloves with silver bracelets , finished with the wedding set from last night.
An in-ear microphone set was carefully placed on her ear and in the back of her dress to keep up with what was going on. The shoes from last night and a crystal necklace was the finishing touch.

Sister was dressed in a black satin A-line V-Neck Collared Asymmetrical Satin dress. Elegant, Sexy, ready to seal the deal. That was always my sister's style.

The Papas weren't planning to make any grand entrance, they would be arriving like all the other guests, all eyes will still be on them.
So Lauren walked out with Sister imperator, voices already flowing from the stage crew and the catering teams.

Everything was already well set up, the siblings were already socializing in the courtyard, all dressed up like this was an American prom, it made Lauren wonder if events like the Met gala were this stressful but still would be a valuable experience.
Lauren picked up a fresh glass of wine from the bar and walked through the crowd, once again, lost in flowing Italian. Siblings were trying to converse with Lauren, but they knew little to no English.
Sister imperator walked off to the side without Lauren to talk with her colleagues.
Lauren found herself walking through the crowd of unfamiliar siblings, everything was going according to the plan on paper, she felt obsolete, just another person in the crowd with a glass of wine.

So Lauren settled into her role of ‘Event manager’

“We need servers at table 17 and 19, dining sets are incomplete. What are we missing?Lauren walked towards the server’s station,
“an electrical wire tripped one server causing an accident and 16 sets of dining ware have been smashed and cleaned up. Servers are on their way” the kitchen manager reported.
“Thank you “Lauren walked behind the bar checking the levels of the bottles and the stat of the bins “We need a bin change behind the bar thank you, the bin behind bar 2 is nearly fullLauren fired off the orders as they came in so the flow of service wouldn’t be affected.

“Passkey, Sugarfoot, Trouble and Crimson have arrived” announced in her ear, The Papas were here all together. Things were either about to get rowdy or loud.

“Alright, I need a brandy, a vodka tonic, a whiskey on three rocks, and a red on a tray ready for the Mitres to show up," Lauren asked a bartender who stopped what they were doing to prepare this order.

Sure, as Lauren expected, the sounds of cheers came as the crowds moved out of the way, parting like the red sea as three of the Papas walked in side by side, Secondo and Primo were dressed to the nines in designer suits, Copia had opted for his Teal Sequin suit jacket, dress pants and shirt.  To no surprise, Terzo was lagging behind, paying extra attention to the newer sisters. Lauren handed the tray to a server and pointed to the papas “get this to them no matter what. Go”
and they were off, shouldering their way through the crowd to reach the Papas, Copia was looking around both sides of the crowd for Lauren, but she was nowhere to be found.

“Is the orchestra prepared to file onto the stage and begin?” Lauren called, walking towards the holding room for the musicians.
“Yes, once the quartet finish this piece, they will file on”.
“Are they lined up? Ready to walk on when the doors open?”
“Yes Signora, I’m with them now”
“Perfect, I’m at the door nowLauren stood there waiting by the door, listening for the final crescendo of the violins. As the crowd began to clap, the quartet stood and took their bows.

Lauren opened the door and one by one the musicians walked out in front of her carrying their books and instruments.

Sister took to the stage “Thank you to our string quartet, now as the evening is underway join me in welcoming The Ministries Orchestra to delight us in some full bodied classical music from the histories this castle has stood through” The pianist walked out last, Lauren reached over and shut the door behind her.

“Signora Emeritus!” a familiar man’s voice called; Antonio was walking over to capture Laurens full attention.
“Antonio! Oh, what a pleasure to see you again, “he reached out for Laurens hand, leaning in to kiss each cheek of hers “Thank you again for a lovely dinner last night. I had a really good time.”

“It was my pleasure, and it’s a pleasure to meet the woman who captured the shriveled-up heart of my old school buddy” Antonio held Lauren at arm’s length to take in what she were wearing “ You are a vision of beauty this evening, We might have to cast you in marble and put you in a museum”

Lauren looked away from him with a blush betraying her as her cheeks flushed “Antonio, you flirt.” Harmless compliments were free to be shared, but he was still an acquaintance.

“And yet you are here as a flower on the wall? What is the matter?”  he gestured to the crowd “you should be treating this like the wedding reception you were robbed of”.

“Oh no, I’m managing the contractors’ movements, so things run smoothly for all the siblings in attendance tonightLauren smiled up at him, but his face was unchanged in confusion.

“Well at least I know that this event is running in trustworthy hands. You are as hard a worker as a … uh Amanté appassionato, I imagine this diligent mentality also comes from motherhood, yes?”

Lauren looked off to the side thinking about it, in a way yes, getting Eva ready to go to creche in the mornings, it took plenty of forethought and preparation for the unpredictable things she might want to do instead of putting on her shoes, much less her socks. “I can see what you mean, just on a much larger scale.”

“It is; indeed, I consider myself lucky that I am the dreamer, but it’s people like you who make those dreams a reality” his flourish as he waved his hands around was almost stereotypically Italian, gesturing to himself then her , waving his hand around as he thought to find the words in English.

“That is lucky, I can only imagine what kind of events you’re able to put together with a higher budget and direct connections instead of just financial business connection

“Mmm, Nothing quite to this scale, it’s usually a rather intimate affair.” he gestured to the crowd " any guest list more than 20 is already concerning, catering gets picky, and then there are the people who insist on bringing their plus ones, I would only host an event on this scale if we were in need of the cover" 

“Well, no need for any business or concerns for security tonight, I hope you get to enjoy yourself. Even in a different kind of atmosphere”

“I already am, Grazie, this is a wonderful change from the family weddings or funerals. And it’s nice not to be feared the second someone realizes who I am” Antonio gestured out to the crowd with a laugh “I will not keep you any long, Signora Emeritus ,but will you do me this one favour?”
“Of course, Antonio, what can I do for you?”

“Save me a dance? After your husband of course” he smiled down at her.

“Oh, well of course that would be nice.” Lauren smiled at him. “Once everything is settled down surely, I will find time to relax and enjoy the party, and if you must go early come find me and we’ll dance. If Copia has not found me then it is fine, I’ll make it up to him later”.

Antonio nodded. “I look forward to it. Until then Signora Emeritus” Antonio leaned down to take her hand, he shot her a wink as he kissed the back of her hand he returned to the crowd to be social once again.

An hour passed by faster than she'd thought and things were running smoothly. Lauren thought this would be a good opportunity to take a quick breather, Sneaking behind the stage towards the green room to the left of the stage before anyone could spot her running into a secure area.
Lauren shut the door behind her, walking over to lean on the counter where she'd been put together by the styling team, pulling out the in-ear headphone ,being surrounded by so much chatter and music started to make her ears ring.
It was just a shame that the only time she saw Copia was when they all arrived. It turns out that her assumption of being able to keep an eye on the Papas was a mistake, no matter, the evening wasn't over just yet.

Lauren looked into the mirror to survey the damage from an hour of running around, Sweat was starting to bead on her brow, her make up hadn’t moved, but her hair did start to come apart, it was quite a humid area so it's possible, she grabbed the can of hairspray off to the side the fly always from her fringe into elegant submission.
Lauren waddle over to the couch and lowered herself down, trying to sit in the dress had her worried that the dress was so well fitted that seams would pop, so she had to accept the fact that relaxing meant having to lay down like a board resting against the couch, not much bending, As she lowered herself back and down the sweet relief of getting off her feet, even for just a moment to catch her breath, was something she'd no longer take for granted. Lauren let out a deep breath and shut her eyes.

For all of 2 minutes when her peace was broken by the sound of the door opened and the familiar sounds of flirty Italian echoing through “Terzo, the room is not emptyLauren shouted out, an hour into the party, that has to be a record for him.

The door opened and shut again, but the click of footsteps coming towards Lauren came as a surprise, Terzo turned the corner all decked out in his black and white suit with purple detailing “Cara, what are you doing in here? We have not seen you all night and uh... why... are you laying down like that”.

“I’ve been organizing everything, we nearly ran out of Whiskey, we lost two tables of plates and the cellist nearly took out an eye when their bow broke mid sonata. I just need a break” Lauren covered her eyes with her arm, Lauren would not live it down if she smudged her makeup now that the mua had gone.

“no no no this will not do, tonight is a party, There is a stage manager out there “ Terzo walked over to her side

“Yeah, MeLauren groaned and dropped her arm again, looking up to him standing over her " The contracted manager nearly ordered the buffet to be served on the bar”

“What is wrong with that?” 

“It’s a table service meal, plates are brought to the table”. Lauren threw her hands up in defeat. "buffet is self service, nothing in these plans calls for buffet or any kind of self service, she's not read the dang documents"

Terzo sighed and dropped into a Slav squat beside her " Come on, Cara, At this point in the evening the drinks are flowing, people are having fun, If something goes wrong then it is not on you to fix it, it is on the contracted manager who should be fixing it. Come with me, we will go get a drink, find your Amoure, and we will party until sunrise “

“Did Copia not tell you he woke me up at 4:30am?” 

“He did not” Terzo grabbed a chair and pulled himself up to sit in it. “ In that case, I’ll give you…as much time as it takes" flipping open and lighting up a zippo lighter" for me to enjoy this” he pulled out a funny looking cigarettes and lit one up, the benefit to being in an 800-year-old castle was the lack of modern fire alarms,

“Take your time” Lauren mumbled, enjoying the few moments of shut eye she got.

The pair enjoyed their time in muffled quiet, Lauren stretched out her legs and rolled her ankles, feeling the sweet relief as her joints popped back into place.
Terzo looked at Lauren wide eyed “excuse me? How are you able to do that on command? “

“Before Ethan, I dated a chiropractor in training for a while, it happens when I stretch now” Lauren stretched her arms forward and rolled her shoulders, they weren’t verbal but Lauren could feel the crunch in her shoulder blades, it made her back shiver as the blood and sensation of warmth rush to those joints.

“I understand why people are uncomfortable with the sound of popping joints now” Terzo leaned back in his chair again.

“Yeah well, this helps me decompress, my body gets pretty tense and sometimes I just need to stretch. kinda like how that ‘cigarette’ helps you decompress” Lauren splayed her arms up over the couch “why don’t you try walking around at a normal speed when you’re wrapped up like an Egyptian mummy for 2 hours in 3 inch designer stiletto heels through a crowd of people who’re speaking a language you don’t know.”

Terzo thought of the scenario, tilted his head to the side and waved the smoking cigarette towards Lauren. That does not sound comfortable no, though i have had to run through a crowd in stiletto heels, it's quite unpleasant. I do know of one acceptable way to find relaxation, Let's get you that drink”

Lauren dropped her arms and looked to him “Can you help me up please, I’m as stiff as a fence post in this dress”.

Terzo smiled and stood up again, putting out the cigarette butt on the stack of run sheets on the table“ That is the spirit” he reached down to take Laurens hands and planted his feet in front of Laurenss, lifting her up at an angle onto her feet
“Ah, one last thing” he walked around behind her and took off the battery pack and the ear set from her outfit. He found the little microphone and the call button “The Ministry Manager is signing off for the night on orders of Papa Terzo, Contracted stage manager, step up your game, “tossing it down on the couch behind her, out of reach for her own protest.

“Well… that was one way to do that” Lauren rolled her eyes and smiled at him, thankful he was taking the charge and making the call.

“No one can say no to a Papa” he announced, looking around for a bottle of perfume or something to mask the smell of tobacco and other substances, Spritzing himself down, she held her arms out to the sides, and he spritzed her chest and shoulders.

“Except EvaLauren mumbled, keeping her eyes and mouth shut.  

“Si, Except Evaleign” he agreed, Terzo put the perfume down on the table and wrapped Laurens arm around his, leading her towards the door “Let's get you a drink, then we shall find Copia. No... more…working tonight” he waggled his finger at her before opening the door.

Lauren could only roll her eyes, thinking about what her friend Laura had told her about him. “Si Papa”
“Good Girl, Oh and if a particular blonde comes looking for me, I’m busy with you”  he ordered as he opened the door,

The two of them walked back out into the crowd, a fresh new outlook on this event now that Lauren weren’t actively looking for things to fix or order to do,
The music only just audible over the sounds of conversations roaring over each other. All they could see were the tops of heads under the blue lighting.

Terzo pushed his way through the crowd ‘scusi, scusi’ as they both made their way towards the bar. “Ah!” a passing server with a tray of drinks grabbing one and handing it to Lauren, and another for himself “SalutiLauren clinked the glasses and sipped the wine. Lauren could not help but scan the crowd trying to find that one pair of mismatched eyes, still nowhere to be found.

Lauren looked to Terzo and pouted her bottom lip, In the deafening sounds of the overlapping conversations, it made it impossible to talk, He stood up on his toes to look over the crowd, he gestured to the set of stairs that had been blocked off from the public access "Lets get high....up".
He led her back through the crowd as she laughed at his slip up, weaving between the tables and chairs towards the stone staircase, careful not to spill her wine as she did, trying to climb the stairs was an oversight, her skirt was just too tight to lift her knees enough “Hold on!  I can’t... I can’t climb! " Lauren called out to him.

Terzo saw only one solution, “Scusiiii” he called as he wrapped an arm under her shoulders and her back and lifted Lauren up the stairs one at a time, Lauren squeak from the surprise ‘TERZO’, He let her go at the middle landing, “Ok, where in this crowd is the stronzo?”

The two of them leaned over the balcony, The blue lighting made it difficult, and the amount of people wearing Copias colours also made it harder to pick out which one was her man.
The courtyard was starting to empty in certain patches as the siblings started taking their seats for dinner. Lauren spotted Primo, she spotted Antonio, she found Sister, but still No Copia.

Some siblings spotted the two of them leaning over the balcony, they would wave up to Terzo, trying to get his attention, he leaned over and called out “ Sai dov'è papà? “The group of sisters pointed back towards the bar or to a random table across the way, that wasn't helpful at all.

“Did he take off his blazer?” There wasn’t a table put aside for the heads of the clergy, it was purely first in first served seating. Tonight, everyone was equal, Note – never do that again.
“If we’re looking for just another old guy all dressed in black, I am going to replace his black grease paints with that charcoal facemask thing that peels off” Terzo grumbled looking around frantically.

The lighting changed colours to red with a warm light on the stage as the music of the orchestra came to an end, the siblings turned their attention to the stage to clap for the orchestra.

“ Buonasera a tutti! ”  Now that wasn’t Sister Imperator “ Per favore fate un applauso all'Orchestra del Ministero " Lauren leaned over the banister to try and see the familiar voice echoing over the speakers, Someone had given Copia the microphone and he'd taken over the stage  

“ Se potessi, per favore, iniziare a prendere posto per la cena, la cucina ha un profumo fantastico. Non vorrei che nessuno di voi si perdesse questa incredibile cucina “

“Found him, Give me a boost?Lauren looked to Terzo, He shrugged off his jacket and lay it down in front of her on the banister so as not to damage the satin of her dress, He leaned down and wrapped his arms around her knees, Lifting her up over the banister , she lay on her front to see the top of his head below her, Lauren crossed her arms under her chest, getting comfortable now that she's found him.
Terzo backed up and leaped up onto the banister beside her, Lauren shot a handout and grabbed onto the back of his shirt to be sure he caught his balance and didn’t fall. “8 out of 10 “ .

“ Inoltre, se vedi l'amore della mia vita da queste parti, ovunque. Per favore, potresti dirle di venire da me, è tutta la sera che non l'ho visto . “ The crowd started to point up in their direction on the stairs, Shouting” Lei è lassù! “ over top of one another.

Copia leaned forward and covered his eyes “huh? What...?”  He turned and followed them pointing up to Lauren. He looked up to the empty balcony . It was like a live performance of blues clues with the crowd pointing out “She’s over there~ No! not there!  Over THERE!”

Lauren confidently sat there with a smug grin on her face, looking down at him like Rapunzel in her tower.  When he finally turned and spotted Lauren on the stairs, she waved down to him “OH! Ciao amore mio, come sei arrivato lassù? “

“ Lei scese le scale, vecchio mio “Terzo shouted down to him

“I can’t hear you, Stronzo , Mi Amour, Come here! “ Copia ordered,

Lauren rolled her eyes and tried shuffling back from the edge, Terzo jumped down, squatted underneath Lauren and hoisted her over his shoulder “Grab my coat” he called, she grabbed his jacket but left behind the glass of wine. Terzo walked down the stairs ‘Trust me Cara, I would have ended up having to do this anyway! “
He would have…
Terzo was way too proud walking down the stairs with Lauren over his shoulder, she just knew his face was plastered with that smug smirk of his, down the stairs and proudly striding around the corner to the stage, she crossed her arms over his shoulder, just as fed up with his antics as another princess who got carried over to her "prince charming" by an ogre of a man. There was no fighting it, Lauren was being presented to him like the prize of battle .
Terzo leaned over and let Lauren down onto the stage,

Copia held his hands around Laurens hips to steady her as Terzo let her go

“ adesso vai via “ Copia waved off Terzo “ sei irrelevante, Hello my love” Copia wrapped his arms around Laurens waist, squeezing her from behind 
“Hello” Lauren turned her head to smile at him, If he was going to be a bold front man in front of his entire congregation, she could be bold too, she turned around in his arms, cupped his cheeks and pulled him in for a pash, right there in front of everybody, the crowd of siblings whooping and cheering them on from the very public display of affection.
He held onto her as he stumbled back, dropping the mic with a loud thump through the speakers, he lifted her off the ground as he leaned backwards.
The first chair violin reached up to press into his back so he didn’t knock things over.

Lauren pulls away from the kiss and lifts her head up with a messy black lipstick smile, “I missed you honey”.

Copia laughed, crouching to put her back on the ground and walking back over to pick the microphone back up off the ground
“ Sit down, Dinner is coming out, be merry, get another drink, I’m going to eat with my love”  he announced, putting the microphone on the stand again, grabbing her hand and walking off again towards the green room, he jumped down and walked off without her
“ Hey!” Lauren called out to him, there was no way she was able to get down on her own so she stood there waving like a weirdo to show him she couldn't get down.
Copia whipped around “Ah”, coming back to help Lauren down from the stage, walking off hand in hand out to the green room.

With the door shut behind them both, Lauren led him over to the couch hidden around the corner, taking her stretched out lounging position again, Copia sat down beside Lauren, he pulled her skirt, pulling her legs so that she sat across his lap.

“This venue is not big enough that It should not have been that difficult to find one another” Copia groaned, relaxing back into the couch cushions. "What has been keeping you from me? "

“I haven't been socializing with others if that's what you're getting at, when the waiters broke two tables worth of dishes during load in, I was not going to leave our contracted manager to do this event alone,Lauren groaned, resting her head into his shoulder. "When Sister and I walked out together for the first time, she nearly left my side right away"

“Ah… “ he sighed and rubbed her back, enjoying the first moment to relax this entire day, “I know I said I was going to eat with you but can we just do nothing for a second please?”

Lauren lay back out of his arm, spreading her arms across the couch “ PLEASE” Lauren begged, “Believe me, I will never regret getting up to have breakfast with you this morning, But we have now been awake for 17 hours, I am unfed, 90% sober and squished into this very fitting dress” Lauren stretched her hands up over the arm of the couch, rolling her ankles around, the heels falling off her toes “And I can’t even get into the other dress on my own “

"You have another dress?" Copia looked around the room 

"Incase this one gets messy, but I requested it for dancing later" 

“Can I help you get into it?” Copia mumbled, patting her legs.

“Can you help me out of a dress and resist the urge to screw me for a few more hours?Lauren looked up to him,

“I’ll suffer but I can resist” Copia rubbed her legs up and down through the Satin.

“10 minutes, then we can go out for dinner”. Lauren reached down and fixed some stray sequins on sleeve of his jacket “I did miss you” Lauren mumbled,
Copia leaned over on his side, hovering over top of Lauren and pulled her in for a slow careful kiss.

Re-dressed in a flowy black chiffon gown, lower heels, no gloves, her hair let out of the up do and let it flow down her back, The two of them walked out hand in hand to the first table that had 2 seats free. Lauren felt so much freer being in a different dress. Lauren could walk on her own, climb stairs if she needed, sit down, and she had every plan to enjoy a dance or two before the night was over.

A server with two plates of food walked over to ensure they both had a hot dinner.
Having chosen to sit among the other siblings, Copia went straight back into Rockstar mode, answering questions, leading conversations, telling stories about life at her mini ministry, he even asked Lauren to share photos of Eva to the siblings,
As it turns out the Naples Ministry would be one of the first ministries who would re-open their Orphanage facilities due to the need for young children to be rehomed due to mistreatment, the other being her home.

Lauren may have not been able to understand the conversation, but watching him talk, tell these stories, the way he gets so animated as he talks with his whole body, it made her heart skip a beat, he was a natural showman,
Cardinal Enzo had told Lauren about ‘Cardinal Copia’ and how he was very reserved and dedicated to his work before being summoned for the ultimate promotion. If it weren’t for his childhood friends, he wouldn’t socialise that much at all.
If Secondo, the grumpiest of the Emeritus brothers, can soften and melt like cheese when interacting with her daughter, maybe at one point in time this energetic natural storyteller was a hermit.

Copia paused mid conversation as his eyes caught Laurens while watching the way he'd tell a story she'd never understand “va tutto bene amore mio? “

“No clue, Babe.” Lauren shook her head.  

“ Sorry, I'm asking if you are alright?” Copia dropped his hands to the table

“I’m fine, I’m just watching the time since you’re going to be needed on stage soonLauren gestured to the stage as the orchestra had finally played their last song and started exiting the stage, the stagehands were standing off to the side to reset the stage for the headlining performance of the night. Him.

“Ah Cazzo, I’ll finish up here and go” Copia looked to the siblings as he panicked thinking that he'd be leaving them so soon, he was clearly mid story and had gotten carried away with this tale.

“5 minutes HoneyLauren leaned up and kissed his cheek “Break a leg babe, I’m going to get a drink”. Lauren stood up to go and gestured to the bar behind her

“Ti Amo” he called while watching Lauren go.

“Ti Amo Tanto! 4 minutes!Lauren poked her tongue at him, he didn’t have the time to fight this and finish his story,

Lauren walked back over to the bar to ask the lone waiter for a glass of the white wine, Despite having had at least 3 drinks this evening, she'd not had any sort of tipsy sensations, it just meant that Lauren should indulge in another, she wouldn't want any of Antonio's lovely wine go to waste now would she? 

Terzo was talking to Antonio under one of the arches overlooking the dining siblings, the two of them taking drags from a cigar and a cigarette, so she sauntered on over to join them “Sorry to butt in boys, how are you doing?”

“You're always welcome to butt in ” Terzo chuckled, holding an arm out welcoming Lauren to the conversation, “I was just telling Toni that he’s been missing out, having not seen the Ghost project perform in the last decade. despite the many times he has been invited and we have in fact included Italy in our tours.“

“Yes, I believe I am being treated to the very last show Papa will play for this year, possibly the only show he’ll play?” Antonio tilted his head

The server brought Lauren the large glass of wine, "you would be right, The last show of the tour was in Brisbane, Australia back in 2023, but this is a special occasion, so Copias promised to put on a special show for us. He keeps on saying this set list is quite special to him"

“Well I am very lucky to be able to experience this in person, finally” Antonio chuckled as he took a drag from his own cigar.
Lauren backed up, leaning against the bar to get a look at the time from the clock behind them,
The sounds of the chanting began to echo through the speakers, signaling for the start of the headline act. Some well experienced siblings knew what this meant, abandoning their seats and their drinks to power walk (run) to the front of the stage, the flock mentality kicked in and more and more siblings got up from their seats to form a crowd
“You are in for a real treat AntonioLauren announced, holding the glass out to clink glasses with the two men
“Just thinking about how Copias talked about this show, It would be funny if you crashed the show Terzo, reminding the siblings what it was like during your era”.

“As much as I would love to steal the spotlight, I…. eh….” Terzos eyes squinted as he looked to the ground, lost in thought, unable to find an excuse not to share the spotlight with Copia. Why stop at just him? “You know what, I have an idea, watch my drink” as quick as a flash he put his drink down on the counter of the bar, put out his cigarette and power walked off to find Primo and Secondo at a table talking together, grabbing them in the shoulders to talk to them in seclusion

“Uh oh… What have I done?” Her sarcasm knows no bounds, having one last sip of the wine before putting it down beside Terzos drink on the bar.

“You have created a monster “Antonio chuckled, putting the cigar out on the concrete of the beam

“Yeah ... .and I’ll keep making monsters, if you want a brilliant view of the show, I recommend going to find Sister Imperator and asking her to show you the blue reading room, it’s above the crowd, private and right down the center of the stage. " Lauren smiled up to him,

He smiled down at Lauren with a raised brow, surprised by the insight. “You know what? I have been meaning to sit down with Sister since I missed her last night, I’ll go find her” Antonio nodded to Lauren in thanks
Lauren pointed down to the door at the far end of the bar “She’ll be down there. Have fun Antonio.” Lauren watched him go.

Lauren watched as Copia ran from the table around the back of the growing crowd and to the side of the stage, the lights in the entire courtyard dim.
Lauren walks forward, leaning against the beam of one of the archways, Siblings jump up from their chairs, rushing towards the stage.

Sisters stage notes were running in Laurens mind from the technical runs she'd sat in on

'go on Imperium, Ghouls to first positions, strings up, percussion up, keyboard up' 

As the familiar notes of Imperium begin to play over the speakers. The sound of genuine excitement, the screams, the cheers, this did not compare to any of the technical runs back at the Ministry.
This performance was only rumoured to be happening, but every so often rumors were true. The electricity of excitement flowed through the air.

'go on kaisarion, Papa side stage, ready on lights'

As the opening ostinato of Kaisarion started playing, the sounds of the excited screams and seeing the crowd start jumping right away make Laurens skin shiver,

*BANG*

Fireworks exploded from the surrounding rooftops and concussion pyros popped at the climax of the intro. Laurens heart skipped a beat. Being so close to the pyro, echoing in the enclosed courtyard. How did they get the permissions for that?

A heavy arm draped over Laurens shoulder “ Never gets oldLauren looked up to see an unmasked Aether…not on the stage, Lauren looked back to the stage, then to him, then to the stage… that was the new quintessence ghoul, Phantom, on the Rhythm guitar where Aether should be. “Cool your jets, it’s been like this for a while now”

Lauren looked up to him “ well… I thought you'd be up there for the last concert… "It was in the plans Lauren had that Aether would be up there, So it made her sad to see that he wasn’t.

“Nah, The new kids fit in with the rest of em’ really well, would be a shame to pull him out for just for one last hoorah” Aether was quite the stoic creature, anyone would be sad about this, Lauren were sad about this,
Lauren pouted and leaned her head on his arm, “Still. I want to see you have one last hoorah” Lauren reached up and held his hand hanging by her side.

“Well. If there’s a song he doesn’t know, then I’ll get up there and save the day.” He laughed, the two of them watching the concert together from the safety of the sidelines, bopping along and singing together. Egging each other on to go join the mosh pit or rush the stage.
At least Lauren could still enjoy the atmosphere of the ritual alongside a friend.  

When the tone of the songs changed, the chords of Absolution began, Copia looked off to the side of the stage as Terzo walked on, Copia handed him the mic, the two of them high fived to tag on tag off the stage, the sisters squeals of excitement made Laurens ears ring.
“Ever since you’ve been born, you’ve been dying”, one line and any worries about him being a rusty front man faded away… now what about the other two? 

Copia ran over to Laurens side with a bottle of water “How about that! This was Terzos Ideas. Kind of like our own little Eras Tour”
“The siblings love it! It’s a great idea. Plus, your brothers finally get some enrichment after being cooped up in the poker room all the timeLauren pointed to the waiting Papas at the side stage with a smirk.
Copia shuffled up to Laurens side "Yeah but what do YOU think?" he picked up Aethers hand and replaced it with his own
"I think it's awesome” Lauren turned and patted his chest, Lauren pointed to the water bottle insisting he should drink. 

 Aether leaned down to call into Laurens ear “How long until he falls off the stage?”
“I got him shoes with a strong grip, that’s not happeningLauren grinned, forward thinking prevents injuries
“Oooohhh you’d be surprised, Terzo's a pretty talented Papa….” Aether nudged Lauren.

Just to get on Copias bad side, Terzo mocked Copias “dance moves” during Mummy dust, sticking his butt out willy nilly,
Copia groaned “He’s doing it all wrong, he’s bending his back.. it’s supposed to be … ugh”
Lauren smirked at him “Like What, Papa? Demonstrate for me?” 
Copia chuckled and grabbed Laurens arm, pulling her in front of him and holding her hips, pushing her torso forward, bending her down to a 90-degree angle. “Like this” he swayed his hips with hers,  thrusting his groin into her butt with the beat “In..god…you…Thrust” his smirk down right evil, Lauren stood back up and leaned back into his embrace
“You’re right, I like this much betterLauren mumbled, leaning back to kiss him again,

“Ugh… you dang teen agers and your sex drives, I can’t take it” Aether groaned leaning over to the bar, grabbing the forgotten drinks and holding them out to the couple. Lauren took her wine and downed the rest of the glass, Copia held up the water bottle and turned down the whiskey " Even worse my friend, apparently we're on our honeymoon, according to Antonio" Copia laughed 

"When the hell did that ha- oh wait Antonio the Don? oh yeah no not going there" Aether crossed his arms and leaned on the beam again

The final chords of Mummy dust rang out when the circus like chords of Secular Haze began to play out Secondo walked out on stage to take the microphone from Secondo, there was a particular reason he wasn’t opening with Guleh/Zombie queen, Kazoos were banned in Secondos presence.
Terzo waved from the side of the stage for Copia to “get over here”.

“oo! I’ll see you soon, have fun” Copia pressed his face to Laurens cheek in a quick kiss before jogging off to the back rooms. Lauren watched his own mummy dust as he ran away from her, Lucifer certainly did bless that man with an entire bakery of cake. If it weren’t for the teal jacket there’d be no way to tell where he was as he dipped into the shadows.

Secondo on stage spent more time focusing on his vocal technique and his intimidating presence instead of the flare and the "look at me" presence, as if every song was an incantation and one bum note would unleash hell hounds on the crowd.
As the Ghouls all started chanting, including Aether, Year Zero began, the lights all went bright red, Flames burst to life around the roof, it looked like they were in their own pit of hell, the flames were so pretty, the way they shined, the way they glowed and flickered, like they were reaching to touch the stars above, but just couldn’t reach.
As Lauren looks at all the different fires around the roofs she spots Aether standing still in this trance like state. Lauren waved her hands in front of his face, but he didn’t move. When she saw the Ghouls acting like this during practices she thought it was all an act, maybe not, maybe something in this song created a neural paralytic. That’s fancy sciencey demon stuff she'll never understand, the only thing she does know is she still has to keep throwing out the “logic” part of reasoning situations.
When the song faded out, Aether blinked and looked around, “ah…. Still gets me” he shook his head and looked down to her, stood still in confusion “It’s a ghoul thing…”

“Yeah, sure it is Aether…. sure, it is… you were just staring off into space like Eva does when she needs to fart”.

He grinned and shook his head “you would know if a ghoul farted. “

“ew”

When Primo appeared on stage to play Ritual, He asked Secondo to stay and invited Terzo and Copia to join them on stage, the four of them sharing the song singing their own individual parts and harmonies, coming together for the chorus, their 4 very similar voices blending together perfectly, the chord they hit together echoed around the room, If she knew any better for sure she could hear a 5th voice singing an even higher note.

“It’s a shame that the fans of ghost will never be able to hear this, their voices together make for some beautiful harmonies” Lauren leaned against Aethers side again,
“Yeah, well the rest of the world still thinks Terzo was decapitated” Aether chuckled moving Lauren to stand in front of him, leaning back against him, with his arms draped over her shoulders in front of hers
Lauren put the glass down behind her and looked up to Aether “And they all think he’s 4’11”

“Isn’t he?” Aether grinned “My brother, Omega, said he was shorter” he pats her on the head like he was squishing her down. "Or did he say smaller?"

The lights went out as Rain steps forward into a red spotlight from beneath him to play the opening of Con Clavi Con Dio.
“Ah shit” Aether pulls her back against him, wrapping his arm across her shoulders and braces himself on the pillar of the archway as the crowd enthusiastically starts jumping and head banging to the beat as the whole band joins, Shaking the ground of the castle beneath her. The glasses on the bar behind her clinking and tinkling away. Lauren tilted her head down to avoid any rock cracking under the shaking.

“LOO – SI- FEEEEEEEEEEEEER”

Every voice in the crowd was calling out to Lucifer for being late to the dang party.
Oh, to be a local person casually strolling past a castle, on fire, red lights shining in from within to hear this.
Or even a Mafia boss who was multiple floors up with the matriarch of the Ministry… uh oh.

The shaking room, despite being held by Aether, started to make her feel as though the room itself was spinning, Maybe it was a result of being overtired mixed with the 4 glasses of wine she's been drinking and the heat contained within this courtyard, a chill ran down her spine but she could feel sweat beading on her forehead. Lauren squeezed Aethers arm to get his attention “...help... I’m…”Lauren slapped a hand over her mouth as a wave of nausea washed over her.

Aether's eyes went wide, seeing Laurens face drain of colour and sensing the discomfort coming from her, he reached down to lift her off the floor, rushing over the closest bin he could see, setting her down on her knees.
Lauren grabbed the edges of the bin lurching over and gagging, Saliva dribbled from her mouth as her dinner came right back up.
Aether looked away and held her up by Laurens shoulder and pulled her hair back from her face “Let it out...let it all out” he encouraged trying to get the attention of any ghoul who could hear him.
The lone waiter rushed over with a glass of water “What happened?” they put the glass on the ground and pulled their own hair out of their own small top knot so they could pull Laurens hair into a low pony at the base of her head with the one elastic band

“I don't know…. ‘s been a long da….” Aether's voice was starting to fade in and out like she was dipping underwater and could only hear when she was above the surface.
Lauren hung on to the edge of the bin for stability even when her limbs started to feel heavier and heavier, when her skin started to flush and sweat all over again, sending her nervous system into confused shivers

*~*~*~*
Aether sat down behind Lauren and pulled her back to lean against him, sat up against his chest , waving her down with his big hands,
her breathing was heavy, laboured, a cold damp towel was wiped over her face, the base layer of makeup being washed away but the sweat would have done that either way.

“I don’t know if she’s just sick or if her drink got spiked, it’s best you stop serving drinks now, especially while that lot are distracted” Aether pointed to the crowd. “I’m going to take her back to the hotel in case she was spiked.” his internal panic setting in having said it... With such a sudden change in Laurens executive function, it could only be use of the date rape drug.

“Do you want me to call anyone for her?” the waiter asked, patting the cold towel to Laurens shoulders,

Everyone of the higher clergy was using burner numbers he hadn't memorized, just that of the other drivers and the emergency contact “Can I just use your phone? “Aether repositioned Lauren to sit with her legs stretched out,

The waiter handed it over, in their own panic they ran back behind the bar and started pulling down the drinks from display, their manager rushed over to talk to them about what was happening, why were they pulling the drinks down, who’s that lady, why are they panicking? They explained the concern about spiked drinks and ran into action.

Aether called for the driver to come around to the front and be prepared to go to the hospital and call authorities. It’d be decided that the easiest thing to do would be to take Lauren back to her hotel room and private medical services would come to the hotel.
Maybe not the best decision to make, but the possibility of Rohypnol being used at this party only raised further concerns for the safety of the siblings and whoever else might have had their drinks tainted and put at risk.
At this time, interrupting the concert would only cause unwanted panic and chaos.

“I’m going to take her back to the hotel and I’ll be right back “ Aether looked around, getting up on his knees and standing with the deadweight of her body against his chest.

“You need someone to stay with her until emergency services arrive, yes? “The waiter offered, grabbing a smaller bin for traveling “I’ll keep her safe until then. “

“Have you dealt with this before?” Aether questioned, lifting her limp body into his arms.

“I work in hospitality; I’ve seen nearly everything” she grabbed a packet of 4 bottles of water left in the fridge and a fresh towel.

Aether groaned and tilted his head “I don’t really have another choice, come on then.” Aether did his best to walk fast without jostling Lauren too much around in his arms. Sliding carefully into the car that pulls up, driving the 550 meters to the hotel.
It frustrated him to no end, everyone is on stage, no one is going to notice, it was up to him to be in 6 places at once, first priority would be patient zero 

The waiter called and explained to private paramedics what was happening. “We’re going to take her back to the hotel, she’ll be in room…uh.. 8.12?  yeah 8.12 . Her friend has to go back to the party so I’ll stay with her until you get here. Yeah…ok thanks…” they hang up the phone and look out the window “paramedics are going to be 8 minutes away. Do you want me to call the police about it?”

“Not right now, it should be contained to the castle courtyard for now. We don’t want to incite panic, don’t want people to worry unnecessarily. If other people get spiked, they can be spotted, we can deal with it internally.” Aether watched out the window as the car pulled to the side. Aether groaned  and dropped his head “ My boss is going to have a full breakdown when he figures out it’s his wife that got spiked”

“Yeah…that’s not fun for anyone” The waiter sighed.

“Oh no…He’s the head of our church, the wife of the head of our church was attacked, he’s going to want to go to war”

The waiter shuffled over to open the door to the side “I’m contracted to privacy, I know I can’t talk about this to anyone so … yeah… I won’t say anything” they stood on the sidewalk, holding the door open for him and waving to the boy at reception to come over. The receptionist came over, the waiter explained what was going on in Italian, Aether followed the service workers to the elevator, watching her expressions for any change.

The receptionist opened the door to her suite, Aether charged in and laid Lauren down on the bed, rolling her onto her side. The waiter grabbed pillows and propped them up behind her.

Lauren was still conscious, but her body was so heavy, so weak, all she could do was look up and around at her surroundings. Aether and 2 strangers in her room, they were panicking much more than she was.  How did she get back to the hotel? Did Aether teleport? Why is she sweating so much? Oh right… she was sick… that’s not ideal. Where’s Eva? Where’s Copia? Lauren hopes he’s with her, Eva shouldn’t have to see her in this state. Copia shouldn’t either

“Alright, I’m going back, you go back to the front desk, you stay in touch with him. uh…” Aether patted his pants pockets “I don’t have a phone but uh.. number… “Aether grabbed a notebook and wrote down an Italian number to Sister Imperators travel sim card. “That’s her mother-in-Law, text her any and all updates. Call her if things take a turn.”

“Ok, You can count on me” The waiter walked back to the bathroom to get another damp towel for her forehead

Aether walked out the front door of her suite and apparated to the castle.

The waiter sat by her side and wiped down her forehead and her arms. “I’m sorry this happened to you, Lauren,” the waiter whispered, “Can you hear me?”

“mmm…Lauren groaned. Opening her eyes to look up to them, the waiter had a shortish black haircut, their accent was English, it was too dark to distinguish any other details

“Oh good, Ok, my name's Harry, I’m going to keep you company until the paramedics come, Do you feel like throwing up again?”

“mm...mmm”

“That’s good. When you’re ready, can you sip some water? “

“mmm hmm”

“Good.” Harry sighed; they reached over to grab a bottle and crack the seal  “I’m sorry this happened to you. I’ve worked in bars since I was in uni, I hate how common this is no matter which country you go to; this is going to suck… you’re going to have to ride this out for a couple hours. Thank God for Aether, right? You’ve got a great friend there”.

“mm he’s single” Lauren mumbled,

Harry laughed and gently patted her shoulder “Good to know”.

3 heavy knocks came at the door “that should be the paramedics, I’ll be right back”.

Harry walked over to open the door, a woman dressed in a red paramedics uniform and carrying a heavy bag stood before him with a stoic expression
“Could you go and meet my colleague at the ambulance please? He'll be parked out front” the paramedic asked.
No introductions, no greeting, straight into it 

“Yeah, I can do that, she’s in there, she’s comfortable for now I’ll be back” Lindsay bolted down the hallway. Taking the elevator back to the ground floor and ran past the reception "The paramedics here! " Harry called out to the receptionist " have you heard from the guests?"  

"Uh, They only let me know there was another person who was hurt" they called out from the back "I didn't hear any cars pull up" the receptionist walked out from the back office and looked at his watch " I didn't hear sirens either"
Harry looked over his shoulder, there wasn't any car on the street "Could they have parked out the back of the hotel?" 

"No, not unless they were to go through the kitchen. I'll ask security to come out " the receptionist picked up the phone and dialed

"I'll go flag down the ambulance" Harry jogged outside only to see that there was no ambulance in sight.

The street was empty.

The paramedic walked over to the bed, She didn't turn the light on, She didn't greet Lauren either,  dropping her bag at the end of the mattress and crawling to sit behind Lauren.

“ questo è troppo facile ” Lauren could feel the fabric of her dress being pulled and the sounds of scissors cutting the fabric up the side, cutting the fabric on her shoulder, 

She shoves Lauren from behind, her limp body rolling and hitting the floor with a hard thump, Lauren had no energy left to fight her flailing limbs, protect her face or even groan in pain, Lauren had just enough energy left to breath.

The Paramedic draped her legs over the side of the bed and lined her boot up with Laurens torso. She stood from the bed and stomped down on Laurens torso over and over, Laurens torso burned with pain, shots of electricity rushing through her arms and her neck, she misses and stomps down on her stomach, the air being knocked from her lungs, the dizziness, the confusion, the nausea was all too much
Lauren turned her head as she started to gag, wanting to throw up, wanting to scream, wanting to beg for help. As Lauren gasped for air, coughing and gagging, her chest radiated with pain, breathing too big and breathing too small sent waves of pain throughout her body. 

She pushed her foot under Lauren shoulder and rolls her onto her side, bile and acid falls from her mouth as Lauren continue to gasp for air, " Donna disgustosa " 

She crouched over Lauren and held Laurens hand, taking the rings Copia had given her from her finger and tossing them aside, replacing it with some sort of thread wrapping it tightly over her left ring finger.
" Non ne avrai bisogno nell'aldilà " she mumbled as she unclipped and took the crystal necklace, sparing Laurens throat from the same experience, it already felt as though she were breathing in acid.
She grabbed Laurens hair tied behind her head and proceeded to carelessly cut her hair from the ponytail with the same scissors, tossing the length of her hair in front of her face.

“ Tuo marito ti manda i suoi saluti ”.

The paramedic walked away, taking her bag with her, and left without another word. 

Lauren left gasping for air, unable to move, in the darkness, completely alone, everything hurt.
How long will it be until Aether comes back? 

When will anyone come back...

Notes:

I'm Sorry.

It's not just concerning but alarming as to how common drink spiking is,
I truly hate that there's more products available to prevent drink spiking
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0BZ8PJWXX?ref_=mr_referred_us_au_nz&th=1

than there is control around the drugs.

If you ever feel like your drink has been spiked and you experience this, it's already too late, the best thing you can do is to seek an authority or management figure who can get you to safety or to paramedics/hospital quickly.
Report it immediately while you're still conscious, The medication clears out of your system after 8 hours.
If it happens in a bar, Police can look at CCTV to see if they can find who did it.
Insist. Do not back down .
Someone attacked you, you can win. just like the reader has done in the past.

Chapter 22: Vigil

Summary:

The Paramedic made one fatal mistake in their escape plan, They didn't account for demonic ghouls being the ones chasing after her.

Team AC are the ones to find you and get you to the hospital, the need to step back and assess the situation wasn't a good combo for a pair of emotionally charged Ghouls.

Copia confronts the paramedic and checks in on the affected clergy

Notes:

TW : DESCRIPTIONS OF BRUTAL INJURIES, and hospital lingo YIKES, Mind Torture, Hallucinations, Fire, smoke, Burning, angy Copia.

When the waiter called Sister in a frantic state, she’d thrown out her schedule for the evening and organized an emergency plan to get the siblings home, when siblings started to show signs of also having tainted drinks, that plan went out the window, it was all hands on deck,
Once the initial panic and unease had settled, Sister sent a team of ghouls to the hotel, and the strongest ghoul, omega, to monitor Copia so he wouldn’t summon an entire ring of demons to the surface out of anger or pain.

Sodo, Aether, Swiss and cumulus appeared in the garden of the hotel suite, no damage outside, no struggle and no floating body in the spa.

Cumulus apparated into a mist, floating through the cracks of the doors into the room, crossing over the floor like a low fog to ensure the room was empty. It was dark, but the room was empty, two unfamiliar scents in the room headed out the door, one of them had a hint of vodka lime and tonic water, that must be the waiter,
The other was cheap fabric disinfectant, 2% Hydrocortisone Steroid cream for eczema, Coconut Deodorant, Hair straightening treatment, Female, Calm, only the tiniest hint of perspiration.

Who ever was in here was a professional, this was something they dealt with regularly, and they weren’t here long,
When Cumulus came across only heartbeat in the room, it was faint, slow, even the breathing was shallow, she reappeared next to Laurens unconscious body laying on the floor,
She dropped to her knees and hovered her hands over Laurens body, no idea where to look first
“Oh satan….”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“First Lauren, then eleven siblings and Papa Terzo, I don’t think this was ‘random’ “Swiss crossed his arms leaning against the wall. They'd already rushed through the staff and none of them smelled like Rohypnol or ketamine.
They were at a loss for any leads or any kind of motive, The only assumption they had at this point was a newer sibling had snuck some drugs in to make the party a “better” experience.
There were still some new siblings with some addictions they were working through, but nothing that would harm anyone else.
Harm your own body, admit to it, work through it. there was no need to go cold turkey, that just never worked.

Aether stood waiting at the door shaking his head “I don’t think so either, it hit her hard and fast. It bothers me that two nights in a row she's been served poisoned drinks, once at Antonio’s and once a private ministry function.”

“I don’t like it, now it’s hurt the siblings, it wasn’t a coincidence” Sodo grumbled, trying to sniff out any sort of scent to follow. “When Papa Terzo nearly threw up in one of the drums, I thought it was revenge of some kind”.

“He’s got it coming to him after all this time. Honestly, it’s overdue. “Swiss mused as he looked up at a broken reed on the sun cover. " He may be the most romantic of the Papas, but he is the most careless.” Swiss shrugged “you don’t go out drugging everyone to get to one person like that… you sneeze on his food when you’ve got a cold or change the times on all his clocks or …put his phone number on a bathroom stall I don’t know, not risk the lives of the whole fuckin clergy!”

“I don’t want to know why you can think of that so easily” Sodo grabbed for the doorknob “this is taking too long we’ll lose the trail”

“Wait for it… Cumulus knows what she’s doing…” Aether shoved Sodo back behind him, looking down at the fire ghoul, impatient and still running on the show men's adrenaline high.

“Go lick a battery” Sodo grumbled, he looked over to Swiss who was staring off into space. “Why aren’t you ready? You’ve gotta chase with me”.

Swiss shrugged “conserving my energy”

“Aww, poor Swiss, can’t keep up with Sodo on a chase.” Sodo mocked him, actually trying to start a chase before it was ready.

“IT’S CLEAR GET IN HERE” Cumulus shrieked, her voice muffled from the other room.
Aether and Sodo rushed through the door pushing into one another as they made their way to their respective targets.

Sodo rushed through the front door impatiently waiting for Swiss to follow him close behind.
Leaning closer to the security door key swipe. It has been thoroughly smashed with a heavy tool, but Sodo picked up on the scent of coconut deodorant and universal fabric cleaner quickly, Swiss leaned against the door frame and looked to Sodo for a cue.

Sodos pupils blew wide as his vision changed, the surrounding area fading to shades of grey, but the scent he honed in on glowed blue as it lingered in the hallways,
Quickly as they blink, they follow the scent down the hallway, throwing themselves over the railings down the 8 flights of stairs, Swiss picked up the discarded paramedics jumpsuit on the 4 th floor  through the crowded kitchens, a set of steel bowls falling to the ground seemingly out of nowhere and clattering loudly to the ground, out the back doors and into the alleyway, out onto the street turning left, going north 3 blocks, turning right onto the main road.

The scent blended with exhaust fumes of a petrol bike, riding up the Corso Umberto I , rushing up the main road past the older buildings lining the streets of Napoli rushing past pedestrians quick enough they would not be seen but leaving a stray gust of wind in their passing.
Passing one of any catholic churches the ghouls leapt across the tops of cars with loud crunches of the metal roofs, the scent wavering in places as it weaves between the traffic for a quick and subtle get away.
Swiss was huffing with the rush of adrenaline from the chase, no restrictions for speed, no restriction of space, they would not be caught, jumping across cars and throwing himself off the streetlight poles.
When the ghouls nearly threw themselves into the walls of the Galleria Commerciale they Swiftly bounced north, Sodo scraped along the side of a bus as it turned into his path to let passengers off, Moving too fast to hear the gasps and shrieks from the sudden turbulence of being thrown across the seats.

The scent grew stronger the closer they got, not a step out of line as they sharply veered south west again for just a moment, they spotted a discarded and still hot engine of the escaping bike but the trail continued, ignoring the bike to leap over the closed gates and scaling the walls instead of taking the steps of the entrance to the botanical gardens. Their turns came quick, whoever did this took turns around the gardens, site seeing through the gardens and around their bends, should they have been followed by humans it’d be an easy way to get lost, no human would have spotted when it finally ventured off the path past a faded bust statue of an educator or a philosopher, who knew, unimportant now, it wasn’t chipped.
They followed the damaged plants over the walls and back down the streets once again, Swiss and Sodo were salivating from the rush and how strong the scent was growing, their target was mere meters away.
On the corner of this back alley a rubbish bin was roaring with flames, that scent of the disinfectant and its coconut wafting from it. They ghouls climbed the building across the road from the target, a derelict looking building containing a no name budget bread and breakfast motel.
Finally, they stopped, huffing heavily as they gazed down through the different windows. None of the windows on the street side held the perpetrator, so they threw themselves onto the roof of the hotel, climbing down the sides and crawling window by window to find the strongest scent.

Patchouli, no,
Mold, ew,
Anxiety and weed, not now,
Coconut…finally.

The big light was off and there was one person inside, a woman, sitting on her bed reading one of the well-used travel magazines kept in the room by the dim glow of the table lamp. Any clothes, bar the shoes, had been discarded before she returned to her room, sitting in peace from a “job well done”.
She didn’t notice when smoke started to spill across the roof climbing towards the window, it was silent, the smoke filled the room and slowly fell down the walls, the ambient sounds of crackling embers set her off that something was off, the woman looked around to the door when she spotted the smoke spilling in “ What the… “  she jumped up off her bed and ran to the door, as she grabbed the handle her skin sizzled as it was white hot to the touch, she jumped back and grabbed her hand, “oh for… they had to put me up in such a shitty hotel ugh” she groaned as she reached for her jacket and covering the handle, trying to turn it but it would not budge no matter which way she turned it. 
She held her arm and shoved her shoulder against the door. It was an old building so surely a good shoulder check should break its hinges, once ... .twice.. she tried again and again but it was solid.
“Where are the alarms!” she cursed under her breath as she groaned from the pain in her arm.
She rushed across to the window, trying to open the rusted hinges, opening the window just 3 inches but it would not move more than that, the smoke rushed down over her as it rushed outside,
Her eyes burned from the smoke, filling her nose and mouth quick as she could breath in, impairing her sense of direction, she coughed loud trying to breathe through the burning in her nose and throat, her arm covering her eyes squeezed shut, She stumbled back and tripped over her boot, falling to the floor.
The woman reached forward for the boot, when she found it, grabbing it with the intention of throwing it through the glass, but it didn’t move when she pulled it. She grabs the boot again and it is warm, it is hard… filled…with a foot.

“Who’s there?” she shouted, “Help me out, the buildings are on fire! I can’t see!” she leaned forward onto her knees, grabbing onto the leg standing in front of her “Please!”

“Did she beg…as you do now” Multiple voices blended into one “No… You poisoned her so she couldn’t scream…. like this”

She was yanked off the floor by her ponytail, grasping at her head as she felt every strand fighting to stay in her scalp.
She screeched in pain and fear, her ears filled with the crackling of flames, drowning out her own voice.
She could feel the flames licking at her neck and down her back, burning the hairs and the fabric of her shirt. The burning skin on her hand radiated and bubbled as if she was holding a hot coal. “I DIDN’T SIGN UP FOR THIS, STOP!” she cried out, reaching for anything to hold onto as she was hoisted high off the ground, her toes barely touching the ground, her head drowning in the smoke, her throat burned, breathing and screaming hurt like swallowing lava, but that was all she could do.

“You will burn…on the mortal coil or in hell, it is what you deserve”. The voices called again.

“Once he is done with you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aether ran across the room to Cumulus’s side “What happened?” standing over her in shock at the state Lauren was left in. He already felt guilty for leaving her alone at all, but considering how Cumulus looked on the floor, it wasn't his place to get emotional and panic, he had to be the strong one here. Aether had to call the shots once again.

Cumulus was massaging the dark purple ring finger. “Breathing…sort of...heart beating… just…She’s been beaten, her jewelry's been stolen, her dress and her hairs been cut, she threw up acid and blood and her ribs have been stomped on so they’re probably broken, I don’t know but a collapsed lung or broken ribs are possible but we don’t have x ray vision… but there’s no more poison in her blood so whoever did this expected her to die from internal injuries. Look at this..” Cumulus threw the cut part of the dress aside to expose the large and still growing boot shaped bruise across Laurens ribs.
“Steel capped boots, the waiter said the paramedic arrived right? What paramedic is wearing Steel capped boots Cumulus groaned “what is with humans’ veins and their slow recovery!”

Aether knelt on the other side trying to find anyway to contribute to help, “we shouldn’t touch her right? Her body is a crime scene, isn’t it?”

“It’ll still be a crime scene when we make sure she’s not fucking dying! Can you find something that’ll help?” Cumulus was starting to panic from the unknown

“We’re not medical professionals, we can’t fix a collapsed lung or internal bleeding!” Aether yelled.

“Didn’t you see the good doctor?! Get a blade, two bottles of alcohol and a narrow 6 foot tube!” Cumulus ordered.

“You’re not an Autistic Charlie bucket with savant syndrome!  “he yelled, looking around the room for any place a first aid kit could be stored.

“No, I’m not, I’m a demon from the pits of hell! I’m not going back, we’re better! Just GET SOMETHING!!”  she begged him, “I’m not going to let Copia break down again, we’re supposed to keep her safe we’re supposed to keep THEM safe! We promised her! “

Aether placed his hands on her shoulders “Cumulus… she’s breathing...she’s alive…” He pulled out the burner phone he was given to contact the hospital.  “we’re going to keep her stable then move her to the hospital, they’re ready for her”.

Cumulus stopped rubbing Laurens ring finger and held onto her limp hand, sitting there with her head hanging low, tears falling down her face onto Laurens hand “we…promised… “

“oh don’t you start now too… Yes, Lauren keeps getting hurt, it’s like she’s been hexed by some stupid witch, I’d feel better knowing she’d been hexed, we can take care of that” Aether rubbed cumulus’s back “ up until now she’s been hurt by that curse of her ex-husband, none of us thought it’d happen while they were here since he’s stuck in a cage now. I’d call it dumb luck but now we know she’s a target no matter where she goes. She’s more trouble than we are, and she came with a wiggly baby.”

Cumulus smiled and took a deep breath to gather herself “I love that wiggly baby”.

“There ya go… come on…” Aether stood up again  “it’s a good thing she’s been knocked out otherwise she’ll scream like a banshee what with you jackin off her finger like that” He went to Lauren's side, wiggling his fingers and arms under her torso and legs and lift Lauren up off the floor,
Cumulus stood and grabbed the throw from the bed, covering her body  “Where’s Copia? Is he going to come back here?” 

“Probably not, he's either still at the castle or with Brother Enzo” Aether groaned as he jostled his arms under Lauren's body for a better hold “he’s either taking charge back at the event or trying to get to the hospital, you know things are different this time”.

"How? Because we're in a different country?"

"She's been baptized, and the media isn't all over this, So let's keep it that way for now."

Cumulus nodded, looking over her shoulders to the ground, she crouched down and grabbed one of the rings that’d been thrown on the ground. “Should we at least warn him her hair’s been cut?”

“Maybe. It’s not that bad right? it's just hair “Aether lifted his arm to look at the state of Laurens hair.

Cumulus thought to argue the point…but Aether was still Male, any explanation about the importance of hair for a woman would be like trying to put a bonfire out with a water-gun.
She settled on growling and grabbing his arm, “letting go” the two ghouls apparated in a cloud of mist.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The pair of ghouls hissed as their eyes burned from the sudden fluorescent lighting flooding the hospital halls of the emergency department “Arh…..fu- turn it down!” Aether groaned squeezing his eyes shut,

“Is this Ms Sullen?” a nurse called as she ran down the hall with a bed “Here! Put her here!”
Aether carefully lay Lauren down on the bed, the nurse pointed down the hall “Trauma 2 , What can you tell me”

“She started throwing up and showing signs of confusion and loss of muscle control, hot and cold flashes around 10:48pm,I suspect Rohypnol, we got her to the hotel before 11pm and i left her with a waiter that tagged along with me apparently a paramedic showed up not long after that but we came back at 11:30 and Cumulus found her on the floor in this condition” Aether recalled.

Cumulus pointed to the still bruised finger “Her finger was tied off with some sort of tooth floss to cut off circulation, her breathing is shallow her pulse is weak, she has a huge bruise in the shape of a boot on her ribs, blood in her vomit, I think she was stomped on, she’s probably got multiple broken ribs”

“That’s…a lot” the nurse pulled the corner of the bed, so it swung around into the trauma bay, 3 other doctors waiting against the walls, all gowned up ready and waiting.

“Oh! She had a baby a year ago and was the victim of domestic violence, so she does have previous scars and tearing!” Aether called out.

The nurse waved at him in thanks. “Is there any chance she could be pregnant now?” the ghouls looked to one another with a loop that could only be translated as oops.

“Maybe? We don’t think so though” Cumulus called, looking to Aether who just shrugged "I didn't hear a second heart beat so probably not"

The nurse nodded and flashed them a smile, gesturing to the team who was already moving Laurens body around to cut off the rest of the dress and examine the damage.
“We will take good care of her” and shut the curtains of the room.

The ghouls backed up from the curtain in the already busy hallway, their own hearts were still pounding in their chests and their lungs burned from the panic. Cumulus reached out for Aethers sleeve. “I hate this part”
Aether dropped his head and reached out to pull her into a hug, resting his head in between her horns “me too.”
The two of them stood together in the hallway listening to all the voices overlapping, throwing instructions over one another. the hand overs always sucked, not being able to help or even know what's going on, just having to trust these qualified humans ... It sucked. 

“Everyone back up, X Ray… ok get that finger in a warm rag. Someone gets blood. I want 2 pints of O negative on call”.

“Her breath is too shallow, I’m going to bag her”.

“X Rays up… yikes. ok we have a flail chest and blood in the chest cavity, she has probably had her liver punctured since it’s pooling in the lower right of her ribs.”

“I can’t do this” Cumulus tugged on Aethers shirt, gesturing for him to go.
“Ok, hold on, ask someone where the waiting area is” he patted her back and pointed to a doctor standing around watching the trauma bay.

Aether walked up to the curtain and poked his head in and grabbed the shoulder of the first person he could “Her blood type is B positive, if that helps” a young man in his gown and mask nodded to him “It does"

Aether leaned in and dropped Papas silver grucifix and chain on the corner of the bed “Keep that with her, Please” the man nodded and Aether backed out of the room

walking down the hall to Cumulus, they were led into a private room off to the side, a window, and generic couches lined the room, it was quiet at least.

Aether walked over and sat in the corner on an angle, holding his arms out “Come here I know you need it”
Cumulus sighed and walked over, sitting on his lap and pulling her legs to her chest, Aether wrapped his arms over her shoulders and legs holding her close to him, the muffled sounds of people talking and beds being rolled past the doors were all they could hear.
They sat in silence for a few short moments, it was no sleeping puddle they were used to but it would do until the others show up from their own tasks.

Aether pulled his phone out to check messages from the night:

Rain: Siblings being sent home with friends

Tall: Drums not damaged, Terzo still getting the bill

Mini Me: he can afford it

Keytar Slaya: No one will question it. Go for it.

Cheese: CAN WE BURN DOWN A BUILDING?

Rain: Is it some historical landmark?

Cheese: YEAH THE MUSEUM OF BLACK MOLD AND SHIT HOSPITALITY

Keytar Slaya: are there other people in it?

Cheese: WHO CARES THEY’RE PROBABLY BUMS

Tall: No

Cheese: THEY WILL GET INSURANCE

Keytar Slaya: You think they have insurance? Really?

Mini Me:….

Sparky: He did it anyway.

Keytar Slaya: Fuk sakes Swiss.

Rain: Has anyone seen Sister Imperator?

Tall: Yeah she’s still old.

Keytar Slaya: Not as old as your balls Rain

Rain: They work better than humans at my age, Where is she?

Keytar Slaya: She and the Papas followed Terzos waambulance to the hospital.

Sparky: Got the bitch, might be slightly crispy.

Tall: I’ll bring the ranch, Will she talk?

Mini Me: Can we slap her?

Keytar Slaya: After Papa

Rain: Which one?

Keytar Slaya: yes

Sparky: the one who has been balls deep in mama for Months.

Keytar Slaya: dude…

Cheese: I’M STILL FULL FROM LAST NIGHT YOU GO AHEAD

Tall: That’s a good point, What about the Mafia dude?

Mini Me: Nah I still think he’s connected.

Rain: Keep him away for now. Still not happy about last night.

Sparky: because you weren’t invited to the hunt?

Rain: shut it sodo.

Me: Mama is in the trauma bay, broken ribs, breathing tube, it’s bad.

Keytar Slaya: Oh duck is Cumulus ok?

Rain: Thank you Aether

Mini Me: Sh!t

Cheese: YOU GAVE HER THE GRUCIFIX RIGHT?

Tall: they got her blood type?

Sparky: I need Tall.

Keytar Slaya: I’m on my way to you Aether

Mini Me: Me too

Rain: I’ll be there soon.

Aether put his phone down on the side of the couch and rubbed Cumulus’s back. “Terzo puked in Mountains drum” Aether mumbled, His quintessence calming effect didn’t work as well on other ghouls, So all he could do was rub her back and hold her tight.

“Mountains going to burn the drums now” Cumulus mumbled into his chest. “’s gonna have to buy a whole new set”

“Yeah he is,” Aether chuckled. “You know what Swiss did?”

“Knocked down a statue?”

Aether shook his head and gently rubbed his hand up her back “Burned down some crappy motel”
That put a smile on her face, she couldn’t hide the giggles that made her shake in his arms “There we go, that’s a happy girl” he pat her back gently

“Shuddup,” she mumbled.

Cirrus, Rain and Phantom all apparated one by one in the waiting room, Cirrus rushed over to sit by cumulus’s side and tried to look at her face, but she was buried deep into Aethers chest

“The ambulance with Terzo just got here,” Rain walked over and sat opposite Aether .

Phantom followed behind him  “ The Papas are in the car behind that. Copias not there.”

“Where’d he go?” Aether raised a brow “is he waiting for Sodo and Swiss?”

“yeah.. He’s taking it surprisingly well this time”  Phantom leaned forward and rest his elbows on his knees

Cirrus and Aether looked to each other “Uh….. “

“What…” he looked at Cirrus then Aether “What am I missing?”

“She’s a member of the clergy now she’s been baptised” Cirrus looked to Aether nervously.

“Yeah… he doesn’t have to hold back anymore” Aether leaned his head to the sides, his neck cracking “Papa will do whatever it takes to protect his clergy, their relationship just gives him more reason to be more...brutal”

Phantom's imagination ran wild “you think he’s going to use Swiss to drive her insane or summon Lucifer to throw her straight into the pits?”

“He’s done that before, Copias more likely to have her experience the same pain without the sedatives, seeking justice and karma” Aether explained “He’s going to get information out of her, torture her. If it’s mafia related it’ll go back to Antonio to deal with, if it’s not, it’s up to him.”

Phantom looked around the other ghouls “Why didn’t we do this before? With the ex-husband?”

Cirrus lifted her head from Aethers chest to look at Phantom “Because the ex-husband made it public, that threw up a huge roadblock on what we could do” Cirrus called “We couldn’t just put it down to mysterious murder, normal people would riot and make him a martyr”. 

“So… it’s like an underworld scenario this time?" 

“Bingo”

Copia sat cross legged in his chair, locked in a stone cell in the depths of the Italian ministry,
just watching the writhing woman chained to the walls like a prisoner, she still twitched as it felt the embers pricking at her skin and wheezing as she breathed.

He’d asked to keep dark to the details of Laurens attack for now, the drugging and breaking into the suite alone was enough disrespect to start things off, and being responsible for drugging other members of his flock so carelessly already just added fuel to the fire.

The woman believed she was laying on smouldering logs while she breathed in the rising smoke.
She’d already begged and pleaded for mercy, he gave her enough time to accept her fate in this hallucination. 

He just watched her, contemplating and practicing patience.
Contemplating all the ways he could make her disappear, it’d be too easy just to throw her through a portal to hell, he could let mountain have a snack, could she be chopped up and served for dinner to the siblings? Nah she’d ruin the pasta, any of the methods Antonio’s men would normally use to punish someone still didn’t feel like enough.
No singular punishment would make up for the harm she caused.

Copia let out a long deep breath and waved to Sodo to bring her out of the hallucination. The heat faded away, shivering as she could feel the cold hard stone and the weight of the chains tied behind her back .
“Wha…. Where Am I? What was that?” she spoke in Italian, looking around frantically, when she spotted Copia sat in the chair just staring down at her, she shuffled back until her head hit the wall. “What do you want? Are you going to kill me?”

“I’m still deciding that” Copia uncrossed his legs and leaned forward “Tell me why you targeted my flock? Are you a Catholic with extreme ideals that those of the satanic ministry should be punished for our beliefs?” 

The colour drained from her face hearing "Satanic Ministry" that did not match with the information she'd been given “What? No! It was just a job” she tugged at the chains “I just got paid to do it”.

“So you’re a contracted thief and killer” he looked over to his shoulder and waved to Mountain to come to his side, Mountain dropped the crystal necklace she’d stolen into his hand “Who contracted you” Copia waved the necklace she'd taken as a trophy from his finger.

“I can’t tell you” She looked up to the man in the black suit and the steampunk-like mask.

Not the answer he wanted, he dropped the necklace into his pocket “You might as well, you’ve already done the damage that will lead to punishment. You should come to terms that you’ve poked a bee’s nest you can’t run from now while we’re showing you kindness”

She shuddered on the floor, the visions and feelings of fire were so real, she was still convinced there would be burn marks on her skin and clothes. It was unthinkable what he was capable of still, especially if this was kindness. “I never met them, I got sent the contract from someone up in Europe, the money was good. Everything had been booked already, it was a straightforward job”. She shrunk down as small as she could on the wall.

“And morally you were ok with putting many innocent people at harm and killing a mother who’s done you no harm?” Copia tilted his head

She looked to the ground “It was just a job. It was just a paycheck!”

Copia sneered, sitting up in his chair “Who sent you the job?”

“Some lawyer … Michael or something, he did it on request of his client.” She shuffled to turn away from him, this was a reprieve from the torture that’d start again. " I'll give you the emails, this isn't worth protecting " 

A low feral growl vibrated from the shadows of the room, Swiss was pressed up in the shadows of the room, his true ghoulish form hidden by the shadows as he was struggling to contain his rage, his body had grown, stretched, his horns scraping against the stone roof, yet he stayed in the darkness, waiting if he would be allowed to "play" with the prisoner
Sodo walked up to Copias side, also showing his exaggerated limbs and horns, Sodo leaned down to whisper to papa. “Lauren has gone in for surgery. We are making plans to get her home when she’s stable enough”.

Copia nodded “I want you to ask Rain to look into the defense lawyer from the trial” Surgery, that was a good sign, it meant they were able to control and assess the damage without panic or deteriorating conditions.
That was positive.

“You’re in luck, assassin. My wife is alive” he announced, her head shot up in shock, the man with the intimidation of a mafia don or a country's leader, who was here defending a whole group of people, was married to the main target? She knew the weight of the consequences that faced her. No amount of money was worth targeting mafia wives, not worth the targets on her back, not worth any of it.
The chill of the room overcame her as she started to shake in her spot, the sounds of clanging of the chains filled the room as she turned to face him, moving to sit on her knees and lean forward, bowing her head and exposing her neck to him.

“Thank God for her strength.”

Copia shot up and threw the wooden chair at her, striking her side hard “How dare you” Copia Roared, standing over her “that name is not welcome here, that name is not responsible for her strength, He is not responsible for her survival from what you did to her!”

“I’m sorry!” she yelled. Her whole defeated demeanour faded; she was shaking in fear for her life. The most danger she has ever been put in was going up against the Mafia, Humans were easy to manipulate, The otherworldly beings that were guarding and growling at her threw out every reason for logic, any reason to put on the powerful persona she’d come to know.
She crouched lower as if she could hide, If this wasn’t hell, she knew she’d be there soon.

Copia looked over his shoulder to Mountain and snapped his fingers at him, Mountain walked forward and stepped over her, reaching down to grab her neck and squeeze, he leaned forward to hover over her, his hot breath on her neck as his other hand pushed his fingers through her hair, his physical form going rigid, his consciousness fading into her mind, through her memories,

Mountain watched the point of view of this woman as she repeatedly stomped down on the nearly lifeless body below her, taking the necklace, the panicked look on the waiters face, the memories rolled back to earlier in the night as she served tainted drinks to unaware siblings at random, her reading the initial request for the job, further and further back into the woman’s memories, being thrown out of home, dropping out of school, losing job after job, being contracted for her first heist, her first kill of many, a bum with a gambling addiction and a huge debt, Running honey pot missions, selling answers for tests for a quick buck,  All the way back to hearing her step father saying “ that kid is going to grow up to shoot up a school or something she’s messed up” 

Mountain came out from her consciousness , he looked down to the quivering woman in his grip, Mountain was heaving with rage, no matter what he’d seen, never once did he feel any sense of regret or remorse for the crimes she’s committed, what he did feel was pride, He squeezed on her skull and shoved her head down into the stone floor, not enough to crack bone, but hard enough to disorientate and scare her. Her screams bounced off the stone walls of her prison, it didn't deter him from holding her face squished into the stone.

Mountain leaned up from his hunched over posture but he shuddered as his head hit the roof, he'd lost control of his own physical form, having to stay hunched over to fit inside the cell, his back pressed to the stone roof. His mask had fallen to the floor, his pupils had blown out to the point his eyes looked like voids in his skull, he was large and intimidating, his sharp jaw hung open, letting the low guttural growl vibrate the room. Mountain felt sick having the point of view committing so much emotionless murder.

Copia stood unaffected by the forms surrounding him, he expected this, he expected they would react emotionally, their body language confirmed his suspicions without need for words.
“You see…the woman you meant to kill is their family. She cares for them like they care for her, they might as well be siblings. But you made sure she had no way to fight back, she can’t do this” he walked over and grabbed her hair in his fist, yanking it back to look up at the Nightmarish creature crouched over her, She shrieked in horror, the colour draining from her face, hoping she was in another hallucination or poisoned by the black Mold in the hotel.

“There is no saving you, as these are the people you’ve hurt, there’s no punishment that fits your actions” Copia growled low. “No torture that will make up for what you’ve done, and no matter what you do, you will never make right the wrongs you’ve committed”.
Copia dropped her head and let it fall to the ground, He stood tall again and walked back to the center of the room “My Love is likely to be in surgery for another hour or two, and I will not hear her voice for days, Our daughter will not be able to embrace her mother or hear her voice for even longer. You have until then, I will decide then what your punishment will be”.

“Just kill me, make it painful, it’s what I deserve, you know this” she begged, weak and defeated

Copia waved to the ghouls to follow him out the door, he looked down at the pathetic woman chained to the floor “Soon”.

Copia pulled the door shut behind him, clicking the padlock closed. He turned to face the 3 ghouls as they were still trying to calm themselves back to their regular humanoid forms as they walked down the halls.

“Well done” Copia called, stopping at the foot of the stairs, turning to face them. “At this time, she’ll be kept in the cell, If she is just a hired hand as she said she is I want to know more about who hired her, I want to talk to Antonio if it’s connected to the events of last night “

Mountain walked up to the left side of Copia, “She said something to Lauren that is unsettling to me.”

“What did she say?” Copia kept his focus forward down the stone halls.

“Your husband sends his regards” Mountain quoted, tilting his head to look to Copia for his reactions “The obvious assumption to us is that somehow Ethan coordinated a hit on her from across the continent and in prison, especially as she said a lawyer contacted her”.

“Yes, that is also my assumption but how he could have organised that, I have no idea” Copia readjusted his gloves and cuffs “But you have an alternative?”

Mountain paused, aware of how fragile Copia could be to react to his theory, but it needed to be said. “You’ve been acting as though you’re married since going to Antonio’s Estate”.

“If you’re insinuating that Antonio would even fathom the idea of harming another man of power's wife, you do realise the size of the target you’d put on all our backs, yes? “Copia warned, shoving his hands into his pockets, 

“I do. I really do, we don’t want a war with the Naples Mafia, I know, it just doesn't sit well with me, Antonio floats above all others, he is powerful and knows what to do and what not to do, I am more suspicious of his associates than Antonio himself” Mountain explained,

Copia pursed his lips, thinking about the possibilities, where could they have slipped up, could the little white lie have offended him that greatly? surely he would have understood why there was a need for this façade? But that would not explain the need to hurt the siblings, that alone would create reason for turf wars and turmoil. Something they were not prepared to defend against.

“It isn’t out of the realm of possibility, but you are on paper thin ice for suggesting that. This isn’t something that can be subtly investigated, no…I’ll ask him myself.” Copia announced, he knew his childhood friend was not dumb enough to order a hit on the ministry or his lover, even if he’d been lied to, he wouldn’t risk breaking the connection they’ve had for decades over one night.
“In the meantime, Sodo will return to guard the prisoner, get access to the original request for service, we can track the actual person who ordered the hit originally even if they used VPNs, if she doesn’t cooperate, well I’ll leave that to what you see as fitting encouragement”

Sodo’s grin stretched across his face “Yes Papa” not wasting a second to turn back around and walk back to the cell.

“a possibility has me concerned Papa” Mountain crossed his arms behind his back “about the wording itself, I wonder if it's possible the assassin was trying to suggest that you were the one who wanted to have her killed”

Copia stopped in his tracks, could someone have tried to paint him in a bad light and frame him for arranging the murder of his own wife? Were they trying to give Lauren that impression? Make Lauren afraid of him?
The only motive Copia had gotten from the fake paramedic was for the money. It was a valid point, if it was ‘just a job’ why would she have said anything at all? What seeds was she trying to plant in her mind? It was certainly planting an entire garden in their minds. There was one lucky flaw in the assassins plan.
“She doesn’t speak Italian so she wouldn’t know what It means anyway” Copia waved it off with no concern “She likely won’t remember anything anyway…no thanks to our prisoner, but I do see your point” Copia swallowed his panic and pointed to Mountain, “For now, we will go to the hospital, we will check in on siblings and Papa Terzo, If she will be in Surgery for more than 2 hours longer, then we will go to Antonio if he hasn’t already retired for the night.”

"Do you want to go back to the hotel to change or shower? you came here straight after the show so you're all sweaty and gross " Swiss suggested

"There's too much to do, I'll shower when I pass out" Copia waved him off " The hospital is the next stop" 

Mountain nodded and looked down to Swiss, sharing another nod. “Right” The ghouls placed their hands on Copias shoulders, they apparated to the halls of the hospital.
Also regretting their choices immediately as the light changed burned their eyes.

Copia walked through the halls of the hospital, Flanked by Mountain and Swiss, until he spotted a familiar face all scrubbed up “Sister Nina” he smiled holding a handout to her.

A middle aged woman with long brown hair braided back, she wore blue scrubs and her white coat, a black clock on her pocket , her face lit up when she saw him “Cardin- No! it’s Papa Now~” Nina was a Sibling who’d been sent on a scholarship to get her qualification for surgery, Many of the staff in this hospital were siblings that expressed interest in going into the medical field, But Nina was yet another old friend of Copias, She would go back to the ministry for mass but the Hospital shifts were her first priority.
Copia chuckled as he walked up to her “Surely I’ve seen you since my ascension to Papa, No?”

“No, you haven’t. Either way it has been much too long since I’ve seen my old friend” The two of them embraced and held each other’s arms “but you are here now, that is what matters.”

“I had business to take care of at the ministry first, I know my loves surgery is going to take some time, There was no point wasting time the waiting room when I can get a head start finding out who did this” he smirked looking over to the sibling on the bed

“eh? she is actually your lover?”  She, like everyone else they had come across so far, was surprised.

“Yes, and She’s a mother so I have a stepdaughter, yada yada yada, she’s adorable. someone fell for old spaghetti guts, it’s so unbelievable, I know” Copia rolled his eyes dramatically.

Nina smiled and shook her head “We are going to have to talk at a better time, but in the meantime I imagine these siblings and … Him “  she pointed to the end bay that had a sign one of the ghouls had put up that said “Caution, I’m spicy, I don’t bite unless you want me to”

“Yes, even him…. What happened?” wasting no time at all to hear the report

“All of them are showing the same signs, it’s a mass drugging of Rohypnol, Those who’ve had more alcohol have absolutely brought it all up. There’s no major injuries or anything, there’s a few bruises and twisted ankles but no breaks and no liver damage, uh… a couple sisters might want some post….coitle…care… it still feels weird to talk to you about that stuff”

“I know, I don’t like it, nearly there, What did my brother do?” he saw Terzos name was not on the quick report

She took a deep breath and flipped the page “Lots of flirting, lots of puking, he does have low blood pressure which just comes with-….uh “

“Age, yes, continue” Copia crossed his arms and leaned in over her shoulder

“-thank you- Uh, he has got an injury to his leg from a fall I imagine, on his shin but it looked like a greenstick fracture on the points of impact, “

“So his legs are going to be in a cast?” 

“Yes, and he’s going to need to refrain from any strenuous activities for 6 to 8 weeks”.

Copia snorted, quickly covering his mouth “I mean. Oh, dear poor Papa Terzo, I’m sure we can make the necessary changes to make him comfortable”.

Nina looked up to him with a smirk.

“What?” Copia could not wipe the smile off his face he could refrain from laughing though “It’s Karma” he shrugged.

“Yeah, it really is” Nina giggled “It’s not going to stop him though “

“It’s really not” Copia pat her shoulder shaking his head, he put his hands on his hips trying to find the courage to ask the inevitable “Do you have… updates on Lauren?”

Nina nodded, resting the clipboard under her arm “how much do you know?”

“All I’ve been told is that it was bad and she’s in surgery.”

Nina looked over her shoulder, took hold on his arm “Let’s go somewhere private”.

That was never good, Copia followed Nina into a private room, He took a seat, she sat across from him.

“ ok, Stop me if it’s too much all at once,” she reached over and grabbed the box of tissues just in case
“Laurens blood work confirmed that she received the same strain of Rohypnol as everyone else, We’ve determined that in her incapacitated state she was rolled off the bed and hit the ground quite hard, I imagine on a hardwood floor, we don’t know about any concussion yet,
Who ever attacked her stepped on her ribs and stomach multiple times to break 6 ribs in total, we call that Flail chest at this point in time she’s having 4 metal plates put in to realign the ribs so they heal in the right places as some of those ribs broke entirely, one of the broken ribs pierced her liver and created some internal bleeding which has been taken care of at this time. Who ever attacked her also tied a tooth floss type of thread around her finger cutting off the blood supply to the finger for some time, one of the ghouls cut it off and the blood has returned, it’s just a matter of time until we find out the extent of the function she has to the finger. Um, there was trauma to her lower abdomen so it’s possible that there’s bruising to her intestines and stomach. But that’s the most recent update we’ve had, I’ve been told it could be another hour until she’s out of surgery”.

Copia sat there frozen, taking in every detail of the injuries Lauren sustained, it just kept going on and on and on, the rage boiling up again inside, imagining the feeling of being stomped in the ribs, having the wind knocked out of him, and the squeezing on his finger, if he’d known this before meeting the assassin he wouldn’t have spared her, he actions would have been emotionally charged, slitting her throat and vocal chords before getting any information out of her, before confirming she was the correct person, before she was even brought out of the bonfire.

Copia sat there, heavily breathing, his eyes locked on the note pad, the smile and nerves from his face were gone, Mentally he was back in that cell, still sat in front of the assassin, he pictured blood dripping to the floor from a slice in her throat, he pictured circling her body and stamping on her limbs until they shatter, He pictured strapping her to the machine that stretches her limbs until they dislocated and hung them there, every movement would send strings of pain throughout the body. He pictured crushing her throat until her vocal chords were pierced from the bones of her spine, he pictured her frothing at the mouth as she was forced to swallow a fast acting poison, he pictured biting off her fingers one by one, he pictured so many ways to return the pain she had caused.
Copia burned from the frustration and indecision.

“Papa?” Nina's voice calls, leaning forward and waving to gain his attention, “Papa…Can I get you anything?”

Copia looked up from his trance to Nina “hmm? Oh...uh…no…” he shook his head.

“I know it’s a lot to take in at once, she’s going to be sensitive for some time while her ribs heal, how old is her daughter? She won’t be able to lift a baby for quite some time, and no heavy lifting or strenuous work. “

“I won’t allow it” he mumbled taking in every word and thinking of all the changes that would need to be made to combat this. Steps, swing doors, a ladder, a lot of taking over care for the little one, Physical Therapy, that much he could do put into action right away.

"Good, Can I call for someone?” Nina offered him a sympathetic smile, surprised how well he was taking it.

“No, I brought her here for a holiday. If it comes to a point, we need those power of attorney decisions I can call her parents” Copia sighed.

“We have a legal contact down as Mr Ethan Holloway? Her Husband”

“That man has no authority over her, He has been declared insane and sent to prison for nearly killing her” Copia snapped, looking up to Nina and seeing the shock on her face, his own expression softened “eh… Forgive me, He’s her EX husband, we’re…still working on her divorce-“

“It’s ok ,Papa” she held up a hand to dismiss him “ We were warned she was the victim of domestic violence so there would be scars, I didn’t know the name, her documents here are clearly outdated, I’ll take it up with secondo, he still manages the intelligence teams within the Ministry yes?”

“Yes, he does,” he sighed and patted his pockets. “I can give you the details for the actual next of kin for her, her mother and father.”

“Not yourself?” She handed him the board with a blank page present to him.

“I can be an emergency contact, but legally I hold no responsibility for her” he pulled out his phone.

“Not yet at least” she smiled, giving him the smallest bit of hope.

“Not yet, Si” He scribbled down Helens contact information and her father’s contact information.

Nina sat back and watched him “I’ve missed your company and your humour”.

“You miss us running away from lessons to smoke pot behind the refectory” Copia looked up to her from his hunched over scribbling on the page.

“I do miss that too,” Nina looked away from the door out to the hall “What happened to us?”

“We got caught and I got shipped to the Romanian ministry.” He sighed. “When I came back, they started calling me Dracopia, then when I got on stage somehow, the fans came up with the same thing!” he rolled his eyes and shook his head, But Nina burst out into laughter recalling it all.

“I imagine you’ve had similar reunions with your Cardinal brothers back at the ministry?” She asked.

“Si, Enzo and Mateo have been running a strong machine over at the ministry, I’m glad I recommended them for the leadership roles” Copia smiled.

“Yes, but do they still cause trouble?”

“Of course, they know all the tricks in the book, so they know how to find people sneaking off to or sneaking into, and Why did no one inform me of the statue of Lilith erected in the courtyard?” Copia shook his head.

“How is that trouble?”

“She’s nude…and it’s in a very public area, you know how Catholics are” he rolled his eyes, handing back the clipboard.

“Ah, Oh the Hypocrites, how do they have to punish siblings for the very games they played at their ages?” Nina smirked, looking off to the side. “Also, legally I will remind you that if you don’t want me taking care of Lauren you can request another doctor “

“Why would I not be ok with you taking care of Lauren?” he raised a brow in confusion “ I know you are more than capable of taking care of her “

“Copia…. Our history” She looked at him with a “you know” look that might as well have been in German or Gaelic because he continued to look at Nina, totally oblivious “You’re still clueless oh my Satan” she sighed and looked off to the side “we had a relationship! And you are ok with me working on your current lover?”

“Oh Nina...” Copia waved her off and leaned back in his chair “That was at least 20 years ago now, We have settled any differences surely there isn’t any possibility of you trying to steal me away from her or hurt her because she is my lover. Yes?”

“Well Yes but when she wakes up, it’s a possibility she may not be comfortable with that” Nina suggested, raising a brow to him

“I’m more worried about what you will tell her about me from my 20s, My mother has already showed her baby photos of me” Copia smiled, that was the least of his worries, though he joked about the embarrassing stories, he has just dug his own grave

Nina pursed her lips thinking about it, “Well, if you’re really not worried about it, just know you can ask for a new doctor at any time”

“Understood” Copia nodded and clapped his hands together “Now that has been sorted, which of the siblings do you recommend I speak to first”

“Your own, He was talking about his last will and testament” Nina stood, surprised he’s taken all of this quite well.

Copia groaned and dropped his head back over the chair “He’s always talking about that; he thinks his time on the mortal coil is as short as he is”  

“Oh dear, so funeral plans are already underway, yes?”  Nina flipped the page again to read his documents again.

“Why do you think he wears nothing but designer clothes nowadays? So, if he were to be a ghost he’d be ready for the spiritual runway” Copia followed her out the door, went down the line of siblings to check in on them, putting on a brave face and a smile for them was easy as none of them seemed to be aware of the situation Lauren were in, Not even Terzo, so all the attention was on them and making them comfortable in their bays.

The surgery faced complications as was to be expected with internal bleeding, the Surgeons conversed about their observations of the scars and burns making it tricky to keep incisions subtle, 3 ribs had been snapped entirely,
Some of the Costal Cartilage, that holds Laurens ribs to her sternum, had been fractured from the injury; they were wrapped in a dissolving gauze to encourage it to heal correctly but still allowed for the flexibility so it wouldn’t cause further difficulty breathing.

The surgery lasted two hours before the surgeons were satisfied, they’d done what they could to keep Lauren stable and recovery would be as easy as possible.
However, it was decided the best course of action at this time would be to keep Lauren in a medically induced coma.
The effects of the Rohypnol could still have been in Laurens system for another 6 hours at least, and then there was the hangover. It was the kindest thing they could have done.   

Nurses rolled Lauren over to the Intensive care unit where Lauren would be monitored and cared for 24 hours a day, setting her up in a bay directly across from the nurses’ station.
Normally in ICU the only people who’d be allowed in to be with the patients would be immediate family, and only 2 people at a time. Since Laurens parents were countries away, they’d called and given permission for the members of the clergy and the specific ‘humans’ to visit Lauren.

Copia was escorted to Laurens bay by Nina, having been warned of all the tubes around her face, and around her arms. Copia waved it off, it was still Lauren. When the curtain was pulled to the side, he was still unsure if he was allowed to get close to her in this condition.

Lauren looked like she was at peace, not in pain at all, she could easily have just been asleep. If any of those wires or tubes that it took to keep her alive was quite intimidating, if one of these were to malfunction in the slightest way it could cause more problems.
Copia slowly walked to her side at the bed, his fingers tracing up the IV that was giving her Propofol to keep her under.  He looked up to her peaceful face, wondering what she must be dreaming about when he noticed Laurens hair had been cut

“Uh, did you all do this?” he turned and asked Nina, She shook her head “No we did not cut her hair, She arrived like this”
He looked back down to her, carefully reaching up to lift up a strand of Laurens hair to see the new length. Wondering if Lauren did this to herself while she was alone or if this was done against her will. No matter, it would grow back in time,
Nina pulled up a chair for him beside Lauren on the bed “She’s going to be out for a while, you might as well get comfortable, Can I get you anything?”

Copia smiled up at Nina and just shook his head “ I’m alright for now, Thank you”
Copia took his seat by Laurens side, resting on one hand and reaching down to hold Laurens right hand,
“I didn’t think we’d be back here again so soon, Mio Amoure” he whispered, looking over to see his Grucifix had been wrapped around her wrist, Aether did get it to her, thank lucifer for that.  “I’m with you always, even when I’m not here, just... stay with me” he whispered.

Copia took his vigil by Laurens side through the night.

For now, we wait. 

Notes:

Yes I keep introducing people from Copias childhood, some of them are like C Tier interactions who may come back in conversation, some of them are B tier interactions which will come back, then there's some characters that have strong relationships with Copia from the past, which is what I've wanted to give him for a while since we've been heavily focused on the readers back story.
Also before you ask how I know too much about the ICU- Thank my dad for having a heart attack in 2016 (he lived don't worry)

Chapter 23: Dream States

Summary:

Waiting in the ICU is not an easy process. Keeping vigil over someone makes it easy to forget to take care of yourself.

Notes:

TW: descriptions of medical procedures, Delulu Reader.
DISCLAIMER: When I started writing this arc of Respite, I was 100% unaware of the situation going on in Laos with Drink Spiking. When I write of heavy topics such as this, it comes from two places - 1. Experience...which no one should ever have to go through and 2. Education, of course this is a work of fiction so it's heavily romanticized and dramatized for your entertainment.
I'm not someone who can go out and write a "what to do " or "what not to do " in these situations book when there are thousands of perfectly good articles detailing exactly what i'd already be saying.

Keep yourself safe, Never leave your drink alone, and never accept a drink from a stranger

“Ladies and Gentlemen and everyone in between” Copia took the center stage surrounded by his brothers and band mates, watched by the crowd of Siblings below him”  If I may steal the spotlight for just a moment in the middle of this glorious evening, “ he looks over his shoulder to his brothers for their own permission, Primo nodding, Secondo waving 'get-on-with-it' at him, Terzo, in the state he was, giving him a lazy thumbs up.

“I wrote a song for the Impera album when I thought I knew what it meant to love, what I knew to want to be in someone’s life for ever. And that is true, Fans of the ghost project have taken this song and included it as apart of their own weddings which is truly an honour if I may say so” Copia gestured for the crowd to part ways “But tonight, I believe I could sing from a more...experienced...position, from the heart, for you see… My heart has been captured by not just one woman, but two. Mio Amoure” he called out, jumping down from the stage and walking into the centre of the dance floor.

The lights followed him as the room faded to blue “One year ago, a woman came to our ministry with her newborn daughter, begging for a night of freedom from the world she knew. One night turned into one month, then one year, and now I hope it turns into one lifetime”
The siblings backed out of the way as Lauren stood with Aether on the side of the venue, smiling like a dork, "there he goes again being romantic as ever." Aether picked up Lauren's hand and held his behind his back “come on, he’s doing his lovesick schtick again” Aether chuckled, walking forward and presenting Lauren to him.
Lauren walked into the dance floor until Aether handed her off to Papa, he kissed the back of her hand and walked her back to the centre of the dance floor

“I’ve never known what it means to want more than to satisfy lustful desire, but the desire to walk alongside someone as they overcome their own struggles and face their fears, to want to be that person who you run to when times are hard, to want to be the first person on your mind when something exciting happens with your daughter.” Copia spoke to Lauren, his eyes never leaving hers, the microphone being the only thing separating them.

“I sing ' Love is all you need', that’s like saying all you need is water, So if you will humour me for a moment ..or.. 5…”  Copia pulled Lauren into his embrace “Dance with me, Mio Amoure, i'll show you what your love has taught this old man”

Lauren looked around to the siblings, no chance of running now, she nodded. Copia jabbed the microphone like a gun towards the stage “hit it boys”

The gentle ostinato playing of the acoustic guitar came over the speaker,

The intro to Darkness at the heart of my love.

Those dance lessons she'd taken for her first dance at the wedding weren’t for nothing. 
He holds Lauren close to him, his hand low around her back, her hands on his chest, his breathing calm… and he sings

When the summer dies
Severing the ties
I'm with you always
Always

He steps back and picks up her hand, walking Lauren around the circle of the crowd, presenting her to every one of the lucky siblings in attendance, and the jealous ones who wish they were in her place.

Will you walk the line?
My path serpentine
Remember always
That love is all you need

He lifted his hand up for her to spin into his embrace, Lauren landed with her back to his chest, facing the crowd, He leaned his head forward teasing as if he would kiss her neck.

Tell me who you wanna be
And I will set you free

Lauren spun back out, holding his hand still and dropped her head back for a bit of flare.

There's a darkness at the heart of my love

He pulled her into his embrace again, his hand trailed down her back till it rest on the curve of her hip

That runs cold, runs deep
The darkness at the heart of my love for you

As the music really ramped up and chorus took over, he rest the hand with his microphone in the small of her back, swiftly taking her hand in his free one and leading Lauren back into a sort of amateur Viennese waltz, a little stumble over her own feet in surprise but following his lead was easy, the quick stepping, elegant turns,

Copia let Laurens back go, gesturing for her to spin out from his embrace as she did.
Aether held out a bottle of wine to Lauren from the crowd which she snatched, Walking Copia back to the centre of the dance floor, they held each other’s elbows

Will you spill the wine

They stepped around in a circle, tilting the bottle town to let the red wine splash over the concrete in the circle she walked.

To summon the divine?

Lauren dropped the bottle, letting it smash to the floor as he yanked her back into his embrace, holding her back to his chest, his free hand holding under her chest, slowly moving down her stomach to her thigh,
Lauren reached her arms up over his head and turned to look at him, catching his chin and turning his face to hers

I'm with you always

 

                Always

 

 

    Always

 

 

Always

 

 

“Always … Always… Always” Copia mumbled in his sleep, his face buried in the blankets and mattress of the hospital bed, having finally passed out after 30 hours of stress and hard work.

Copia dreamed of what should have been.

Hours turned into days, Copia had been given a book and a more comfortable chair to keep watch by Laurens side as he flat out refused to return to the hotel to sleep in comfort of a king sized bed while she was here relying on cables on machines to stay alive.

Sister imperator walked through the aisle of the Intensive care unit carrying an extra-large coffee, a garment bag and a small fabric bag, the nurses were getting used to her presence and referred to her as Mama bear considering how she’d been talking to Copia and the other men with the white eyes and how she’d ask the questions no one else was.

Today, she was on a mission,

“Copia… Get up” she shoved his chair with her shoe, he’d fallen asleep leaning over the side of Laurens bed, he had been offered an actual chair he could relax on and sleep a little more comfortably, but he wouldn’t leave Laurens side.
He stirred from his sleep and looked up to Sister standing over him. “mm? What time is it? “

“It’s time for you to go shower and change your clothes, the nurses are wearing masks around you for a reason now” she lay the garment bag over Laurens feet “I will stay with her in your absence, she isn’t going to wake up any time soon, and if she does I’m sure she wouldn’t want to wake up to you stinking of sweat and stubbornness”

Copia grumbled “It’s an hour there and back to the hotel” he argued, standing from his chair and groaning as his knees clicked back into place, lifting his arms to stretch his shoulders and his neck 

“Don’t be silly, you know you have a private escort; you’ll be here and back within the hour. And when you get back, Antonio wants to talk with you before he leaves the city” 

Copia sighed “I don’t know if I’ve prepared to talk to Antonio If he’s going out of town," 

Sister pat the garment bag "All you need to speak with Antonio is in here, He's already on his way so get ready"

"I guess I have no choice”, picking up the bags into his arms.

The nurse sat at the end of Laurens bed looked up “If you’d like Papa, you could use the family restroom, it’s a private suite and the shower is actually quite nice”

“See, you don’t even have to leave the building” Sister smiled waving to the Nurse. 

Copia picked up the coffee cup and chugged two mouthfuls before nodding to Sister and the Nurse “Thank you ladies” asked for the directions to the suite and made his way over to the room.

It was about as basic as it came, a double bed, a bedside table with a lamp, a couch and a small bathroom off to the side, This setup might be reserved for grieving families or family members, not fit for a green room prior to a concert, but for a quick refresh it'll do. Copia dropped the garment bag on the bed and walked into the bathroom, He turned on the water to the shower and looked in the mirror for the first time in who knows how many days at this point, his paints had been poorly wiped off his face once she'd been settled into the ICU and he passed out the first time, but the staining of the black seemed to hang on his skin, the dark circles around his eyes telling anyone who takes one look at him and can tell he hasn’t slept well. His chin was shadowed with stubbly growth, he grabbed his jaw and felt the scratchy growth. It was his eyes that betrayed him most, even the stark white pupil of his was stained red from the self imposed endless vigil.
He looked like a tired old man, a tired and powerless old man who’s given up. That wasn’t him. Sister was right, this wasn't something Lauren should see when she wake up. Copia shrugged undid the last of his buttons on his shirt and tossed the shirt to the floor, he unzipped the bag of toiletries and found his exact items from his suitcase, face cleaner, shampoo and conditioner, body wash , razor , shaving cream and deodorant .He grabbed what he needed and walked into the shower cubicle,

Shutting the glass door behind him and stepping into the hot water was a comfort, as much as he wanted to get in and get out, he couldn’t help but stand in the hot water, feeling his muscles relax, his shoulders drop, he tilted his head to the left and right, his bones appropriately popped as he finally stretched, having sat down in a basic chair for those days may not have been a good idea for a man in his late 40s/early 50s (he would never tell) .
He picked up the body wash, washing it over his shoulders and chest, he washed his hands over his body, leaning back into the water to let it all wash down his body, The last time he’d had a shower she was with him, Standing in front of him, testing his patience as she'd wash her own body and he’d watch her hands trail all over her body, over her chest, around her waist, over her butt.
Copia leaned up against the wall, bracing himself on his arms as he would tower over her. It was supposed to be fun; it was supposed to be intimate and sexy. He wanted to reach out and touch her and his hand found no flesh until he found his own thigh.

This was no time to be sad, especially not this moment, He could at least distract himself momentarily with the shampoo and conditioning, a habit he’d gotten into since he played around with her own conditioner and loving how bouncy it made his hair when it dried, If Lauren had let him relinquish control she'd find out if he had naturally curly hair,
He was still careless with his facial skin care, he squirted the oil cleaner and squeezed his eyes shut, scrubbing off the last remnants of his paints, then washing down with his basic cera-ve.

Once the last suds washed down his skin, he shut off the water and stepped back out, toweling off and redressing the change of clothes sister had brought him. Copia sat on the bed to do his shoes back up, a hot shower did help to refresh and revitalise him, just like it would after any show before going to bed on the bus.

Inside a stack of papers had been smuggled in among the clothes. new reading material oh yay.....  he looked at the first few pages, it was printed out email chains, the computer had been hacked and recovered, Maps, Tickets, receipts, instructions, the not so subtle suggestion that "quiet pills" wouldn't be smart for this order, perhaps some type of mushroom. Copia pulled out his phone to contact Tanya, quickly requesting that a copy of the notes Councilor Martin had made during the trial be sent his way to compare handwriting and writing styles.

A gentle knock broke the silence in the room “Come in” he called, Dropping the phone to the mattress and putting the papers to his side

The door opened and Antonio slipped into the room “Ciao, vecchio amico “shutting the door behind him

“Antonio, I thought I was going to go to you” Copia stood back up from the bed

“I wanted to come to you either way, I don’t want to keep you from your wife for too long” Antonio walked over and held a handout to shake Copias, clapping both hands around his. 

Copia gave him a sad but appreciative smile “ I appreciate the thought, vecchio amico, I’m glad I could catch you before you went away”

“I would have come sooner but no one told me where you’d gone” Antonio sighed dropping Copias hand " You don't look well, My Friend, clean yes, but...not well" 

Copia shrugged and looked away " How is one supposed to be well when the love of their life was drugged, brutally attacked and left for dead?" 

Antonio pursed his lips and nodded, this wasn't the life Copia chose or went into, Attacks on people in his own company weren't uncommon so he felt indifferent to the situation, but to see the helplessness of not being able to do more than just be there in his friend, no powers he held or could command could change the situation, and Antonio understood very well the first time when someone close to them is at death's door, hoping they don't knock.
Antonio stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his friend, offering him a quick hug. no one was around to judge. 

Copia looked up to Antonio in surprise but returned the hug "Thank you, Toni" a little hollow, still holding a wall around his emotions as much as the occasional leak happened, Copia had business on the mind 

"I am just a phone call away, Mio Amico " Antonio pat Copias back hard and gestured to the couch and for him to sit with him “I hate to keep you from your watch, I understand I may be able to assist in your investigation into what happened during the ball?”

“You might yes, though I’d like to ask you to keep an open mind , there have been some…accusations” Copia looked at him nervously as he sat on the opposite side of the couch.

“The Head of the Local Mafia is one of the only strangers amongst a closed community, multiple people are harmed with similar techniques that are commonplace amongst said mafia , of course there would be accusations my friend, I anticipated this.” Antonio waved his hand around, this was certainly not his first time this has happened, there was absolutely reason to be suspicious, so he doesn’t hold any offence from his friend.

“We did manage to apprehend the woman who committed the crimes, what she said during the interrogation has given me cause for concern.” Copia looked away from Antonio “the last thing she said to Mio Amoure was “Your husband sends his regards” which could have multiple insinuations “

“You think someone is trying to frame you for being the one to order the hit on her life?” Antonio suggests

“Si, Well, at least my ghoul put the possibility into my mind, initially I believed it to be that her unstable ex husband somehow called the hit, but that’s not possible in the facility he’s serving his time “Copia waved the idea off , dropping his hands to his sides

“I would not discount that so quickly, it is possible his lawyer had been given contingency plans which he could be legally responsible to fulfil his clients request , if he was a dirty or cheap lawyer he likely believes he is likely not liable to be arrested, if he's a smart lawyer he will know he actually has no obligation to see harmful obligations through , I imagine it’s dependent on the country. “Antonio held his hand out." May I see the communications please?”

Copia reached over the couch to grab the papers on the bed, handing the pile over to Antonio, scanning through the documents, Copia resigned to roll up the sleeves of his shirt as he’d be having a long day anyway, he might as well be comfortable. "Her true name is Allesandra Gallo, I know her work, Pretends to be a bounty hunter, contracted killer. Many of the crime families know of her work, she actively avoids associating with any of us " Antonio chuckled " though that might have to do with Rossi flirting with her at a funeral a decade ago" Antonio offered Copia a smile at the funny memory, but went back to reading when Copia didn't share the laughter.
“This was clearly initiated by someone who doesn’t have emotional input to the situation, so clearly another middleman has been involved but they have connections to understand how to place these orders. Your older brother is involved in the investigations and assurance teams, yes? Did they pull a report on IP locations? “Antonio asked

“They did, they jump all over Europe from the VPN to hide their location, but they all had one consistency, they all border the country we call home” Copia explained, looking for one of the pages at the bottom of the pile 

“So who ever initiated this is either clever in thinking to frame someone close to your family, or someone who is stupid and cheap “Antonio pursed his lips in thought "these communications go back well before you touched down in Italy, did anything happen at the Ministry that could have been intended to cause her harm or fear? I may be out of touch with coded messages but there's something in here about breaking the window to the target"

Copia pressed his hand to his mouth, trying to recall any incident that happened since the trial or before they'd left... window.... Copia looked up and gasped "Ducky..." 

"Pardon?" Antonio raised a brow 

Copia looked at him and waved off the embarrassment " ah... It is what Il Bambino calls the Owl. A Snowy owl Owl crashed into her nursery but it looks to have been shot with a pebble like from a slingshot late at night, someone with incredible aim managed to shoot the Owl from the window sill 4 floors up. Please tell me I am now other thinking things"

"No no, that is infact a classic scare technique myself and other Bosses have been trying to stop since crimes against animals face much harsher punishment these days. " Antonio looked through the papers one more time " That could easily have been an intended move on their part. How would they have known which apartment you were in though, if i remember your home correctly the outside is intentionally very...generic " 

Copia chuckled nervously and tugged at the top button of his collar " uh... the only time we really use the balcony these days is for um.....well.. " was his face hot from the shower or was it bright red all of a sudden from the embarrassment. 

A long and knowing smirk crossed his face, " You always have loved being center stage, you randy old man" Antonio laughed low in his chest and shook his head "Hey, I'm proud of you, I'd do the same thing if it didn't put a target right on my man hood if you know what I mean" 

Copia cleared his throat and undid his top button to breathe. "Why do you think we keep 30 foot pine trees surrounding our ministry? " 

Antonio pointed at him to give a come back but he couldn't think of anything snappy, "Good point. Moving on, Is there anything else that you discovered that would help in these investigations? You have my word that no intel shall leave this room, I want to help you and your wife”

Copia looked away from him and dropped his shoulders, it would have no benefit to keep information from someone who so genuinely wanted to help “vecchio amico, I have to apologise to you, I have been untruthful to you.”

Antonio raised a brow and leaned forward “What is it? You wouldn’t lie to boast or to...eh... what is the saying that americans brought up... ah yes, to win a pissing contest.”

“No, Nothing like that, you see, Lauren and I are not actually married” Copia pursed his lips and looked to his friend as apologetically as possible, "yet"  Antonio sat there, leaning forward and staring at him, wordless, thoughtless, Dumbfounded? Offended? Upset? Angry? He couldn’t tell, Copias chest felt heavy, bracing himself for rage, yelling, needing to beg and plead for forgiveness

“You are not married? You brought this woman into my home and lied about your marital status? This strange woman in my home? At my dinner table? “Antonio jabbed at his own chest with pointed fingers then leaned back in the chair. “Is that all? “ Antonio chuckled, breaking his own façade of anger “vecchio amico, Married or not you easily could have fooled me by the way you introduced her in such high praise and wouldn’t let her go from any of your family, I could tell that you’re very much smitten with the woman, Primo tells me you’ve not left her side since you first arrived, She wore your colours, she wears your ring, the way you smile like I have never seen you smile just by looking at her, the way you two could not be separated for a moment was very much not an act”

Copia looked at him again, surprised by his reaction “You read me like a book, so…you’re not offended by the lie?”

“Of course not, I know very well that in my line of work the best way to guarantee protection for the one we most care for is with vows and jewelry. We take that very seriously so I understand why you felt the need to do that” Antonio leaned over to place a hand on Copias shoulder “However, since you have apologised, and I do forgive you my friend, I must make one demand as your penance, oh Unholy man. "

“Anything, Name it, I am in your debt “Copia placed a hand on Antonios shoulder

“I would be apart of your wedding party when you DO marry that woman” Antonio chuckled, squeezing his shoulder

Copia smiled in relief “It is done, vecchio amico, It is done” he chuckled “It may take some time we will need to sort the legal process of her divorce, But when the time is right, you will be by my side “

“I look forward to it,” Antonio smiled, “Tell me why Papa Emeritus the fourth feels the need to confess to little old me?”

“One of the theories that my team has put together leads to someone in your company possibly has some sort of need to harm myself or someone in my family, considering she nearly had her drink spiked at the dinner by-”

“The disposables, yes” Antonio listened with intent.

“Exactly, my ghouls are still quite full from their hunt, thank you.”

“Oh it was fascinating to watch” Antonio chuckled

“Because it happened at your house as well, we have our own suspicions. we’re unaware of any sort of motive, but I want to exhaust any lead possible” Copia explained and relaxed his posture

"As you should" Antonio pulled out his phone and scrolled through an application "I understand your concern, What would you like me to do? I can ask my men if they’ve taken any initiatives or have concerns that would lead to it, I know some of my men have strong Catholic values and don’t approve of our friendship ,I don't recall it being their place to approve or disapprove anyway, So I can begin there and return to you with what I can find. I wouldn’t put it past my men to have investigated who you kept in your company on your travels to Italy before your arrival. Her name is on the news and social media, I wonder if that could have rattled some feathers. You know as well as I do everyone has an opinion and not everyone will be your fan”

Copia raised his brows, both Lauren and Copia had totally forgotten about the news sharing the story internationally. People do know what happened to her, they know the intimate details, he was unintentionally oblivious to just how wide the story had spread.
Antonio put his phone back into his jacket pocket. “I assure you my friend, I am nothing but glad for you to have found love, honest love. Not a transaction, not a business deal, She has done you well”

Copia sighed and relaxed “I didn’t want to believe my friend would do something to harm me, Grazie, vecchio amico “

Antonios phone beeped with an alarm “Copia, we’ve known each other too long, we were orphans, convicts, brothers in arms and brothers in faith. Those are bonds that can not be broken” he stood from the chair and held his hand out

Copia stood and took his hand “Nor would I,I look forward to hearing from you, I will keep you up to date on what we find”

“And let me know when Mrs Emeritus wakes up” Antonio smiled “I’m not calling her anything else” he insisted.

Copia laughed and grabbed his bags from the bed “I wouldn’t have it any other way” He patted his friend on the back and the two of them exited the suite, walking back down the halls of the ICU side by side.

“What did you do to your hair? It’s quite… voluminous,” Antonio asked, flicking at the drying locks on his head

“Mio Amoure has got me into certain shower habits that I admit I am a fan of” Copia ruffled his hair and raked it back. “I can’t be bothered with any other products when my appearances aren’t a priority”

“It’s a good look, Copia, Maybe I’ll give the uh... salt and pepper look a go “ he patted his own fringe with the crunchy hair gel holding his hair in place.

“Look at you both” Sister called out from Laurens bay “I remember the days when you’d run through the halls in your little gowns making mischief and now here you both are all grown up”

Antonio smiled, Copia grimaced , “Sister, careful, you’ll start talking about the ‘good old days’ and we will all be late”  Antonio called, walking over to kiss her cheek “ I still recall black leather and yellow blond hair in your youth, still as beautiful as ever”

Sister giggled and pat his arm “Oh Antonio, ever the gentleman, Cardi you could learn from him “pointing to Copia with a smirk,

“al contrario, I should be learning from Papa, he is the one who managed to capture the heart of sleeping beauty here” Antonio picked up Laurens limp hand and pressed a kiss to the back of her palm “ riposa bene, potresti tornare da noi quando sarai pronta, mia signora “  he whispered to her hand “ Fino a quando non ci incontreremo di nuovo “  he lay her hand back down on the bed.

“ Grazie amico mio, sii sicuro nei tuoi viaggi “Copia called, reaching over the bed to shake his hand.

Antonio smiled, shook his hand, thanked the nurse for her service, making his way through the maze of off white- if not yellow- halls of the hospital, following signs for the exit to the parking lot.
In his car, his smile dropped as the car was pulling out of the hospital parking lot, Taking his phone out, he called Mr Rossi

“I want names, all our men with the extreme catholic values and anything against our friends at the Ministry. Anyone unstable with motives to distract me or usurp me. I’m unhappy Rossi. “ he hung up without any further questions, looking out to the motorway as the car made for the airport.

“Sir, If I may, Mr Rossi himself will be on that list” the driver called from the front seat

“Oh I’m aware Aldo, I’m very aware his ego has gotten the best of him at times. That is the disappointing thing with a right-hand man. “Antonio sighed, relaxing into his chair, his mind was rushing with suspicion, infighting had always been an issue he couldn’t control, this would require discretion and subtlety.

Lauren sat on the raised platform of the hotel suite, the sun was rising on a brand-new day, Lauren don’t remember even going to sleep, you just chose this perch waiting for her love to return from quite the eventful night before, Her silk nightdress didn’t hinder as she felt the sunrise warm her skin, waking all of Italy to a new day.
Lauren reached over to the couch below and picked up the pillows and the throw blanket to make the perch a cosier spot.

What would Copia and Lauren do today? Could they stay in and enjoy the pleasures of each other’s company? Would they walk along the historic streets hand in hand and listen to him tell tales of his childhood and early adulthood? Would he take her on yet another paperback romantic date to a hidden vineyard or to a private beach? or maybe a private boat out into the harbor, oh wait that's Venice. So long as the sun was in the sky, the day was entirely theirs.

Lauren sat there thinking about the possible, the things he’s already done for her, the things he’s done for her daughter,
When Copia would play around with Eva and her toys while Lauren was making dinner, how he’d lay on the floor beside her, picking up the blocks she’d grab and knock around, how he'd "read" her books, before she could even crawl, On the late nights when Lauren was exhausted because everything was going wrong, He'd come in and sing one song to her and she'd be out like a light.
When he had fallen asleep, snoring away as she lay sprawled out on his chest, Lauren  put a blanket over the two of them and let them stay there in their dreams..
Lauren remember how he was the one to introduce Eva to his brothers, Lauren remember Secondos stoic face trying to hide a smile, try as he may to be uninterested in yet another baby, The thought of being an uncle figure made him crack a smile, Primos excited behaviour to interact with a brand new human, Primo so naturally embraced the Grandpa figure role. When Copia introduced her to Terzo surprised them all, much to his his surprise he was nervous , Terzo had interacted with small children before but she just was so much smaller than the rest, for a week he was nervous to hold her or interact with her in case he’d get it wrong or make her cry.
It took some encouragement for him to warm up to her as she grew, he embraced the title of Funcle. 

Lauren remember her mum and dad coming to the hospital to meet her for the first time, Her mum was with the shadow of a human who held her ,stating he was too afraid to let her go, but Lauren knew it was for all the attention and praise to be sent his way, but Lauren dad sat by her side and kissed her head, he was there for his baby girl.

Lauren remember her dad holding her arm and walking by her side up the aisle to Pachelbel's Canon, she remember the nerves, the struggle with the volume of her wedding dress, her hair yanked back into a tight and flat hair bun under the tulle veil, the flowers of her bouquets made her skin itch thanks to the spring wedding but when she looked forward and saw Copia, she smiled, she relaxed, one hour and they'd be husband and wife until her heart stops beating, when her journey to find him again in another life would start all over again.

The door to the suite opened, breaking her day dreaming state but Copia wasn’t the one to walk through the door. A tall, handsome man with copper hair walked into the room, He was dressed in a generic but well-fitting suit.
A stranger, Lauren sat up looking for something to defend herself in a quick panic,

“Please, don’t panic, I’m not here to hurt you, Lauren, I just wish to talk with you” His voice was deep and soothing, his accent matched her own.

“How do I know you won’t hurt me?” Laurens ribs ached with the memory of pain, but no memory of injury.

“You’ve done nothing to make me want to harm you. So I have no motive to do so” he explained, holding his arms out in surrender “May I approach? I just wish to talk”

Lauren shuffled back in her nest area and nodded, gesturing to the couch and the open area “My Partner will be back at any moment”

The man smiled and walked over, climbing the stairs but sitting at the top step, keeping a distance between them, “I can assure you, he’s always by your side, My Denizens make sure of it” he pointed to her wrist “see?”
Lauren lift her arm and see the silver chain with Copias jeweled Grucifix hanging from the chain, when did he give this to her? “Your denizens?”  Lauren raised a brow “do you mean the ghouls? You’re a member of the clergy?”

He grinned and looked away from Lauren, a low chuckle echoed through the room “you could say that. I would say that…Copia is my right-hand man” he emphasised the last 3 words. It hit Lauren like a brick, this man sat before her.

“Lucifer?”

He nodded quickly, his smile never falling as his eyes met hers. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, My dear Lauren.”

Lauren felt no fear, she felt no need to cower or bow, she felt comfortable, he appeared just as any other human she might pass on the street, “I...I don’t understand, What made you …How are you..”

“Here? Well, it depends on where “Here” is to you” he gestured to the room, Lauren looked around to see the suite fade away into light and morph into her living room back at the ministry, Evas toys on the floor, Copias papers strewn on the coffee table, the warm morning sunrise filling the area, the two of them now resting on the couch. “Here is a safe space which you control”

Lauren looked over her shoulders, She was home, but it was too quiet “how…”

“You’re fascinating you know Lauren, You’re the first person of this clergy who I’ve encountered that has neither dropped into endless praise or asked endless questions about hardships in of their past” Lucifer leaned back into the couch, crossing one leg over another

“I mean… I do have one question but it’s not …it’s sort of silly to ask now” Lauren lift her legs to her chest on the couch,

“Ask away, we have all the time in the world” Lucifers smile, trying to settle any fears or discomfort

Lauren looked to the ground “My Ex Husband…”

“Ah yes… the narcissist. What about him?” Lucifer draped an arm over the back of the couch and seemingly lifted a teacup from behind the arm of the chair if not out of thin air.

“Where did I go wrong?”

He stopped with the cup to his lips and looked to Lauren, he sighed and put the cup down “There are some humans that are beyond any control, with ideals of entitlement and teachings of grandiosity, what one as a human – especially in a male- deserves just for the physical build of their body, when those teachings have gone beyond unlearning, that’s when it causes damages to those around them, and they just don’t care who they hurt so long as it benefits them. “

Lucifer leaned over , offering his hand to Lauren , she did hesitate but she reached out her hand placing it in his “ You did nothing wrong, to leave him the way you did was overdue but it took courage and careful planning, and lead you to where you are now, I hate to say this but I do not see any other scenarios where he would have backed down because he would see it as submission to a being that was beneath him, that entitlement poisons his mind and lead him to where he is now, powerless, alone and at the will of the steel bars he’s locked behind”

Lauren purse her lips and nodded “and… um… was it always…. Gods…plan?”

Lucifer laughed loud and shook his head, he pats the top of her hand with his other “No, The Christian God's plan is to sit back in his lounge chair and watch humanity live in delusion. He’s accepted that his followers have screwed up in that they insist on living by a book written 2000 years ago, and translated poorly might I add” he chuckled and leaned back on his couch, still holding her hand “He doesn’t write timelines for every single human on earth, the man is surprisingly not that creative, When humans pray for forgiveness he basically has an automatic reply to an email on saying " i forgive you my child" " Lucifer laughed immitatting the booming voice god is depicted with "  when free will was given to humans you should have seen the conversation we had about how much easier it was to manage his followers, I’m still his favourite, don’t tell Michael “

Lauren smiled; it was a relief to hear this come from him. Lauren should have been afraid, but they sat together like long time friends.

“May I say Lauren, I’m honoured that you found respite in my follower’s company, most humans will just curse and blame me for putting them in that place which i had no involvement in the first place, So I am honoured you trust in my followers to help you and little Evaleign to start walking your new path“He smiled and let Laurens hand go 

“Thank you, Sir” Lauren whispered as she held back tears

“There’s no need to thank me, like I said, I didn’t do anything, you came to us” he smiled

“No I… “ Lauren looked up to the roof as she tried to collect the right words “ No words could express how thankful I am for your followers being so welcoming and so accommodating, But what you’d told me now, it’s more help than any therapy could offer, I feel like I’d still be lying to Copia years later telling him I was just ok and healed , I’d still have those questions if you hadn’t told me this, Thank you…for the peace of mind “

Lucifer's smile this time was different, it wasn’t showy or prideful, it was surprised but happy, he paused to watch Laurens expressions “you’re welcome” he whispered. It wasn’t often that Lucifer was caught off guard and given genuine thanks like this, in prayer he’s thanked for things he’d given to humans and what’d he’d taught, but that surprise came with a sense of his own sadness

“What’s wrong?” Lauren asked

“well... it’s why I’m here, Copia has asked me to watch over you, Lauren, and keep you safe until you return to him” Lucifer explained,

Lauren furrowed her brows in confusion “where did I go? Did you actually bring me home?”  you looked around, it did feel very real, nothing was out of place this was her home in every little detail.

Lucifer sighed as his smile faded “Lauren, you’ve been hurt, quite badly, at this time you’re in hospital, you’ve had surgery, and you’re in a medically induced coma so your body can recover”

Lauren placed a hand on her rib where the ache had come from before. “So…This isn’t limbo?”

He pursed his lips together in a smile “ No...no it’s not limbo, this is your subconscious”

“So, you’re a dream, you’re not really here” trying to make sense of how this was supposed to work, dreams are her subconscious working on her memories,,,,but he was here and she was in control.  

“Oh, my dear, this is the only way I can speak to you, I’m very much here in your mind.“he shuffled closer and took her hand back in his, “If I may” he pulled her hand forward to press to his chest, you could feel his chest beating, slowly, he was warm “even the devil has a heart”

Lauren contemplated what he told her, “Isn’t this a lucid dream then? “

“Eh… There’s no logic in the subconscious, no way to truly explain, in all honesty you’re likely going to wake and have no memory of this ever happening”

Lauren pouted “That sucks. This is such a nice dream” Lauren offered him a smile, there was no fighting it, he was here to keep her company, she might as well relax. “So… where is Copia? Was he hurt too?”

“No, he wasn’t hurt, but he will be if he doesn’t shower any time soon, Sister imperators wrath is something beyond even me” he chuckled

“How long has it been?” she asked, Lauren's been sat with Lucifer for all of 20 minutes,

He looked at her nervously, unsure of how she'll react, there was no kind or easy way to say it.

“7 days…”

The Nurse who was assigned to watch Lauren during the day was able to make small talk to keep Copia at ease explaining what every abnormality that happened, the panic as her heart started to race, when the alarm started going off cause her Propofol was running out. Yes, in fact her resting heart rate should have been between 65 and 80, When her gown soaked with blood as one of the drains from her sutures had spilled down her chest, the panic from this nearly put Copia in his own bed beside Lauren.

Why Lauren was being kept under for so long came down to how Laurens body responded to changes, ideally, they would have brought her back sooner, but when they tried to wean Lauren off the Propofol it caused a negative reaction, chills and shakes, moaning in pain, pulling at the drains and the tubes in her throat, she just wasn’t ready.

‘Callie’ and ‘Cecilia’ often visited to bring papa his own meals to make sure he would eat, refusing to leave until he'd done so.
‘Sawyer’ would bring him updates as ‘Soloman’ was watching the child back at home. The others went back home to keep watch around Eva from the shadows, with the uncertainty still in the air it at least made Copia feel better knowing that Eva and Laurens parents had back up.

10 days since the ball,

“Fratello” Primo called as he was escorted by Nina to Laurens bay.

Copia looked up from his book and put it face down in his lap “Primo, what brings you here?”

Primo shuffled to the opposite side of the bed. “I felt the call to come to her side and see my little sister-in-law-to-be.” He placed a hand on Laurens sleeping head and leaned over the bed to kiss her forehead gently. He looked over to the nurse “Has she been stable today?”

The older nurse charged with watching over Lauren smiled as Nina leaned over the table to check on her statistics “She’s been doing very well today actually; we might try to bring her back out soon”

Copia reached up to take Laurens hand again, Primo looked down to his youngest brother and saw the anticipated fear on his brow “Fratello?”

“It’s not very pleasant to hear … “Copia looked at Laurens hand, looking so small in his chair low beside her bed. Primo didn’t see a scared man, all he could see now was the child who’d hid behind his leg afraid of the children who’d pick on him for his eye. His heart sank to see him defeated like this.

The nurse frowned, she'd seen this time and time again over the years so was used to this “She is still not in control of her body, but her body received the shock of all the tubes and patients often try to rip them out or gag on the tube down her throat.” She explained as best she could “No matter how much i explain, It is unpleasant to hear”

“Fratello, would you like some support through this? I will stay by your side should you need it” Primo offered, expecting his initial reaction to stay strong and do it by himself but to his surprise, he nodded “Please… I would appreciate you being here”

“Of course,” he whispered in reply, he moved Laurens hand with the Grucifix to rest on her chest. He reached over and offered his other hand to Copia “Would it bring you peace of mind to call upon the dark one for her safety and strength to bring her back to you?”
Copia looked up and stood from his chair, reaching over to take Primos hand, he nodded “Would you?”

Primo smiled and bowed his head, Copia did the same

“Our father, who art in hell, unhallowed be thy name, I call upon the morning star to keep our child Lauren strong and calm, we ask that you are with her, guide her through these planes of consciousness and return her to us soon” Primo called out, Nina walked behind Copia and placed a hand on his shoulder, bowing her head with them

Copia took over “I beg of the old one to keep her strong, keep her safe, that’s all I ask, Watch over her daughter, her parents, please… I beg of you… let her come back to me” Copias voice cracked as he asked. “I miss her” he whispered, Primo could feel his hand being squeezed and shaking as though he was afraid to let go, he looked up to see Copia shaking, his head hung, after 10 days, he’d finally broken.

Primo let go of his hand and crossed behind the bed to Copias side, pulling him into a tight hug, holding Copias head to his shoulder.
Copia grabbed onto the fabric of his eldest brother’s jacket, hiding his face into his brothers shoulder unable to hold back the tears, the sadness of being beside Lauren physically but she might as well be in another world entirely, the emotions spiraling to have to face the possibility that he'd lose her so soon, even if it wasn't true Copia believed all of this was his fault, he’d been holding it together for too long, begging and praying for help was the final pin in the balloon.

Primo rubbed Copias back slowly and dipped his head to whisper “Lascialo uscire, fratellino. Sei stato forte abbastanza a lungo. ”

Copias cries muffled into his shoulder “ Cosa faccio se non si sveglia? Cosa faccio se lo perdo? ”

Primo shushed him, “ Poi manderemo quattro ghoul nelle fosse per riportarla da te, Non è il suo momento “he whispered, looking at Nina and gestured to ask for the curtains. She and the head nurse walked out and pulled the curtains, so they were alone, finally.

Primo waits, patiently for Copia to let all his emotions out, cry as much as he needs, if he feels his brother falling, he holds him up, If Copia begged and asked what to do, Primo found an answer, it may not always have always been the answer he wanted, but he never left a question unanswered.

“She will come back to you, little brother” he would repeat until Copias cries finally calmed down, tired and beat down, Primo turned to have Copia sit on the side of the bed beside you, “Now, have you eaten, have you had water, when was the last time you showered?” Primo looked down at the empty mug and book on the chair

“I had breakfast and coffee, Water was in the coffee, I showered this morning, Papa” he joked finally feeling some of the serotonin that comes after a good cry, wiping the last tears from his eyes, surprised as his body flinched from lingering hiccups, he reached down to take Lauren hand again, resting it on his leg and his hand on Laurens.

“That will not do, let's get you some water, then we will wait for when the doctors are ready to bring her back” He went and pulled the curtains back, Nina and the nurse in charge were chatting away “Eh, Scusi, where can I get some water for my little brother?”

Nina, the Nurse and a pair of other doctors gathered around Laurens bed “Alright Lauren, Let’s give it a go one more time, Time to wake up Mama” Nina called as she wrestled into some rubber gloves and a mask. “Propofol off” the nurse called

Primo walked Copia off to the side and leaning back against the wall, Primo kept a hand on his brother's shoulder “Are you ready?”  Primo asked

Copia nodded, standing tall and keeping his eyes on Nina as she took charge over the bay.

“All right Lauren, that’s a good girl, Heart rate steady, pulse ox steady, yeah… Hey Hun” Nina called “ good morning , uh...nope, no let’s not do that, let's not, Breathe through your nose honey…” the sounds of gagging and moaning weren’t the first things he wanted to hear, it usually meant she was trying to breath through her mouth not her nose,  “There’s a tube in your throat honey, You need to breathe through your nose, that’s it, That’s it, good girl. Ok ..ok “ the heart monitor speed up to a panicked pace and the sound of metal and plastic rattling around  “ Anna, have 5 of Diazepam on hold in case this shaking turns into a seizure“

Copia reached over to Primo and held onto his arm, it was happening again,
Primo looked to Copia, whispering " breath... this is normal"

“Alright, heart rate and breathing returning to normal, good, ok Good morning, hey there” Nina called “There you are, did you sleep well?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The room was hazy, the voices mixed in with the beeps of multiple machines, thank goodness, Aether must have come back, her body was heavy, tired and achy, her skin was cold, so Lauren was shivering, and her teeth were chattering.
Laurens throat and her chest ached, her head throbbed, as the sensations and visuals came into focus, she looked around the room she was in, surrounded by women she didn’t know, Lauren wanted to ask where she was but her mouth and throat was stuffed, her jaw tensed around the plastic tube keeping her mouth open, Lauren became actively aware that she had to breath through her nose, she couldn’t even groan as her vocal chords had no space to move.

“Hey Mama, someone’s been waiting for you, not just us” the woman in the mask, gloves and coat, “She’s going to be hazy for a little bit, she has just had the best sleep in her life so let's give her 5 more minutes until she’s lucid” she called out to someone behind her.

People kept moving around Lauren, draping a thicker blanket over Laurens body, lifting her hand and pressing their fingers to her palms, pressing on her feet, taking tape off her skin and replacing it with fresh tape, flashing lights in her eyes and talking over her. 
The nurse reached around her face “already, let's get this tube out of your mouth, just gonna undo the bit that holds the tube to your face” she explained as she fiddled around with this strap that was on Laurens face, holding her cheeks down, as she unclipped it her cheeks relaxed as it was free of the tight pads on her face, Lauren shut her eyes as that was the only way she could express a good feeling “ Nice huh? “ she smiled rubbing Laurens cheeks with some sort of ointment where the pads had been “ Ok, I’m going to tug on this, I want you to take a deep breath through your nose and cough , it’ll feel weird and you may want to puke, there’s a bowl on the other side here ok?”

Lauren nodded, the nurse nodded, “ok, here we go, Deep breath in and relax your jaw” Lauren took a deep breath through her nose, “cough” she tensed her throat to cough as she tugged the tube up through her throat, the sensation was so strange as she hadn’t registered that there was anything inside her body except in her mouth and throat, as it kept coming and coming like a clowns magic trick, the sensation to gag overwhelmed her, but the end of the tube hit her lip as it came out, “there we go!” she turned away to put it in a plastic wrap, Lauren leaned forward to the cardboard bowl that was being held to the side because the desire to keep gagging lingered, thankfully nothing came out,

Breathing was such a strange sensation, Laurens throat was sore but also felt numb, trying to talk and no sound coming out, all Lauren wanted was water.

“What do you need, love?” the nurse leaned down, Lauren tried to say water, she was silent, so she mimed drinking, “Water! Oh yes, ok, just a sip for now ok so it doesn’t go into your lungs” the nurse held a straw to Laurens lips, as she leaned forward, her ribs burned and ached with pain she scrunch her face and dropped back into the bed

“Does it hurt? Your ribs are still pretty raw Hun, it’s going to hurt for a while” 

Ribs? Why did her ribs hurt? What happened to her ribs?

The nurse brought the straw to her lips for a drink. The cold water was a relief in Laurens dry and warm mouth.

“Good? Yeah, that’s good, we’ll have a little more later ok?” the nurse put it back down “Doctor Nina, Can we let her partner come to her now?”

Partner? Ethan was here? No, no please get him away from here, Laurens heart started to race as she panicked, he wasn’t allowed to be here, he was probably why she was here, everything she knew was a dream, running away was a dream, the court case was a dream, He was a dream, no, Ethan had hurt her, he tried to kill her after all.

“Someone is very excited to see you” the nurse smiled, Lauren shook her head and mouthed, no. no. no please no, pleading with the doctor who whipped her head around at the rise of her heart rate on the monitor.

“No? What’s wrong?”  with all her strength Lauren reached up to grab the doctor’s arm and kept shaking her head no “You don’t want visitors? “Laurens eyes prickled as tears fell down her face, the fear and panic “Ok, No visitors for now, ok? Sorry Papa, you’ll need to wait a little bit in the waiting room, ok?” she spoke to whoever was behind her bed. Lauren scrunch her eyes shut turning her head away as they were escorted out from behind the bed, so afraid to even want to look at him.

A hand touched her shoulder and went down her arm, Lauren involuntarily flinched at the touch, Shaking and crying from the fear. He had done this, he’d gotten away with it, how, what did he tell them? What did he do to her? Lauren had no voice, if she moved, it hurt, there were wires and needles into her skin, she couldn’t run, she couldn’t leave, for now she couldn’t beg for help. Where was Eva? Lauren didn’t hear her babbling or crying. Where is she? Where is her baby?

The doctor sat by Laurens side and took Laurens hand in hers “Lauren, Lauren hey… it’s ok he’s gone now, it’s just us, I’m Nina, I’m here for you, when your voice comes back you can tell me what you need, we can go from there ok?”

Lauren nodded, looking around at the other nurses and doctors. “Your memory is likely still going to be foggy, you can ask the same questions over and over, I’ll answer them every time. You are in control here, ok?”

Lauren tried to squeeze her hand; the tears wouldn’t stop falling. Because she had no voice , Lauren had to mouth to her 'Baby?"  she rocked her arms side to side like it was in a cradle 

"Baby? Your baby?" Nina asked, her face dropped to a somber frown, "This isn't the best time to talk about your baby, ok? " 

Laurens heart skipped a beat, her stomach and her heart sunk into her chest, she didn't need to say it for her to read between the lines... her baby...Evaleign... it was all a dream, but it was so vivid, it was so real Lauren held her, she'd felt the pains of labor, every moment of anxiety, every cuddle, every meal, every time she cried... It was so real. She was never born...

Lauren looked at her legs, she was fast asleep on her legs just the other day. Lauren couldn't cry...she couldn't scream... no one would hear...  that didn't stop the tears from falling down her face, she began to shake again, silently crying hysterically. Everything had been a creation of her wildest dreams.

The doctor sat beside Lauren and wrapped an arm over Laurens shoulders, "when the drugs flush out of your system I'll bring in someone who can talk you through it ok? It's going to be ok" Nina looked to the nurse  "Can you go get someone for a psych consult please?"

No one could hear her cry.

No one could hear her beg. 

No one could hear Laurens wishes to go back to the dream. 

Lauren just want to be back in his arms with her little girl. 

Please. 

Notes:

I anticipate a few " i hope this email finds you before i do" comments.
Give me a second to stretch, give me a 10 minute head start while you sharpen your pitchforks.

ALSO I need your opinions: I keep writing this from the "you" perspective like I'm telling you what's going on but the reader has a name...… Would it be better to go back and re write the perfective to make "the reader" an actual OC instead of "the reader" ???????
Please let me know in the comments, I really do appreciate all the input/help I can get

Chapter 24: Going Under

Summary:

Copia doesn't react well to how she woke up........while she came down from the silly effects of the sedatives and pain killers.

Notes:

TW: Torture/Abuse , Loss of pregnancy, Anxiety/Panic Attack, Mopia .

Yes this chapter is named after the song the drove how the first part of this chapter goes.

I felt pretty gross writing this chapter which prompted me to find a pallet cleanser, leading me to release some Deleted/Lost chapters thanks to my cat - previously lost parts of these chapters that don't have a proper place in the story .
If you're loving Lauren and Evas story, go bookmark and check out Respite- on the side . for some smaller ficletts to come :)

Denial – Anger – Bargaining – Depression – Acceptance.

These are the 5 stages of grief that someone experiences when they experience the loss of a loved one.

That does not mean that those stages proceed in that order.

---

Copia walked through the doors out of the Intensive care unit out into the waiting room, in the dry air-conditioned atmosphere, His heart pounding in his chest pained by the throbbing, the aching, his breathing shallow and fast. He could not make sense of what just happened.

The way he finally saw Lauren awake in that bed, maybe this is how he would have met her if she’d not run when she did.

Her eyes squeezed shut, turned away in the bed as best as she could without being in agony, shaking and shivering, tears already falling down her burning red cheeks.

As much as Copia had to fight every single urge to sit by her side and beg for him to look at her, he respected her wishes, he could not however resist the need to just…give her a gentle touch, even the simple touch of the tips of his fingers. She flinched, like she anticipated pain.

She was Terrified.

Even worse…

She was Terrified… of him…

“Aether, take me to the Ministry. Take me to Sodomizer “Copia ordered, staring down at the ground,

Aether stood from his chair and walked towards Copia silently, following his order

Primo walked in front of Aethers path, cutting him off to stand in front of Copia “Fratello, think clearly now, Do not hold this on your own shoulders. Surely there is a misunderstanding here, do not do anything rash”

“She wouldn’t even look at me! Primo….” Copia shouted, silencing the whole room “I touched her with just my finger, and she reacted like I’d stabbed her! And I am NO closer to finding out who ORCHESTRATED it all, who organised for my Ministry to be poisoned, my own Brother to be harmed, and the woman I love beyond all comprehension….” He froze, the words stuck in his throat. Copia took a deep breath and turned towards Aether “The Ministry…NOW!”

Aether leaned forward and placed a hand on Copias shoulder,

“COPIA” Primo shouted as the two of them apparated out in a blink of smoke.  Primo dropped his arms to his sides in frustration “Cazzo…. CAZZO… Prometto che un giorno ricorderò al mio fratellino come si sente davvero la parte calda di un attizzatoio nel suo sedere “ Primo cursed to himself. Primo pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking of the best way to move forward “Ghouls! To my side “ Primo ordered.

The remaining ghouls , Cumulus, Cirrus, Swiss, and Phantom ran over . “Papa.” They all responded to order.

“Ghoulettes, you are to remain here and take a position as a nurse to stay by Laurens side and learn WHAT is going on with her. I want to urge you both to stay and assist her in every way possible, there must be a reason why and you will find out. “

“Yes Papa” the two echoed, taking their human disguises dressed in scrubs the same as every other nurse they’d observed, they turned and entered the ICU.

“Quintessence ghoul go collect my brothers and bring them to me. Multi ghoul, you shall take me to the cell where the assassin resides.” Primo instructed, “ if the idiota spericolato has not already arrived there.”

“Yes Papa, though what do you think Papa is going to do?” Phantom asked

Primo took a deep breath “We’re to prevent a reckless murder”

Phantom and Swiss looked at one another, Swiss took Primos arm and the two ghouls apparate out of the hospital.

The hinges of the doors squeaked open as Copia stormed into the cell “Both of you, OUT “ Copia shouted ordering Sodo and Aether to leave “What ever you hear, Stay Out”

They left as they were ordered without a single objection, though they did hold apprehension and even fear in their being.

Copia saw the tired and drained prisoner still chained to the wall. His blood boiled with rage, This was the person who broke her ribs, threw her immobilised body from the bed she should have been safe in, poisoned the cup she drank from confidently and should have done so knowing every drink was pure.
She should have woken up stark naked on the Egyptian cotton blankets, cursing the sun, tangled in his embrace and dizzy from the hangover and the orgasmic haze.
Evaleigne should have been able to sleep peacefully in her own nursery, in her own bed, with no need to fear anything, but this person shot an innocent creature, far from its home, lost and scared, through the window of his family’s home.

This person chained up to the wall defiled all of this.

But this was not the person who wanted this to happen.

Copia paced between the lengths of the cell, wall to wall, his arms were crossed to his chest, every turn he battled in his mind what to do, with every reason, every justification, every reminder of the tenets,

Should he not embrace his wrath? Remind this assassin just who she has screwed with, but why should she be the one to hurt when she wasn't the one who wanted this in the first place, She was just paid, but she was the one who did it.
He pushed himself off the wall, his stepping faster, and faster, his breathing turned to panting, to huffing, to groaning, to roaring. Copias voice echoed down the halls. Until he stopped in his place, a decision was made.

“She woke up then?”

Copias glared down at the bold prisoner on the floor, he lunges forward and slaps her across the cheek with no restraint “No thanks to your work, Allesandra! “he hissed, standing tall “ My Love is in a hysterical state of constant fear, she can’t hide, she won't even look at me because of what YOU said to her, what YOU planted into her mind.” Copia pushed her with his foot to lay on her back and stepped on her ribs, just standing there, leaning forward to put his weight on her 

“Can you imagine what she feels?  The pain of 8 broken ribs hidden under the bruise in the shape of your foot” more and more he weighed down on her, she groaned as uncomfortable as it was, her arm pressing into her back and the shackle on her wrist bruising her from the other side. “She couldn’t cry out for help; you took away every chance she could have had to call for help. You took it all away and for what” Copia leaned off her, shoved the tip of his foot under her shoulder and kicked with all his might to throw the assassin against the wall “FOR MONEY” he screamed down at her. “She has done you no harm! My Clergy have done you no harm! My brother did not deserve what you did to him! And now they hurt because you needed a paycheck, is THIS” He raised his leg and stomped down with full force onto her back “worth a paycheck” she yelled out in pain as her body jerked forward and her face hit the wall

He grabbed the chain that held her, dragging her along the stone floor to the centre of the room “You are not in any form of ‘clear’ for I still have not heard her voice,” he dropped her when the chain snagged at his full length, she hit the floor, face down on the stone

“All I have seen is the pure fear on her face, and not on yours, you sit here in a momentary reprieve from what my ghouls have done to you but now…. Now I must continue…to wait…” he stood over her, no chair, no gloves, no tools, no patience.

Copia unbuckled his belt and pulled it from the loops of his pants, wrapping the length of the leather around his palm, it creaked in his grip as he squeezed it tight in his hand. Lifting it high above his head, his arm seized in place,

He stopped, his memory showed him the fear on Laurens face from his mere touch,

The way the colour from Laurens face drained when the glass broke in Evaleignes room.

How you sat alone at the table in the courtroom, watching him on the screen as he silently screamed into the void, flinching as though you could hear every syllable.

How you cried in hysterics for fear of hurting everyone else in return for the exposure he deserved.

He heard Laurens hysterical cries echo from Sister Imperators office rewatching the Security footage while you compiled the case. How he had to stand in the hallways and just wait

Copia drops the belt from his hand, as the metal buckle echoed hitting the floor,

When the assassin looked up to him expecting to be struck with the leather, anticipating pain.

He saw you for the first time, drenched in rain, shivering, the 2-month-old baby girl clutching to Laurens chest. Laurens eyes alone begging him for help. Broken down, tired, and desperate.

Copia realised in this moment, he’d become the very man Lauren had run away from in the first place.“i… I'm…” Copia stuttered,

A Pair of arms wrapped around Copias torso and yanked him back out of the cell “Stop it Stronzo!” Terzo yelled as he pulled Copia back out of the cell into the hall, “We need her alive, Did you forget that? “

Secondo grabbed Copias arm and lead them down the hall into a separate office, he didn’t throw Copia but he did make him sit down on the couch and walked back into the room, Primo was already sat on the chair beside him, Terzo stood beside Copia with crossed arms “What happened? Did you find out who ordered this or did something happen at the hospital”

“Quiet, Stronzo, you know he wouldn’t lash out for no reason, he’s the most stable of all of us” Primo called  

“That’s exactly why I’m concerned, Copia does not just lash out out of rage, he intimidates at most but he’s never hurt someone” Terzo waved at Copia

Secondo pointed to copia “He would have killed he-“

“I wasn’t going to kill her…” Copia waved him off, “ I want to..but you didn’t-… you weren’t…there.”

Terzo looked to Primo “what happened at the hospital?” since he wasn't going to get a reliable story out of Copia and hadn't been informed by Primo, just told by the ghoul 'copias on a rampage' he had to assume.

Primo sighed “ The doctors have tried to wake Lauren about 6 times and this time when she woke up, Lauren went into a panicked state when they said her partner was here, Copia is convinced somehow Lauren believes that he is the reason she was attacked.”

“That is what the witch said to her!” Copia yelled

“She doesn’t speak Italian, you’ve been saying this to everyone. How could she know what she said “Secondo countered

Copia groaned looking away from him, they would never understand.

Primo rolled his eyes his younger brothers were useless at empathy “It is one thing to have Christians be terrified of us on the street but to have one's lover show true terror, not being able to escape and flinching at the slightest touch after being in a medical coma for 10 days waking up in a foreign place in pain she doesn’t comprehend and surrounded by strangers. All he wants to do is comfort her and take away her pain, Copias wanted that for 10 long days and every possible opportunity has been ripped out of his grasp because she won't even look at him. “

Secondo and Terzo both looked away from them, taking in the motivation and understanding where that rage came from.

Primo grumbled “Love sickness is something none of you will ever understand since you’re all too busy to get your dicks wet than to think about supporting another person. “

“Ok” Terzo yelled

“Would you- “Secondo growled.

Terzo sighed and sat beside Copia. “It does not justify taking out his anger on the chained-up prisoner “

“Papa Emeritus is welcome to express his wrath on someone who already has brought harm to our flock” secondo grumbled

“That isn’t what you should be asking, Stronzo! Satanas Aiutami “Primo yelled, dropping his head into his hand

Copia groaned and stood up from the couch, heading towards the door “None of you are of any help, ACK- “Secondo grabbed his shirt and yanked him back into the room

“While you are the walking embodiment of a jealous gorilla you are not leaving this room” Secondo ordered

Copia rolled his eyes and walked over to the desk and sat on it. “I’m not going to hurt her…anymore… I just became the exact man that Mio Amour ran away from in the first place. I can’t go back to her”

Secondo raised a brow “What do you mean? You’re not in prison, are you?”

“No, but she looked at me like I should be!” Copia yelled “ I can’t ..I can’t go back to her… “

“Yes you can, Once your Ghoulettes report back with an update on her condition, you can go back to her when she’s calmer and apologise if you need to” Secondo offered

“Did the nurses not warn you she could be loopy waking up from anaesthesia?” Terzo asked

Primo thought back and shook his head “no, is that common?”

“Do you remember when I brought Sister Maria home from her wisdom teeth surgery?”  Terzo raised a brow

“Was that when she sat by the fountain for an hour chasing the goldfish?” Primo asked

“Yes and when she wanted to be a water ghoul” Secondo looked away, remembering all too well Sister Maria trying to make the fountain cause waves for the goldfish to go surfing.

“My point still stands, the aftereffects and the withdrawal from local anesthetic used for sedation causes someone to be incoherent and uncontrollable.” Terzo explained “Lauren is likely to be lacking her inhibitions until it’s fully flushed out of her system, it's entirely possible that her memories and her dreams are confused “

Copia looked up at him “when did you get so knowledgeable on sedatives?”

Terzo glared at him “I don’t see any of you supporting the sisters who need medical or dental treatments”

Secondo rolled his eyes and Primo dropped his head

“Wait so, what are you saying? What is she going to go through?” Copia sat up on the desk to face him

Terzo leaned back and crossed a leg over one another “She’s going to have a lack in her motor functions, temporary amnesia, the breathing tube in her throat will have relaxed her vocal chords to a point that she won't be able to speak, bouts of short-term memory loss. It’s normal”

Primo shook his head “ So, we give her a little more time to process the medication from her system and hope that whatever state she is in will be flushed with it and all will return to normal”

“That’s the best-case scenario, when does that ever happen for any of us” Copia groaned and walked back to the door “I’m not going to go back to the cell, I’m going to find a bed and sleep horizontally for the first time in a week”

Terzo followed him “ I still do not trust you to be left alone”

“I do not need a minder” Copia argued waving him off to give him space

“You need someone to wake you up when there is news, and show you to our rooms, we had to vacate the hotel last Wednesday “

Copia rolled his eyes and gave in, there was no arguing with Terzo at this point. He wasn’t going to be left alone no matter what.

---

The Ghoulettes really got into their roles of nurse and Psych consult, Cumulus taking the role of the psych doctor, they told Nina who they were off to the side.

Nurse ‘Callie’ took over watching Lauren at the end of the bed, she tried her best to keep her awake and calm, explaining everything that was happening when the memory kept lapsing, “Out of ten how’s the pain?”

Lauren held up her hands showing 7 fingers, “Physical or emotional?" Lauren pointed to her ribs, “That’s already an improvement, you’re going to let me hand you things now instead of trying to be super independent now huh?”

Lauren nodded and rolled her eyes, dropping her head to the side

‘Callie’ patted her arm gently, “good girl.”

Doctor ‘Cecilliawalked into the bay holding a medical file “Nurse, could I speak to you for a moment please?”

Callie sat up and nodded “Sure" turning to point at Lauren", you promise to stay in bed?”

Lauren held up her arms with the wires in them,

Callie nodded “I won’t be long.” She followed the doctor out into the nurse’s bay “What’d you find?”

‘Cecillia’ put the file down on the table and pointed to a blood report “I think I know what caused the outburst, look here, her HCG levels are above average”

“So?” Callie raised a brow, she’s a caregiver not a tv show watcher

“Cir… She was pregnant” ‘Cecillia’ whispered in a hush “she must have miscarried in the attack, Mountain told me the attacker stamped on her stomach as well”

Callie sighed and put her hands on her hips “But how did that cause her panic attack?”

“Nina doesn’t want to talk to Lauren about the miscarriage when she’s just going to forget every 8 minutes, so she wanted to wait until she’s lucid…but when Lauren asked where the baby was, Lauren was probably talking about Eva, so the lines got crossed.” ‘Cecilia’ explained

“Can’t we just bring Eva here?” Callie raised a brow “ If she brings baby here she knows Eva's safe”

“Copia told us she’s not allowed to teleport until she’s at least 5 and can understand what’s going on” Cecilia countered looking at the documents

“Well, we can’t tell her that she just had a miscarriage. That’d make it worse” Callie sighed and scratched her head, thinking of what to do .

“uh…. I know what will be worse… “ Cecillia froze “ Who’s telling Papa?”

Callie looked at her with wide eyes

“NOT IT” both shouted at the same time, they cursed and looked around, Callie smiled and waved down Doctor Nina who was walking their way “Nina!” waving her to come over

“What’s wrong?” she leaned on the counter

“You’re friendly with Papa, Can you be the one to tell him that Lauren had a miscarriage?” Callie looked to her with her fingers clasped together

“Well… I can but he’s left the hospital, they all did. I don't know where he went” Nina shrugged." We couldn't confirm how far along she was but she had to be less than 5 weeks along, did you guys really not notice?”

The Ghoulettes looked to each other “No, we couldn’t hear any second heartbeat”

“You couldn’t smell the different raised hormones in her body? You guys can tell when we’re on our cycle or when someone’s sick”

They both sighed feeling silly “She had a baby a year ago, she already had raised HCG levels in her blood so we were just used to it being her normal state”

“Right, did she not have morning sickness or having flu-like symptoms?” Nina asked

“Not… that we noticed, I don’t think so” Cecilia mumbled, “well... Does Papa need to know? It wouldn’t have really been a comfort, he’s in an emotional state when he left”  

“It’s policy that we update the patients on everything that was happening with their bodies. I can tell Papa it’s fine, probably best it comes from a friendly face anyway” Nina shrugged.

“Ok but... I just want to suggest something for now” Callie added “if…if she asks about the baby, she’s probably asking about Eva, and we can’t just bring her here,”

Cecillia interrupted “Copia put his foot down on it when Sodo zapped around the ministry trying to find her bunny and she puked in his office, no demonic powers can get that stain out of his chair”  

Callie raised a brow “any way” she held up a finger to shush Cecilia “ so …if she asks where her baby is just say it’s late , she’s at home with her mum and fast asleep. She’ll be here in the morning”

Nina finally realised where she’d gone wrong “oh…yeah absolutely. Oh, did I set her off thinking something bad happened?”

“Yes…” Cecillia slapped Callies arm “you don’t need to be so blunt. Look, I have a theory as to what caused her panic attack.”

Nina leaned on the counter “do tell?”

“I think when she woke up, she might have thought that she was in hospital because her now ex-husband had beaten her up. He has a history of being manipulative and throwing the blame on anyone but himself.  Copia said She was terrified of her and wouldn’t look at him, right?”

“Oh Satan, Did she think that he was her Ex?” Nina asked, covering her mouth

Callie and Cecillia both nodded

Nina slapped her hand on her forehead “oh Satan this is all my fault… I’ll talk to him“

“No…not...not right now” Callie sighed and looked to Cecilia “We don’t know what’s going on in her mind and her voice is still gone”

“Well… Can she write things?”  Cecilia asked, “or can she type?”

“Probably not very well right now.” Nina sighed “Don’t try talking to her in her mind either, she’s still not coherent or might need an actual psych hold”

“Dangit, Swiss is good at that…” Callie groaned “well how long do you think this will wear off?”

“Well, it should be out of her system in 8 hours, but that doesn’t mean she’ll stop having these effects “Nina looked over her shoulder at Lauren in the bed, playing with the hem of the blanket.

Cecillia sighed “I’m going to go check on Papa, you find out if she can handle one visitor. Just tell her it’s a friend”

“Who are you going to bring in?” Callie asked

“Terzo” she shrugged “He’s used to medically loopy sisters and their friendship is unique”

Nina looked at them dumb founded “ You want the womanizer to come and comfort her?” 

“Oh their friendship is quite unique, He gets her out of the apartment with Eva as much as Copia keeps her in the bedroom”

“I get your point, fine” Nina sighed, holding up a hand to shush her.  “We have our tasks, break”  Nina and Cecillia walked out of the icu,

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Callie walked over to the bay, “How are you doing Chicky?”

Lauren smiled up at the nurse like a goof “I’m comfy" Lauren rasped out

“Hey! There you go, your voice is coming back, have a sip of water and let's practice. “ Callie got Lauren to do exactly that “So, did you have a dream?”

Lauren nodded

“What did you dream about?”

Lauren looked off into the distance, her goofy smile came back “a man~”

“Oooo, What kind of man?” Callie sat down on bed beside Lauren

“Older~ Sweet, sexy, voice of a siren” Laurens shoulders bounced as she tried to giggle

“Ooo, he sounds wonderful~ Is this your boyfriend?”

The smile faded and she dropped her head “ i wish… “

Callie raised a brow “What do you mean honey?”

“I married a psychopath" Lauren mumbled, her heart monitor started to beep faster again, grabbing her hand “please…don’t…let him…in here”

Callie squeezed her hand “We won’t let your husband in here… can your Siren boyfriend come visit you?”

“He’s not real" Lauren pouted,

She was stumped “What do you mean? Do you think he was a dream?”

Lauren nodded

“Oh honey…  “ she sighed and wrapped an arm over her shoulders, she leaned into Lauren so her ribs wouldn’t ache “Honey, tell me what happened in your dream, I think there’s a couple things we need to tell you”

Lauren rested her head on Callie’s shoulder “ I had a baby… I ran away… I met this wonderful man… I watched her first birthday, her first Christmas, and he was a perfect dad… a perfect friend… I really loved him”

“Honey… you dreamed about a lot, and you… remember a lot from your dream? Is it not a memory?”

“No… I had long hair" Lauren pulled at a lock of her hair and flicked it. “Must be a dream”

Callie cringed and looked away, trying to come up with something believable, “uh, Honey the doctor had to cut your hair. When you had surgery a lot of it was tangled in something they couldn’t wash out “good enough

Lauren nodded and picked up at the strands of hair brushing against her shoulders. “Does it look ok?" Lauren mumbled

“I think it looks nice, but If you don’t like it, I could fix it up for you, I have 8 sisters so I had to learn how to do hair” Callie offered

“8 Sisters, wow" Lauren thought about what it’d be like to be in such a crazy house “Maybe later “

“Yeah, good idea” she pats the back of Laurens hand

Doctor Cecilia popped back into the bay “Hi Lauren, I see you’re feeling better?”
Lauren nodded, smiling up at her. she looked up at the monitor “You’re feeling calm now, how’s your voice?”

“It’s coming back" Lauren whispered,

“That’s great” she walked up to Laurens bed and checked the colour of her blood's output and the remains of her iv and fluids “Nurse, would you mind getting a new bag of Nutrients please? You won't be able to eat anything by mouth until your voice comes back properly, that’ll be when we’ll take out your catheter “

“Does that mean I can’t have a chocolate muffin? I could really use one right now" Lauren asked

The doctor chuckled and shook her head “Not yet, but I’ll be sure to get you one from the café when you’re ready” The doctor walked Lauren through some physiotherapy to test Laurens mobility and strength, this was done once an hour, and every hour they got slightly better. Once she was satisfied, she pulled up a chair beside Laurens bed “Lauren, I want to ask you a couple questions that may be a little alarming to you, ok?”  

Laurens smile dropped and she nodded

“Can you tell me, what you think led you to be here?”

Lauren sighed and shrugged “the last thing I think I remember is running around a venue while setting up some event? But then it’s a blur”

She nodded, making notes, “Do you know who you were with?”

Lauren shook her head “lots of strangers”

“Strangers, ok” she mumbled “How do you think you got hurt? Your ribs have been cracked but you have no other injuries besides a few bruises and some internal bleeding which has long since passed “

Lauren looked away “I thought… I’d done something to upset my husband, and he lashed out at me, he’s …. I probably… He’s very... sensitive… and prone to … outbursts”

 “So, he’s hurt you before” the doctor suggested

Lauren nodded, shrinking back down into the mattress “I think…I remember he didn’t… take it well… When I told him I was pregnant…”  she had to take slow deep breaths, something in her mind told her this was how she kept calm for only a moment “A…and… I think… he…" Lauren had to pause, the visual of someone standing over her in the dark stomping down on her, a cold shiver ran down her spine, it was too dark to make out a face, for whatever reason Lauren couldn’t move.

“Lauren...Lauren! “The doctor shook her arm “Lauren what did he do”

“He did it. he… *hic*" Lauren broke into hiccups, resting her hands low on her belly where her baby would be.

Internally – Cumulus was panicking, Laurens memories were coming back but this wasn’t what she should have been remembering - She sat up on the bed and placed a hand on Laurens shoulder “he can’t hurt you now, Lauren, he can’t get in here without your permission, Chicky, breath with me”   

In … 4… 3… 2… 1…

Hold …4 … 3… 2… 1…

And out …4… 3… 2… 1…

She took her time to let Lauren calm down at her own pace, never denying Lauren's beliefs and concerns, listening to every one of her cries and reassuring Lauren through every panic and return of the memories. This panic attack drained Laurens energy rapidly,  

“Have a rest, you can sleep knowing no one can see you without your permission, ok?”  She rubbed Laurens shoulder gently “Is it ok if Callie keeps watch over you while you sleep?”

“Please” Lauren rubbed at her eyes as she tried to get comfortable without laying on her side.

The doctor waved for Callie to come back and take her guard spot at the end of the bed. Once the two ladies were comfortable, she pulled the curtain behind her to give them some privacy.

As she walked away out of sight from the ICU, she checked her messages and found a message from the group chat

“Is it ok to come now?” 

“Not yet, a little more time please”

“Got it”

---

Secondo had a team of computer science (hackers) to investigate the origins of the requests, thankfully they were able to work long hours without compromising quality in their work.

They had confirmed that the origin of the request of the job came from the county over from their home village, the Email was a burner Shotmail account, they were able to hack the privacy settings since the passwords weren’t encrypted so wasn’t that difficult to passthrough,

“Papa Secondo, I have an idea how we can reveal the identity of the requester” Cain called

“If it works let me know, in the meantime do not come to me until you have confirmed information” he ordered. Secondo got in contact with Phantom, the ghoul assigned to watch Copia from the shadows. No updates for the minute. Secondo had already exhausted his knowledge on how to track this person down, it was up to his small team to do the hard work.

He even got in contact with Tanya, Laurens lawyer, to investigate the ins and outs of Ethan’s mail and movements at the prison. Secondo had a level mind about the situation, the entire time he believed that the only actual suspect was the one person people were quick to dismiss, he had already seen the instability in him, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility he’d find anyway to make sure it happened.

A sister brought him dinner, while he watched the team work on their leads. He managed to charm her to sit in his lap while he dined and read documents, even just her company made the long hours more tolerable. Anything for Papa, right?

What he didn’t expect, thanks to phantom not warning him, was Copia coming in late into the afternoon when he should have been having supper. “Fratelli, what brings you here?”

He’d traded in his decent clothes for his comfortable sweat suit and t-shirt, he didn’t look any better than he had at the hospital, he hadn’t shaved, he hadn’t put on paints, he hadn’t done much of anything except sleep, and now he was seeing his little brother in the light “I know I can’t be of much help right now, but I just wanted to see the work that was going on”

“Of course, come in” he gestured to the free chair opposite his desk, Copia looked over at the 5 siblings furiously tapping away at their computers

“Have they found anything that will help us?” this was beyond anything he knew

“We’ve narrowed down where the original emails have come from, and Cain is working identity.” Secondo explained “Andrew over there is breaking down the list of contacts Antonio sent us, the more dead ends on there the better” he pointed over to a sister with her hair in an intricate braided bun. “Then there’s Bella, or as I call her Bellissima, She not only hacked into the hospitals cctv main frame to keep an eye on Lauren in the ICU, but she’s hacked into the Prisons main frame where the ex-husband is being held, if my suspicions are correct, I think it’ll make everyone feel better watching him fall into insanity when you let the multi ghoul back into his mind” he smirked from behind his sunglasses that totally didn’t need in an already dark ish room.

Copia raised a brow “you really think Laurens Ex is responsible for all of this? When did you last see him leave? “

“Oh he’s in solitary confinement, like I said, If” he chuckled “or when” he shrugged

Copia couldn’t deny it, it was handy to have the CCTV control, but it still felt like they were no closer to confirming anything which didn’t quite give him the hope it should have.

“Fratelli? Where are you? In your mind” Secondo asked, the brotherly concern finally showing it’s little face

“I think I’m coming to terms with what’s going on, I waited this long, why can’t I wait a little longer? She’ll come back to me if I give her the time” Copia explained , though his voice had the hint of depression still lingering, the longer he’d spent away from Lauren, the more he had to convince himself he may have been the problem if he’d rushed the reunion, the longer he waited the better it’d be for them both…right?

“You will go to her, yes?”

“Of course ...when she is ready” he would hold some apprehension with the thought of Laurens terrified face and his actions in the cell hanging over him like a little rain cloud.

“Papa? Uh… Papa…Four” the sister in secondo’s lap called “I don’t know what’s going on entirely, but I can see you’re still worried about going to her”

“Si, Sorella, I am.” Copia sighed leaned on the table

“It doesn’t matter how long it’ll take; she’s going to want you to hold her as soon as she smells you, I don’t understand it but the 5 senses are like it’s own muscle memory. You could give her a jacket of yours and she’ll just know it’s the smell of someone who brings her comfort.” She smiled offering him the knowledge Secondo pat her but gently
“I know it sounds ridiculous-”

“No Sorella, not ridiculous, It’s a part of human nature.“I don’t think I could just send him my blazer for comfort, but you may be onto something” Copia offered 

The sister smiled “I know small animals only know their parents based on smell. And it works in babies “

“Yes! My stepdaughter is calmer when she’s wrapped in one of her mothers shirts or jackets, I was just thinking that” Copia smiled thinking about her all wrapped up like a baby cannoli.

“Nature is such a surprise some times” The sister smiled
Secondo chuckled “Not just beautiful, you’re also brilliant, how lucky is Papa” he pat her hip,

Cain approached the desk with a new stack of papers “Papa, Papa, Sister, I’ve broken through to the security information of the account and found some details that you will find beneficial to the investigation “

Secondo snatched it and took off his glasses, reading the papers.

Cain handed Copia a second, un snatched, copy knowing this would be secondo’s reaction. Reading through the lines of details, highlighted information, reading over the scanned copies of handwritten notes and instructions, they weren’t signed but they didn’t need to be, not when they were being compared to the hand writing from evidence from the trial earlier this year. What confirmed Seconds initial and only theory was the back-up email

[email protected]

Councillor Timothy Martin – Ethans Defence attorney

---

One nap, one dose of morphine and a call with Laurens therapist later, Lauren was lying comfortably on the hospital bed, high as a kite but comfortable.

Callie brought Lauren a fresh juice to sip on and a red velvet hoodie that’d been thrust into her arms by Copia rushing from one meeting to the next. Ok yes, she ducked back to the ministry with the intention to get her cardigan.

“I hope this is ok, I didn’t have the authority to get something from your personal effects, so I got the cleanest thing from lost and found” Callie laid it out on the bed as Lauren sipped the juice.

“aww, I hope the owner is ok without their lost hoodie" Lauren held it up by the shoulders

Callie looked away “I’m sure they’ll be fine, not like they’re walking the halls like a lost puppy “he totally was, the only thing missing was a tub of ice cream and 1980s rom com VHS’s. “I’ll help you put it on honey, come here” She helped Lauren slide on the hoodie and got her comfortable in the blankets

 “At least they have good taste in cologne" Lauren mumbled; the velvet was a nice change from the starchy cottons she'd been draped in. it felt familiar, smelled familiar, but it wasn’t Ethans smell, “Hey Callie?”

“Yeah Chicky, what’s up” she looked up from her table

“I was wondering if you could look at something for me… as a professional..”

Callie jumped down and pulled the curtains shut, “Of course, did you find a weird looking mole or a birthmark?” she giggled pulling on a pair of gloves.

Lauren pulled the sides of her gown up over her chest “No It’s my chests and on my hips. I don’t know why they’re…bigger. And there’s scars on my hips “

“Do they hurt?”  Callie reached over to untie the top of Laurens gown

“Kinda, they’re not bruised though so I don’t think it was from the attack" Lauren lay there pointing at them as plain on her chest….

“I will say, I know so many women who are jealous of you. And even more who's jealous of me right now” Unprofessional but it got her to giggle at least, lighten the situation. Callie held her hands up “do you want me to feel in case there’s a lump? “

“Might as well start there" Lauren waved to her open chest and lay back “I give you permission to touch my body”

Callie lay her hand flat on Laurens chest and pressed down in a rolling motion, the one thing Lauren didn’t expect was for milk to squirt from Laurens chest and down onto her wrist “ uh ... .that's..”

“Milk yes… shoot, um, when was the last time you expressed?” she asked, grabbing a paper towel to clean Lauren up

“Expressed? I thought Doctor Nina said I didn’t have a baby? Or …she wouldn’t talk about the baby…”  Lauren asked

“Uh… you have had a baby, Lauren, about a year ago it’s in your medical history” she looked around for the phone and personal contact information that’d been brought for her " If you had a baby, you should have pictures on your phone, right?”

That wasn’t the phone Lauren knew she had; Callie held the phone up to open with Lauren's face. And she opened the pictures folder “See, that’s a beautiful baby girl” she held up a picture of Eva at creche

Lauren smiled and lay back “that’s her! She was in my dream" Lauren pointed to the phone, Laurens heart pounded in her chest looking at the little smile, the relief knowing that that part of the dream was real “that’s my baby”

“That’s your baby” Callie put the phone in Laurens hand “Doctor Nina told me that she’s at home with your mum, nice and safe” she grabbed the tissue box and dabbed the tears off Laurens face

“Promise?”

“I promise” Callie rubbed Laurens arm gently “she can visit you soon when you’re in a private room”

Lauren dropped her head to the side “yay” Callie pulled the gown back up to cover her chest,

“So, you have a baby, means you make milk, that’s why your chest hurts, the only thing to do is find a pump, if you want we can donate it “She smiled, walking back over to send a request from the Labour and delivery unit.

“Knock Knock” Doctor Cecilia called “How are we doing in here? Why are we hiding?” she popped her head in

“I have a baby girl" Lauren held up the blank screen as if she were showing her a picture

“You do, that would explain why your heart is going crazy” she looked up to the monitor walking over, rubbing Laurens shoulder gently “Can I ask you those silly questions again?”

Lauren nodded, dropping the phone into her lap.

“Ok, where are you?”

“In a hospital”

“And where is your husband?”

“Burning in hell”

She snorted at the unexpected response, Callie let out a shriek of a laugh, “Not yet, wanna try again?”

“Prison”

“good, and he is your- “leading Lauren on to finish the answer

“Biggest mistake ever" Lauren smiled so bright, knowing she had a happy baby girl waiting for her, some of the memories started coming back to her

“Very correct, you are passing with flying colours” she grinned “some of these memories are coming back to you?”

Lauren shrugged “my baby is alive, and she’s one, some of the other things I dreamed of may not be a dream after all. “

“Some of them?”  she tilted her head

Lauren took a deep breath “Well... I dreamed of a guy, a whole other life but he was so wonderful and did all these things my ex-husband would NEVER do in a million years”

“Yeah men do suck sometimes don’t they” she pursed her lips thinking, this couldn’t be better timing really. “Since you’re feeling better, are you up for a visitor? One of your friends came by to check in on you”

Lauren tried to think about who would possibly have come to see her, curious, she nodded.” Ok”

“Terzo?” Cecillia called,

The older man dressed in black and white with the well styled hair from Laurens dream popped into the bay, “Cara?" Lauren looked at him wide-eyed in disbelief, she held her hand out to him as he took hold of it, placing a hand on Laurens shoulder.

“Careful of her torso she can’t bend” Cecillia called

Lauren  looked up at him and held her hands on his face, rubbing her thumbs over his skin, he’s real. Very real. That must mean the other man was real as well, Lauren smiled so big and pulled him closer to wrap her arms over his shoulders

“Hey, careful” he chuckled and gently held her shoulders “why do you seem surprised to see me?”  he looked to the glamoured ghouls

Callie looked nervously at Cecillia “She thought that she never came to the ministry, that everything was a dream”

Terzo dropped the smile and sighed “Oh Cara,” trying to rub between Laurens shoulder blades, he dropped his head into Laurens shoulder and saw the bruises that were turning purple down her back “None of it was a dream I promise”

When Lauren did let go, he took hold of Laurens hand just to look at her "So you don’t remember anything that happened at all?” 

Lauren shook her head 

“Do you even know where we are?”

Shake shake shake

Terzo sighed and pursed his lips “Cara, we’re in Italy… Do you remember nothing of the sightseeing and the...the ministry? “

Lauren shrugged and lay back in the big “maybe?”

Terzo sighed “well, there’s no other way to remedy it, We’ll have to do it all again” he smirked squeezing Laurens hand gently

Lauren smiled "really?" and looked off to the side “Pompeii?”

He nodded “Yup, we’ll book a whole day”

“Castles?" Lauren mumbled

“Take your pick there’s at least 10” he smiled

Lauren pouted, thinking about what she can do in Italy “Pizza?”

“Only the best” he pat Laurens hand “and when Mi Fratello calms down from his tantrum and comes to visit, he’ll take you to find the best Pasta and gelato in the city, like a pair of teenagers going on a first date all over again “

Laurens goofy smile came back once again, she sniffled thinking about the dream, the romance, the dancing, the intimacy, the way he cared for her baby girl, it was all real. Terzo grabbed a tissue and patted Laurens cheeks, not knowing she was crying. “If he doesn’t I will, does that sound good?”

Lauren nodded.

“ok” he whispered, looking to the Ghoulettes “can you please give us a moment?”

“Of course, Papa Terzo” they walked out and closed the curtains, Cecillia poofed off to go check on the Copia.

“I hate to see you like this, you’ve cried enough, what’s making you cry now, Cara?” Terzo kept dapping tissue to Laurens face, pushing the hair behind her ears

“Does he really love me?”  Lauren whispered

Terzo chuckled, “That’s what you’re worried about?”

Lauren nodded “I didn’t think he was real”

“mia cara amica” Terzo gently pushed at Laurens hips to shuffle her on the bed so he could sit beside her and wrapped an arm over Laurens shoulders “My little brother is so smitten with you I will need to go to the dentist for a cavity because it is so sweet to see the two of you together. Just the thought of you and Evaleine makes him smile like a doofus”

Lauren smiled up at him, resting her head on his shoulder 

“Just like that” he pointed to Laurens face and poked her nose

Lauren silently giggled, the more she thought back on the dreams she'd had, the more vivid it became. “Where is he?”

“We made him go to take a shower and go to bed; he’d been sat in that chair the entire time you’ve been here” he pointed to the chair “he refused to leave even when the nurse told him the doctor was taking his wife to dinner so you wouldn’t be woken up until at least the following afternoon” Terzo mostly lied through his teeth

“Good… and… my ex-husband… “Lauren asked nervously

“Locked up in a high security prison. He will never see you again” Terzo squeezed Laurens shoulder “so long as the Emeritus brothers are around, he can’t hurt you” Terzo leaned in and kissed Laurens forehead

Lauren smiled sadly, it still felt like an empty promise only because the fear of Ethan was subconsciously still burning hot. If all of those dreams Lauren had were real that left one question which still makes no sense “Terzo?”

“Hmm?”

“I dreamed about Lucifer" Lauren mumbled “I.. i remember talking with Lucifer”

Terzo cocked his head to the side “That is wonderful, why do you sound concerned?”

“I don’t know. feels weird…talking… to…" Lauren waved around and pulled the devil horns to her forehead

“You’re worried that you had an audience with the old one and here you are sitting in bed recovering from the accident?”  he took Laurens hand from her forehead and put it down

“A little" Lauren mumbled, her eyes dropped to his waistcoat and hyper fixed on a button, she reached forward to play with the marbled button

“Do you think We’d be jealous that Lucifer came to you in your time of need?” he smiled watching her finger circle and play with the button, maybe it meant she was reaching a low and would be lapsing soon.

“a little…”  

“Ok I’m a little envious, but I haven’t been where you have, what is so fascinating with my button?” he chuckled looking up at Laurens monitor, her heart was starting to slow down hoping it meant Lauren was relaxing in his arms “Cara?” Lauren didn’t respond, her arm dropped down his chest and to his thigh, he lift Laurens head up off his shoulder with his finger, she'd fallen asleep in his arms, softly snoring as he stretched her up
Terzo smiled and sighed, moving Lauren back to rest comfortably on the mattress. If experience told him anything, this would be a pattern, he accepted he’d be here a while, better here with Lauren than being back at the ministry with an unstable and inconsolable little brother.

He did however text Primo and secondo that she were doing well and the memories were coming back, bring pictures. 

---

Cumulus walked into Copias temporary quarters, still dressed as doctor Cecillia with a bright smile on her face, " I've got amazing news " she clapped her hands together, looking around for Copia "where are you?"  

The couch was being used to hold the suitcases for both of them, The tv was silent but on a pause screen for Driving Miss Daisy, a bag of popcorn had been spilled on the floor, empty pizza boxes on the floor, candles had been burning for quite some time by the puddles of fresh wax beneath them , the curtains had been drawn. ah...She knew where he was . 

Cumulus cracked her knuckles and walked over to the lump of blankets on the bed, pulling back the blankets to find Copia laying in his Metallica t-shirt and red sweatpants, hugging a pillow on his side and quietly crying, he sobbed out from earlier," Papa...  How long have you been here?" 

"Since I realized I've been a useless lover" he moped into the pillow 

Cumulus sighed and sat beside him " oh for Lucifer's sake, Papa, don't be ridiculous, Laurens Up, she knows where she is, she knows what's going on, everything is great! Why are you here moping like she turned town your flash mob homecoming proposal" 

"because I haven't been able to keep a single promise I made to her and no matter what I do I can't keep her ex husband from hurting her. I'm a pathetic excuse for a partner, the best thing I can do is let her stay here with this ministry" he cried, pulling the pillow against his chest 

Cumulus was going to complain until she put two and two together . "Wait.... Ethan was behind all of this?" 

"YES!" He yelled 

Cumulus pressed on his shoulder and looked back to the door in case someone came in" Copia, Shush! This is a good thing" 

"How is it a good thing that I'm an ineffective protector to a woman who essentially has a target tattooed on her back!" Copia rolled over onto his side "When she comes to realize that she'll move ministries and take Eva with her, she's not even my daughter but I wont get to see her grow up " 

"COPIA" Cumulus snapped, Copia froze, caught off guard in panic "Snap out of it! She's currently laying in her hospital bed, hopped up on morphine, Terzo's the only one who's been able to convince her that you're not just a figment of her imagination.
We're still working on convincing her that the thousands of baby photos on her phone are in fact her own spawn, She just had a good cry that you're not Evas biological father."
Cumulus shuffled into the bed so he couldn't just hide again, she grabbed his arms and pulled him to rest against her, "Lauren wants nothing more than to see you in the flesh again. " 

Copia couldn't resist melting into her embrace, and wouldn't need any kind of quintessence to calm him down " I can't see her..."

"And why not?" Cumulus pat his back 

"Cause i'm just as bad as Ethan" he grumbled 

Cumulus thought about what happened when she last saw him, the rage that was coursing through him, the panic in Primos eyes.....and yet no 'accidental death' report "What do you mean?" 

Copia turned his head away from her, resting his face on her stomach, not her chest because he still had a sense of loyalty " I took my rage out on the assassin, she does not deserve to be the target of my rage... especially now I know who does, the same stronzo who's deserved nothing but my wrath this entire time. I went to hit her and all I saw was how scared Lauren was when I first met her. " 

Cumulus rubbed her hand through his hair and rubbed his back "You're not the same as Ethan, DON'T…tell me I'm wrong" she held up a finger to shush him "You're not the same, Papa, you acted out your wrath because that person had harmed the people who look up to you for guidance and safety, He only acted out his wrath to manipulate her and to get what he wanted." 

Copia lay still in her lap, everything in his mind was rejecting it, he still did it, he still hurt her, he had suspicions about his oldest childhood friend. He felt terrible, 

"You don't accept this to you" he shook his head in her belly "Didn't think so. If thinking about Lauren right now isn't going to work, How heartbroken will Evaleign be if her Aba doesn't come home anymore?" 

He whined and squeezed Cumulus's waist. 

Cumulus smirked, pulling her phone out of her pocket and found the folder of Eva Pictures, showing him a particularly cute picture of Eva when she was being taught to walk, her hands being held by Phantom walking backward as she stomped forward .
"This little cutie would be devastated if her Aba wasn't there to save her"

Copia stared at the screen, a smile creeping across his face. 

"What would happen if you weren't there to save her from the owl?" Cumulus swiped across to one where she'd fallen asleep on her rocking goat " Could this precious little face be on my phone if you didn't protect her with your every being?" 

"And how could we live without all this blackmail material?"  Cumulus swiped across again to Sodo getting splashed with blended mushy carrots and potato , another with her spitting up on Swiss's mask while riding on his shoulders, Aether being drawn on with permanent marker like makeup, Mountain having a tea party wearing a tutu and a bow.

Copia laughed quietly into her belly "See? This little girl would not have made all our lives so much better because you protect her so well. Imagine what would have happened if she was raised by the jerk who put the woman you love in the hospital?" 

Copia dropped his hands on the bed " don't make me think about it... "

"Who knows what he would have done to such an innocent sweet little thing? imagine.. hand me down clothes, used for for custody battles and not pay child support, public school, two beds, broken home, Emo phase, secret infected tattoos at 12, pregnant by 14, run away with some biker with a piercing  on his d-" 

"Ok i get your point..." Copia growled and grabbed at the bed sheets. 

"Hey! I'm saying if she won't go through that now she's here!" Cumulus held her hands up in surrender " at least here she can be safe in her temptations as she grows up, of anything her rebellious phase will be going to catholic church"

 "She's not allowed to date until she's 30" Copia mumbled 

"See, that's the boundary setting of a real Papa" Cumulus rubbed his back.  The two of them sat in silence for a little bit "Did that make you feel better?" 

He nodded

"Do you want to be alone?" 

He shook his head 

"Ok.. Do you want me to stay or get Aether for you?" 

He grabbed onto her legs, "don't go... please" 

Cumulus scratched his scalp, accepting her fate to be stuck here in this musky room for at least 6 more hours "ok. well you're going to have to at least put on a good movie cause I'll just break that thing" she pointed to the vcr "can you do that at least?" 

He nodded, Cumulus patted his shoulder "Ok, I'm going to get more popcorn and some water for you. You know you've done good, it's like you went through anger, depression, acceptance and denial, I'm glad you didn't go through bargaining" 

---

In the morning a room became available, so Lauren was moved out from the ICU.
Terzo stayed with Lauren the entire time, cleared from the Psych team so would not be on a hold.
Lauren was being kept for observation while the doctor ordered she'd be on bedrest until her drains came out.

“Stronzo, I’ve been explaining to her all afternoon that you do still love her, and you have been here the entire time….” Terzo argued on the phone to Copia “She’s still convinced you’re not real” He stood in the hallway listening to the excuses he was being flung “Get your rat eaten ass down here before I send Omega over to turn you into a puppet and bring you here himself” Terzo hung up the phone without another word and shoved his phone in his pocket, turning back into the room “Are we going for a walk?”

Lauren looked away from him “I’m scared”

Terzo grabbed the walker from the wall and pulled it over to the bed “I know, but you need to at least try to get that older nurse off your case,”

“Are you sure she’s not Sister Imperator in disguise?" Lauren pouted, throwing the blanket off her legs

“100% though they might be related” Terzo helped Lauren sit up, turn and stand up off the bed, “if you need the walker-“

“No… " Lauren argued “I have a retired pope to lean on" she smiled up and held onto his arm and grabbed the portable IV, Lauren groaned trying to stand up straight and her ribs stretched

“Yes, you do” Terzo looked to the nurse and gestured to follow behind him “Go slow”

“Fine, I didn’t want to run the hospital marathon anyway" she smiled up at him

“Ok Sassy pants, lets go, quick trip down the hall and back to bed” he chuckled going step by step down the hallway, The views from the windows out into Naples gave Lauren a great reason to stop for a break, Terzo pointed out all the places in the city he wanted to take Lauren to since her memories of the past week still eluded her.

“Over there is the chapel with the statue, the veiled Christ” he pointed to one of 5 million churches

“You can go to a church?" she teased him

“I’m a satanic pope, not a vampire, plus I can appreciate good artwork. “he poked his tongue at her "come on, back to your room, you’re nearly there”

 Lauren turned to go back down the hall, but she turned at her torso not her hips. “AHH” Lauren let out a shriek of pain grabbing at her ribs and leaning forward hold onto the windowsill

Terzo held Lauren arms to stop her from falling “Ok ok, step by step we’re taking it slow remember “

“It hurts to turn…how can I not turn?" she whined letting go of her robe to hold onto his arms and breath through the pain “oh god it’s labour and delivery all over again “Lauren groaned leaning forward at her hips.

Terzo chuckled “well at least in this case the pain will pass instead of getting worse. Do you want the walker if you have to bend over?”

“You’re older than me, how do you not need it" she looked up at him.

“I made a pact with the old one to keep my skeleton in good condition, I should have added my liver “he laughed, he lifted Lauren back up when she nodded and started walking back down the hallway. A string of Italian arguing echoed down the hallway, Terzo perked up and grinned “Ah… Incoming”

Lauren looked at him then to the hall. A tall masked man stepped out of her room and turned out of the way “She’s not here, why did he make me rush if she’s not here? “

“Did he tell you the right room number?” Why do the voices sound so similar when they're all angry?

“Of course he did, he’s colour blind not dyslexic”

“Hey! I am not colour blind” Terzo yelled “I have the test to prove it” Terzo clarified to Lauren

Copia shot out of the room looking down the hall to see Lauren, standing up, moving, awake, alive. Copia didn’t walk, he jogged down the hall towards them, he smiled so brightly, as did Lauren.

Lauren tried to walk to him but Terzo didn’t move with her "She’s still fragile, don’t hurt her” he shouted

Copia stopped short of Lauren holding his hands out to her, Taking Laurens face into his hands “Mio Amoure… I … Oh thank Lucifer, look at you, you’re awake, you’re up and out of bed already. You…you...you... you're not… ”

“Take her arms, you fool” Terzo interrupted “I’ll go get her bed ready…make sure she gets back to her bed, on her own two feet” instructing the two of them before walking back down the hall

Copia rolled his eyes, he took Laurens arms and held her upright, resisting every urge to scoop her up into a big hug and carry her home, he looked her up and down, stepping closer to her cautiously “Are you… what’s this… look on your face “

He held Laurens arms as she reached up to touch his face, Laurens fingers tracing over his nose, his ears, his scratchy unshaved chin, his lips, she held his face in her palms “You’re real" Lauren whispered. Still in disbelief, the pictures and everything Terzo told her wasn’t a dream or a hallucination. 

Copia let out a sigh of relief. “Very real, I missed you so much”

“I didn’t go anywhere” holding onto his shoulders.

“I know, I mean… I missed your voice, I missed holding you, I missed your touch… I missed your kiss” he whispered, leaning down resting his forehead on Laurens “you might be in a bed sleeping peacefully. But I’ve been so afraid of hurting you”

Lauren looked up to him, dropping her hands down his chest “wait until I have my next dose of morphine, and you can hold me all you want, but you can kiss me anytime”

Copia smiled and laughed under his breath. 11 whole days since he could hear her voice, as strained as it was and even if she were hunching to hold off the pain. Lauren still looked fragile. He sighed and pursed his lips “I want to… But I want you comfortable first “

Lauren nodded “ok, but in there your brothers are in there”

He groaned and looked back over his shoulder “Do you promise I won’t hurt you?”

“No, But I want you to make sure this isn’t another dream really bad" Lauren held onto his waist to balance herself,

Copia nodded, “I want that too” he whispered, he let go of Laurens arm and cupped her cheek, leaning forward to kiss her softly, slowly, carefully. Lauren smiled against his lips,

He was real, she was safe, she was healing, he was here, Copia was here, holding her, Kissing her. This was all so very real.

When he pulled away, he led her back to her recovery room where he let his brothers see Lauren were awake and doing ok, but he quickly dismissed them to give her space and keep going on with the mission.

Copia was the one to update Lauren on what happened, what they had discovered so far, what they still needed to find out.

Lauren sat there in disbelief that someone would attack her for a job, but it surprised her even more that they hadn’t figured out what happened by now.  Someone was clever.

Doctor Nina had gone home for the day so she wouldn’t be back to meet her until the following day.

When the nurse brought Lauren the next round of medications, one of the side effects made her drowsy, but she had no pain. The nurses did offer him a pull out bed to sleep in the same room as her, but he refused, insisting that he wanted to hold her while she slept. There was plenty of space, he was cautious like he was trying to hold onto a glass figurine.

But falling asleep in his arms put her at ease, the dreams were kind to Lauren. And he would be there when she woke up.

How could she not look forward to that?

Chapter 25: Cut to the chase.

Summary:

While recovering at the hospital was nice , Some of the most private moments you're supposed to have are still monitored by all the nurses....
Terzo was sent on the unusual mission to check in on Eva and break the news to your parents.
and Doctor Nina had news of her own to break to you and Copia.

Notes:

Happy New Year!
December SUCKED for me i'm sorry it's been SO dang stressful! I got sick from December 14th all the way to new years eve... and I just had no inspiration or felt like this was a good chapter, so glad I took my time and had a moment to step away and rethink what I wanted to do with this story.

Having to stand up straight without support thanks to the rather demanding senior charge nurse, roughly washing Laurens body down as she stood butt naked with another nurse taking extra care to wash around her scars and sutures. The senior nurse washed Lauren down like she was a dirty car, rushed, rough and fast. She was good at her job, but her bedside manor was dramatically lacking. Once she was done, she left it to Lauren and the careful nurse so she could move on to her next job.

“Don’t mind her. She’s very…. Well…” the nurse was trying to find an excuse for her but couldn’t find the right words herself, especially since she needed to work with the woman

“She’s got tenure, doesn’t she?” she suggested

“heh…none of us do, but she certainly acts like she’s the most reliable nurse around here” the nurse had Lauren sit back in the plastic wheel chair to wash her hair down with the products Cumulus had brought for her.

Having her hair done like this was probably the most comforting, dropping her head back and having her head massaged with the fragrant products. Such a simple task felt like luxury despite being at a hospital. When it was all done and Lauren's hair wrapped up in a towel, the kinder nurse had Lauren stand up to redress the sutures and drains on her chest,

This was the first time Lauren had seen the extent of the bruises on her body, it’d been 14 days at this point so the harsh purple was mostly gone, leaving sickly yellow splotches under her skin across her torso and down her stomach, It wasn’t a shocking sight, Laurens had bruises like this in the past but never this size,

“Jeez…Lauren mumbled, holding onto the wheelchair for support.
The nurse sighed and looked up “it’s down your back as well” she stated, gently tracing her fingertip down her back from where the top and the bottom was “oh that’s…big” Lauren mumbled, maybe it was smaller than Lauren were imagining, she had to hope,

The bruises should have stopped, Laurens bones will heal and the scars will never fade but the bruises... she ran away from his bruises, she's in a different country and he still found a way to leave his mark, his reminder. Lauren didn’t wear his ring anymore and yet the lines from the fishing wire that cut through Laurens skin left that reminder of when she was once his prize.

Not his wife. Not the mother of his daughter.

His prize.

“Hey… Lauren, It’s just a bruise, it’ll fade honey” the nurse called as she wrapped the robe around Laurens shoulders

“Yeah, just like all the others before this one" Lauren sighed, holding her arms out so she could tie it at the waist, Laurens emotions have been all over the place while she's been awake, processing all the different information and emotions it brings, Ethan had been behind all this, Lauren were likely going to have 3 months of recovery, Being kept up in this small clinical room day after day the picturesque Italy stuck behind a glass pane so long as she  needed strong pain killers to get through the hours of laying on her back being poked and prodded and asked the same questions over and over. And Laurens tiny baby girl was growing up thousands of miles away, even when she gets to see her again even the most gentle of hugs will cause pain but it doesn’t hurt as much as she misses her, to think she'd forgotten about her, thinking she was nothing but a dream.

She tied the strap in a bow and gestured to the chair for her to sit “There’s nothing I can say or suggest making anything better, I can remind you of the billions of things that make things better, I can especially remind you of how much fun recovery will be, That old man out there would look dashing In a butler's uniform.” She smirked knowing Copia was Laurens partner

Lauren smiled and rolled her eyes “I’ll tell you this, surprisingly he looks much better in a set of Papal robes, much easier to get into when the time's right" Lauren winked at her

The nurse laughed and waved her hand around “oh my god girly! Having a pash in the Papal robes”

“I’ve hidden under those robes when we nearly got caught after mass" Lauren leaned in close “who knew I fit in between his legs so perfectly" Lauren grinned like she were talking with a girlfriend back in university

“Ah! Oh that’s what we love about older men, they’re squishy so they fit into all our nooks and crannies” 

The two of ladies broke out into fits of giggles even if it did make her ribs hurt, Lauren needed a good laugh, it made her miss her girlfriends back at the ministry, she's got to get her girls (randy is a honorary girl) back for a girls night, at least pretend to feel young for a night. Maybe She'll invite sister Imperator as well, depends on if she wants to be ‘mama’ or ‘grandmama’

 “Do you wanna keep bitching in the bathroom like we’re in a club or should we get you back to bed” the nurse asked as Lauren got her breathing under control

“Bed means blood and all the boring tests doesn’t it?" Lauren pouted, taking a slow and assisted seat in the wheelchair

“Bed also means snacking on those Cannoli that Papa Primo absolutely didn’t sneak in under his robes” the nurse smirked as she let Lauren fall into the seat .  

“OO!”  Lauren smiled thinking about that sickly sweet cream and the crispy shells she'd been craving “Take me to bed and make me bleed!" Lauren pointed forward like she was giving an order for a steed, She laughed and turned the wheel chair back into her recovery room. Copia was back lounging on the comfy chair they’d provided, tapping away at the email inbox he’d neglected, she'd bullied him into responding to emails and clearing up the spam from his inbox before Lauren went in and really cleaned it up.
He looked up to see Lauren all wrapped up in towels and her hair dripping onto her shoulders. Not up in a wrap since it wasn’t long enough anymore. It just didn’t feel right anymore.

“Did you go to the day spa without me?”  Copia smiled, going to put the laptop down

“No! How many emails have you done yet?" Lauren pointed at him

He looked down “eh….” Scrambling to the sent folder to see how many emails he’s sent “24”

“Out of?" Lauren teased, a raised eyebrow and her lips pursed together (struggling to hold back a smile or a giggle)

Copia looked to the nurse for help, she’s not helping she’s just as curious, “err… 108”

 Lauren looked back up to the nurse with surprise “Ok that’s not bad, No I haven’t been to the spa, cheeky”

“That’s your job Papa, we saved her nails for you” The nurse teased as she prepared the bed for Lauren to stand up

“If I can put down this computer, I will rub your feet after you’ve walked through piles of dog food and onions” Copia leaned on the arm of the chair

 “Get through another 10 and you can put it down. Is that fair?” Lauren called, the nurse went to lift Lauren up, she looked around at all the wires and how she was trying to juggle the chair from flying away and trying not to rip out any of the IVs.

“Actually, for a minute, can he put it down to help you into the bed?”  the nurse asked.
Lauren nodded “He’s got to learn to be able to help me recover right? Not just pick me up and throw me like a sack of potatoes he’s going to f-“

Copia panicked and cut in “Okay now, that was one time, it was an accident “he stood up, putting the laptop on the chair behind him “I tripped on those tights of yours you know” walking around to her side, standing in front of Lauren, the nurse was behind her, lowering the bed down to a better height

“Papa, you’re going to support her from the front, I’ll take the chair out and spot her from falling back too fast, Right my dear, you’re going to need to use your legs again and on the count of 3, stand up into Papa's arms” the nurse explained. “When I say go, you’re going to take two steps back and sit back down again, we’ll spin you around to lay down all comfy”
Copia just nodded, following the instructions like he was back in the military.

“I’ll push when you tell me when to push," Lauren nodded and reached up to hold onto Copias shoulders, his hands holding under Laurens arms “oh wait not labour and delivery…”  

Copia dropped and shook his head, stifling a laugh “Tesoro, if you push me over, we’ll be sharing the bed”

“And while you’re not injured can I get you a little nurse’s uniform while you take such good care of me?" Lauren grinned at him, teasing him even more. None of this was even brought on by the painkillers,

“I wouldn’t want to send all the other staff into a psychiatric break down, but I could do a butler's uniform” Copia looked to the side, shooting her a wink, the doors are bloody paper thin after all.

“Alright you two, ready? 1 2 3!” the nurse rushed through it but Lauren did follow Copias lifting her up onto her feet, pulling on his shoulders as she stood quite quickly, Copia pulled Lauren in, flush against his chest, seeing how close she were to him, she smiled “hello love”

He smiled down at her “Ciao Bella” he whispered, leaning down to steal a peck from her lips.

“And down”

Copia pushed down on Laurens arms to get her to sit down on the bed, The nurse pointed down “Hold her legs under her knees and lay them out on the bed” in one motion the two of them spun Lauren around to lay out on the bed again.

“That was rather easy” Copia stood up again and pat Laurens knee, quite proud of himself .

“Think you can do it on your own at home?” the nurse teased “your bed doesn’t do this” with a button she made the bed raise back up to its normal height. 

“No, but I can get one of those” Copia looked around

“Don’t you dare, I like our bed" Lauren argued, thrusting a pointed finger up to him “Remember, Vinnie made fun of Terzo for needing mobility assistance, I will do the same to you”

“Says the woman who currently needs a Zimmer frame to walk to the toilet” Copia winked and leaned over Lauren to steal another kiss, holding that finger she were pointing in his hand

 The nurse walked back to her tray to get the bloods “Ok you two, if this blood test comes back clear, we can send you back to the ministry with the recovery plan”

“The sooner the better” Lauren smiled, sticking her hand out to let her do her thing, looking only up at Copia. “I’m home sick, can you do anything about that?”  Lauren pouted over at the nurse

“Not just yet” she smiled and pat Laurens arm finding the vein “At this point we want to make sure you’re not going home an addict “

“But I’m going home with pain killers, right?” 

“Of course, your doctor is 5 seconds away from where you live, it’s hard to be reckless when the people who care about you are just down the hall.” The nurse joked as she stuck Lauren with the first needle to take bloods from Laurens arm

Copia rested a hand on Laurens leg, sitting beside  her on the bed, watching as the nurse packed up all her stuff including the vials of Laurens blood, dark like velvet sloshing around.

“Right, I’ll have this back by the afternoon is up and we’ll make a plan to get you home” The nurse smiled as she walked the trolly out of the room, leaving the two of  them alone once again 

Lauren nudged Copias hip with her leg. “It’s a shame we’ll be going straight from the hospital to home, I would have loved any excuse to walk through the city with you again.”

Copia squeezed Laurens knee “It will always be here, Tesoro, Plus it is not as if we can’t just come here on a whim should we have a craving for proper pasta”

“So why did we fly here in the first place?”  Lauren tilted her head, she wasn't complaining, flying in first class was very fun.

“Appearances” he shrugged “Like how we clean up Mary to go and be the face of the media team, it’s all for appearances”

Lauren laughed and waved him off " When you say you clean up Mary, You promise you're just dumping him in a bath with dish soap and scrubbing him down right?" 

Copia chuckled and shook his head. " That's how it started, then he realized he got the star treatment at these events so he started taking it seriously." 

"Well if it's anything like how your team gets me all ready for those special mass's, I can understand why he likes it, don't you think that's too kind for the grubby little ...thing that Mary is? "

"Maybe a little" Copias phone dinged with a message, 

"Is it from my mother?"  Lauren leaned forward hoping to finally see the newest photo of Eva. 

"No, My brother, He got lost " Copia groaned "How can the man not read a map when he was around when the maps of America were drafted?" 

"I don't know, How can a man who can take a Nintendo 64 apart and rebuild it perfectly not respond to his emails slower than snail mail would?" Lauren smirked at him, knowing he was now procrastinating

His smile dropped to a glare. "Listen here you...." 

---

“You’re sure this is the right way?” 

“This is the address she gave you, yes? Then yes, this is what the directions say. And Stop picking at your face, you’re going to give yourself more wrinkles”  Omega drove through the suburban streets back home, the houses all looked identical, Cookie cutter homes along both sides of the streets, no lawn is bigger than the next, Terzo could only hope each garden is a reflection of those who take care of it, Begonias in one, Ivy and daisy in the next,  Plain old grass in the next one.

Considering its proximity to the outskirts of town, this must have been a recent residential investment of some property tycoon, it was somehow unnerving to drive past the same house 15 times before pulling up at just one of the many properties.

“I don’t have wrinkles, I have Aged Lines” Terzo pouted, the task set to him weighing his shoulders into a droop, it was advised the best course of action was to go without the paints, it would only confuse Laurens mother.

“Age Lines or Wrinkles, Satan can’t stop you from getting more if you pick at your face like that” Omega joked, checking the email again “yeah, that’s the one, Black roses and bluebells. 73 Hardacre Street” he leaned over the seat to look back at Terzo “Are you sure you can handle this? ‘s not like she’s dead, but ‘s not gonna be easy” 

Terzo watched the windows at the front of the house for any signs of movement, seeing a woman with silver hair walking through the kitchen with a familiar infant on her hip “She asked me to do this. They should have been told when she first went to the ICU. But we must respect her wishes.”

Omega dropped his hand down from the back of the seat to Terzos’ knees. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come in, make it easier for …them?”

Terzo tilted his head to the side, considering it “That might be best, though maybe let it sink in for a moment, something about feeling the full grief helps people process, otherwise it leaves them with guilt they have not…. Felt… enough, ‘leads to more problems than it’s worth.” He sighed, brushing down his jacket “Come on, show time big guy”

Omega nodded and glamoured up in a more casual 2 piece suit, embodying the “body guard” figure he’s become for his leader.
Terzo stepped out of the car before Omega and the two of them walked up the concrete path to the door, ringing the doorbell without hesitation before he could turn and run. He was doing this for Lauren, he had to be strong, it’s not the worst news, but it’s never ideal.

Lauren's dad was the one to open the door “Good Morning, Your Eminence”

Terzo held up a hand and offered a smile “Good Morning, please don’t call me your eminence, It’s Terzo, Mr Sullen”

“Terzo” Dad nodded “I thought you were all in Naples still?”

“The famiglia are, yes, I have been sent to bring you all an update, and to see how Principessa is doing without us” Terzo explained “May we come in? m..my Bodyguard, Oscar”

Lauren's dad just nodded " You’re always welcome, Big guy your bodyguard huh?” he chuckled, stepping back to let them in

“I look taller when I’m with the boss, he makes me look 7 feet tall” Omega chuckled and nodded a thanks for letting him in, though he did have to duck under the door frame.

“Who’s at the door Rob?" Lauren's mum called from the kitchen

“One of the future sons in law “he called, shutting the door behind him

“Oh!  Oh you never told us you were on your way back! “Helen skipped out of the kitchen to see who was there, Eva was still in her sleeping onesie with her hair all messed up and unbrushed, chewing away at a fruit stick “E-SO!” She squealed when she recognized her uncle Terzo was standing in the doorway, she let go of Helen's shoulder and reached out to him, leaning out of her arms with little regard to how easily she could fall to the ground.

Terzo smiled and held his hands up “ Ahhh Eccola qui, la mia preziosa piccola principessa. Buongiorno mia bellissima ragazza “he stepped forward to take her from Helen’s hand. Eva gladly molded back into his arms once again, grabbing onto his face and taking in all the affections she’d been missing.

Rob leaned over to Helen “Our girl isn’t home yet, Terzo has news and a Bodyguard?”

“Oh, is that who his friend is? “She whispered looking up at ‘Oscar’ he must have been at least 6 foot 6 inches tall, even in his glamoured form it was a wonder he fit through the door, ever the welcoming host she kept a smile on her face.

“Thank you for taking care of Evaleigne for longer than anyone anticipated” Omega smiled and held a hand out to shake both their hands

Helen smiled and shook his hand quite excitedly “Oh it’s no problem at all, it’s been wonderful having our granddaughter here. Rob even took up walking around the lake again” 

Omega grinned and smiled down at Terzo tickling a wiggly Eva “ She does seem to be a beacon of energy, Come, Papa you must tell them what’s going on” Omega ushered everyone into the lounge to sit down comfortably. Oscar left them to make everyone's coffee. Eva chose to toddle around the room grabbing at the toys her uncle had not been shown for 2 and a half weeks.

Rob sat in his armchair which hasn’t been replaced for at least 30 years, Helen sat at the end of the couch closest to Rob and Terzo sat beside Helen.

“I want to assure you that your daughter’s inclusion in this trip to our homeland was entirely for leisure. She did assist greatly with the preparation in some events for our clergy as she’s done in the past. My brothers and I ensured her safety the entire time we were there, if she wasn’t with any of us, she was to have a guard like Oscar here by her side at all times.”

“Her Safety? What’s she gotten caught up in now?” Rob sat up in his chair, taking this prefacing as stalling “What’s happened to my girl?”

“Rob, Calm down, Copia did tell us there was an accident, no need to get all defensive now” Helen sipped her tea, well versed in having to keep her calm with her granddaughter around.

“It was Copia who told us he’d personally ensure she’d never be hurt again after that Prick of a husband” Rob argued, he’d been upset with himself that his only daughter didn’t feel safe enough to come to her dad in the first place, He was supposed to be the one to protect her, she went to total strangers, so he’d always held that bitterness for these Emeritus men as much as he had to take Laurens word as truth.

Terzo waited a beat to reply to try to avoid an argument “What happened was something we could never have predicted happening, having travelled far from here we all believed we could relax and not have to worry” a tiny hand pat his knee, Eva was holding up a book with a goat on the page “ What a handsome goat, what do we do with goats now”  Eva pressed the book to her face and made a kiss sound “Muah~”  Terzo leaned down and ruffled her hair “That’s right, Such a clever girl, go to Oscar over there”  he pointed to Omega in the kitchen.

She ran off giggling holding up the book for him.

Helen shot a quick glare then leaned over to place a hand on Terzos shoulder “You were all on holiday. The problems happened here; I don’t blame any of you for what happened ok? You might need to warn Copia to run next time Rob sees him”

Terzo offered Helen a smile “I will hold you to that for now.” Terzo sighed and pulled out his phone, opening the reports that had been typed out “This will have more detail if you want to know more, but for now I’ll give you the uh… short version of what happened. “

Rob was sitting there with his coffee shooting daggers to Terzo, growing impatient.

“During the private clergy gala that Lauren had been instrumental in organising and coordinating, there was a mass drink spiking. 11 Siblings and Lauren had their drinks laced with Rohypnol, I also had been targeted by this event and ended up drinking a contaminated drink.”

“Oh, you poor thing that’s horrible, that must be even worse at an older age, right?” Helen asked, patting his arm in comfort

Terzo did his best to keep the sombre poker face despite the comment on his age, without the paints he swears he ages another 20 years.  “It’s not pleasant at any age unfortunately” Terzo shrugged, this wasn’t about him so let’s not change the subject, plus, he’s young where it counts.

“This happened at your private event?” Rob asked in a gruff voice as if he’s trying to intimidate people, “So someone of your clergy poisoned their own people?” Helen turned to shoot him a quick and slightly confused glare of ‘what the hell do you think you’re doing?’

“That’s what we all thought at first, there has been an issue with drug use in newer siblings with addictions and getting carried away with the carefree atmosphere “He had to stay strong and admit the faults, mentally preparing himself to possibly be struck or yelled at “However, after an extensive investigation we found it was a bravo who’d initiated the mass spiking. We have the facilities to punish this person accordingly as the local authorities haven’t been alerted.”

“So, you’ve all been stuck in Italy because her drink was spiked” Rob growled, gripping the fabric of the armchair, his nails scratching at the worn fabric, unsure if he was trying to throw himself up or hold himself down.

Terzo holds up a hand to ask Rob to wait, or push the man back should he try to advance on him, “No, as you can see, I’m well recovered since the attack, Lauren was targeted and physically attacked by an outside hired hand.”

Helen gasped and placed a hand on her chest and covered her mouth in shock “Oh my god…” Rob looks away from them, releasing the grip under his fingers and taking a deep breath. He relaxes, he’s both annoyed and upset to be hearing this news from the mouths of these people Lauren trusted before her own parents… again. “Go on Boy… you’re clearly not done”

Terzo took a deep breath, feeling quite small, Still, her dad was reacting much better than his would have at this point, he cleared his throat and held out an open hand out to Helen in a offer of comfort knowing what was left to tell them is something no parent would ever want to hear, if they were serving in the military or not. “The person who attacked her had dressed as a Paramedic and was left alone for just a few moments under the belief she was a trusted professional; she’d made sure enough time had passed so Lauren couldn’t fight back when she physically attacked Lauren.”

Helen’s hand gripped his as she visualised what had happened in her mind, her eyes not leaving Terzos, Lauren's been so worried this entire time that something would happen to Eva when she should have been worried for her own daughter after all, the guilt pained her, believing even they were safe to relax after the results of the trial and how quickly that punk, Ethan, had been taken away to the prison. Hindsight clouded her mind with all the ‘should haves

Terzo shuffled closer to Helen and took her hand in both of his, leaning forward to look deep into her eyes “I can assure you; Lauren was found soon after the attack and was seen very quickly. She did sustain serious injuries and she required surgery to her ribs and liver, but she is alive, your daughter is going to make a full recovery as if it never happened, she’s under the care of the most talented medical staff in Italy”

Helen nodded and squeezed her eyes shut, tears falling over her cheeks, she dropped her other hand onto his and tried to say “Thank you” but no sound came out, caught in her throat with the desire to cry. Rob leaned over and handed Helen the tissue box from the coffee table, Terzo reached over and pulled two from the box, leaning down to dab away at her face, no woman- no…no mother should have to cry. No one should feel they have to hold back. “When can we see her? Where is she?”

“Lauren is currently in a private hospital we fund back in Naples, but once we are sure she’s safe enough for travel we’ll be bringing her home to the ministry, we can bring you to her as soon as she’s home” Terzo explained “She’s desperate to see Eva again, and I’m sure Eva is missing her Mumma as well”

Helen blew her nose into a tissue and nodded “You said there was a report? Rob, you read it”

“Yes Dear” he held his hand out for the phone to read the details of the report. Terzo handed it over to Rob quickly, Rob grabbed his reading glasses and leaned back to read through the document on the small screen in his hands, as if he’s reading through his nose.

Terzo stayed quiet, holding Helen’s hand patiently waiting while she sobs and processes all this information “I don’t understand, Who would have done this? Ethan’s in Prison”

Terzo sighed and thought of the kind way to say it, the way he would try to say it and lift spirits, the sincere way to say it, but there was no easy way to explain that they had hacked through systems and found the exact incriminating documents from the less than capable lawyer he’d ordered to execute his wishes, to give her more reason to panic and possibly demand that Lauren and Eva be brought to live here with her parents, ripping her away from his smitten little brother, it left him in a pause.

“Our Papa Emeritus the fourth didn’t take it very well to know that his friends and family of the clergy he’d been raised in, and now is the leader and figure head of, were attacked so recklessly, so he lead the interrogation when the attacker had been caught by our security detail, The local authorities have been informed but only for their discretion, they know to leave this to our organisation to handle since this is now a private assault.” Omega announced walking into the room, Eva sitting on one arm and a tray of fresh drinks in the other, putting it down on the table “Well, calling it an interrogation is putting it nicely, I was told he nearly killed the girl himself. Tit for tat” he shrugged standing tall again looking at Eva who was sucking away at her binky “Papa wasn’t going to let someone who hurt your mama get away Scott free again now was he” he tickled her belly to get her to giggle “no he wasn’t”

“Aba” she babbled, patting Omega’s cheek, not able to reach his head, where were his horns?  Where did they go?

“Yeah, your Aba is very persuasive, yeah he is” Omega grinned his toothy grin, lifting her to sit on his shoulders where she pats his head like a drum, still trying to feel for the horns, it didn’t bother him one bit considering how ‘used to’ the antics of the other ghouls were, this was nothing. He continued to explain “The hit woman told us everything after Copia tired himself out from the interrogation. From that we now know it was the lawyer Martin who hired her, and he did it under the orders of Laurens' deranged ex-husband.”

“How?! He’s in prison” Rob growled, standing up from his chair as a shock response, not intending to intimidate.  

“Documents had been given to the lawyer right after the second to last court date when they had their final in person meeting. Once the ruling was announced and he was taken away, the orders he gave were put into place when he was admitted to the prison. It was a contingency plan Martin didn’t think he would have to go through with, but he was obligated to see out the orders of his client.”  Omega continued “Scans of the documents are attached to the report at the bottom” he pointed back to the phone and wiggled his finger like he was scrolling down a screen.

Terzo looked up over his shoulder and mouthed “Thank you” with a scared and appreciative look stuck on his face.
Omega just nodded to Terzo.

Rob growled and moved away from the chair to start pacing as he read the document, his face growing redder as he held back his desires to act out in rage “When I get my hands on that bastard, Hell will seem like paradise when I’m done with him” He grumbled, carefully moving out of the way from the coffee table before his knee hit the corner (again).

“Funny, that’s what Papa said” Omega chuckled, sitting beside Terzo on the couch, Eva leaning over Omega’s head to try get Terzo’s attention but couldn’t quite reach, so she settled with playing with Omegas glamoured up hair like Remmy from the mouse movie she’d watched 30 times now.

Helen pats her eyes dry and chugged the remaining tea so she could start the fresh one and fight back the sting in her throat. “Right... So, what is her condition now?”

Terzo nodded “She’s up and walking around slowly, her voice is back, and the sedative is nearly out of her system, my little brother is with her and won’t be leaving her side until we get back to the ministry when he has to go to meetings when one of his team will be with her” Terzo gave her the time she needed to accept that her daughter was coming home,

“Do you have an idea how long it’ll be until she comes home?” Helen asked in a small strained voice, trying not to break out into sobs again, especially not in front of Eva.

Terzo looked up at the window behind her as he thought of a general idea of an estimated time that wouldn’t cause more worry of severity or even give the idea that he truthfully didn’t know “Another week if her condition continues to improve.”

With that knowledge, Rob put the phone down on the coffee table and charged out of the room. Omega leaned back as he watched him leave “where’s he going?”

Helen looked up from her hands“Rob? Robert Sullen! where are you going?” she yelled after him down the hall.

“Getting a suitcase, we’re going to Italy”

---

Every 45 minutes something came back

Every hour something went away.

It was going to drive Lauren mad, nothing can be more maddening than lying in bed with her hair dripping down her shoulder and trying to remember when she had a shower.

Out of nowhere, her left hand feels tight and crampy, Lauren look to her ring finger with the faded rope burn around the base of her finger where a ring was for nearly 5 years, when the memory of seeing the rings Copia had given her in its place had been ripped off her hand and seeing the twine being tied tightly around her finger in its place, it made her wonder what the motive or message that was supposed to send.

There are two options, Lauren can look at that scar and be reminded forever about what marriage once was for her and how she was hurt- it would be just another scar to the collection that ‘he’ left on her body, or Lauren can cover it with new love.

Lauren look over to that new love of hers and hold her hand out to him, sat in the chair reading his book, when he sees Lauren trying to get his attention he reached up to take her hand and leaned down to kiss the scar on her finger like he just knew that this was bothering her, even if it was just a small gesture, he knew.

“Yes, Mio Amour?” he asked, turning his book down in his lap

Lauren shook her head “nothing, I just wanted to hold your hand. It feels you’re so far away down there” like

Copia just smiled and squeezed her hand, pausing for a moment before asking “Is the morphine still in your system?”

Lauren nodded, the morphine was numbing the pain but the numbed sensation in her ribs and around the drains remained, it felt like tiny feet were walking across her ribs, “yeah, Nina made sure I’m all drugged up for now”

Copia let Laurens hand go and stood up, putting his book down on Lauren's lap, she moved to the side of the bed to make space, inviting him to share the bed. He sat down beside her and held an arm up over the back of the bed, she shuffled into the space beside him, laying on her back with his arm draped over her shoulders and her head resting on his shoulder and trying to find a comfortable position for the two of them on this small bed.

Since he arrived this morning he was reluctant to sit with her at risk of causing her any pain, but as doctors and nurses checked in with her asked her pain levels, seeing Lauren were able to manage the different levels of pain, He’d settled on believing that her pain was being managed for the time being, Yet he rest the weight of his arm on the mattress and not on her shoulders.

“So, who did you send to meetings in your place?" Lauren mumbled, having found her comfy place in his arms
“ No Idea, they could have sent Sodo for all I care” Copia smiled down at Lauren

“You just didn’t show up, did you?”  He did tend to never open his calendar at all so would never even know when meetings were happening until either Lauren told him or the “meeting happening in 15 minutes” alert would show up on his screen.

“Well, we were supposed to be back home by now, so I wouldn’t be able to go to the meetings anyway” he shrugged

“You didn’t think to use the team’s function and chime in remotely? They have private rooms here; the ministry funds this hospital they can’t really say no to you" Lauren suggested

“I have a higher purpose for the time being” he rubbed Laurens shoulder with his thumb, leaning down to kiss her head.

Lauren rolled her eyes, it was a sweet sentiment for sure but what a corny excuse to get out of the boring ministerial duties of his. That did make her question what else he’d ignored while she was in recovery, she poked the phone in his jacket pocket “so how many emails am I expecting to come back to?”

He looked down to his pocket then away from Lauren “ err… Enough to keep you busy for a while at least. I’m not going to put you to work but I can’t stop you from going through the inbox while you’re recovering” Copia smiled nervously.

“No you can’t, otherwise you’ll end up in this bed next" Lauren giggled, leaning her head to smile up at him, Lauren took hold of his hand resting beside her “Maybe I should teach you how to use Excel to make my workload a little easier”

Copia looked away and rolled his eyes “you know that software might as well be in another language to me”

“I can set the language to Italian for you" Lauren shrugged “once you figure out how to do filters and formatting it’s so easy to use, I promise”

“That’s what you said about putting shoes on a 5-month-old and we both know how well that went” Copia chuckled as he tapped his nose, ah yes. A tiny shoe to the face and him holding a tissue to his face like that is hard to forget, especially when it had her in giggle fits the whole time.

“Well, I thought if you were able to dance around the ghouls on stage and all those loose wires, that a 5-month-old shouldn’t be any issue" Lauren pouted

“The ghouls obey me, mostly, I am at the mercy of a tiny princess” he chuckled, turning in his place to face her, careful not to make Lauren move “and her highness” leaning down to kiss her forehead, his hand finding hers to lace their fingers together and squeeze. With every touch he was gentle.

“Knock Knock” a lady’s voice called from the doorway, Lauren looked up to see it was Nina carrying a paper folder “well you both looks so comfortable” she spoke as she walked in and shut the door behind her 

Copia moved to sit up like he’d been caught doing something naughty, but Lauren tugged on his hand to get him to stay, he couldn’t move if he risked hurting her after all.

“You might want to stay there Papa, I have a full report for you Lauren, it might be overwhelming” Nina pulled a chair to the side of the bed.
Lauren knew that look on her face. She wasn’t smiling from joy, she was putting off disappointing them as long as she could. When Lauren spent years having to communicate in silence, she had to learn it like a second language.

“I’ve already heard it all” Copia pulled Lauren to lean against him again.

“Ah… Actually Papa, Some more detailed information has been brought to light since you first came to us.” Nina explained, with that she ran through the same details that Copia had heard, Nina wouldn’t look up as she gave the report, she paused after every line, reading every syllable. She repeated everything her body already told Lauren from the bruises and the pain. She finished with the reports on how she managed during the time she was in the ICU, then turned a page.

Copia was holding her against him, watching and waiting for any sort of reactions of shock or pain, but Laurens expressions didn’t change.

“Now, we found through your blood tests that your Human chorionic gonadotropin was at an elevated level, though they were decreasing over time” Nina reported,

This made her shiver; the last time she'd been told this it was following a “congratulations”

Lauren was pregnant with Copias child…

Nina continued “We performed an ultrasound and found no gestational sac. The pregnancy was terminated through trauma”

Both of them froze in place, but Laurens mind was buzzing, she never noticed any signs of pregnancy, no sickness, no cravings, no body pain, no hot flushes and certainly no chest pain. Copia certainly hadn’t said anything nor had anyone else, Lauren turned to look up at him to see how he was taking this news and as she expected he was just as conflicted as she was. Copia looked like he was running back through the memories of how this would have happened, his eyes darting back and forth as he did, He did make quite a habit of being careful.

Slowly with as little bending, Lauren leaned forward and sat up on her knees in front of him and took hold of his shoulders “Copia? It’s ok to be sad, and scared. It’s a lot I know, tell me what’s on your mind”

Copias eyes met hers, trying to support her own arms and holding Lauren “are you not heartbroken? This is horrible, I… You lost-“

“I’ve been through a lot, I’ve been through this before" she lied hoping it would comfort him, Lauren cupped his face in her hands “This is your first time even having to consider something like this happening to you”

Trying to match her own calm composure, He took a deep breath, stuttering as he breathed out “how can you be so calm…?”  

“It’s because I didn’t know, I don’t have an attachment to something that I didn’t know about.” Lauren dropped her hands to hold onto his again. Copia looked down to Laurens belly, Lauren moved her hands to hold him against where he was looking.  “But this would have been your child, a baby of your own, your own blood" she whispered, her fingers pressing down on the back of his fingers. “That’s what I’m worried about now”

He was sad for the baby, he was sad for Lauren, he was sad for what could have been.

Nina sighed and stood from her chair “I’ll let you two have some privacy”

Lauren didn’t look to her as she left, just to him. 

In truth, it pained Lauren to know she could have had another baby, a baby born into a family surrounded with love and support and not born to be a guilt chip. Eva would be a great big sister, Copia is already an amazing father and Papa.
Cumulus already told her the mess he was back at the ministry before he finally came here, what he’d done to the person who attacked her, how scary he’d become.
This must be yet another slap of pain while he was already broken down. Was he just too tired from it all? No tears left to shed.

Lauren tried to picture what it was he was mourning, walking around with that swollen belly, having a proper baby shower, freaking out over the first Braxton hicks contraction, he’d absolutely faint during the delivery, holding his own child for the first time, fresh and even tinier and new, it’s not like he hasn’t done it, Imagine the first time those little eyes open and they had Copias eye. Would he have been proud?
Lauren certainly would have.

It's all Lauren had hoped for the first time. And whoever did this stole that from them.

Copia sighed and wrapped his arm low around her hips and pulled Lauren to sit in his lap carefully, “I don’t know what I should feel, you were pregnant, finding out we should be excited or scared, but the baby was lost…terminated… because of what happened to you… I want to be sad, but I just … don’t” 

Lauren tilted her head up to kiss his cheek, wrapping her arms over his shoulders. “I’m not surprised, you’ve done so much since we came here, you’re just exhausted, No emotions left in your heart.”  Leaning against him did press some pressure to her ribs, but the discomfort was easily ignored for the time being.
Copia groaned and dropped his head into her shoulder, resting his hands on her thigh and hips.

“It’s just not the right time for us" Lauren whispered tracing her fingers up and down his shirt “still way too early anyway “

“Does that mean you wouldn’t have wanted to keep the baby if you didn’t lose them?” He looked up to her.

“No, it doesn’t, I’d be so happy to be carrying your child, now or years from now" Lauren whispered, pushing the hair from his brow to look into his mismatched eyes “Do you like being a father?”

“Yes…I love being her step father” he admitted, “It’s like the more she grows the more my energy drains, what would it be like with two?” Copia chuckled, trying his best to offer a smile.

“That’s exactly why this is a fortunate situation, even if we will mourn later” Lauren held his cheek in her hand and gently stroked her thumb on his cheek. “It won’t make you feel better but at this point, if I hadn’t had this forced, my immune system would have seen the ovum as an infection. It’s why some couples have trouble conceiving, but we clearly don’t" she giggled, leaning down to kiss his forehead

Copia sighed and moved his hands to rest on her hips “No we don’t.” he mumbled “ This isn’t going to help the case everything thinks we’re rushing this relationship”

“To be fair, I think the longest we’ve gone without seeing each other every day is that fortnight you went to the states for the release of the movie and that was before… all of this" she waved her hand between the two of them gesturing to how much closer the two of them had become.
Laurens ribs twanged with pain as she sat back down a bit too fast, she groaned but shuffled back by his side.
Copia wrapped his arm over Laurens shoulder and lay back with Lauren again, his face dropped as an intrusive thought clouded his mind.
Lauren lifted her hand to rest on his thigh "What's wrong?" 

“Have I … robbed you of finding your independence?” Copia whispered 

What an odd thing to say, Lauren turned into him to see the guilty frown of his. “What do you mean?” 

“Has checking in on you every day, spending so much time together and providing the services we thought you needed to grow from the world you came from, er... because we did it all for you or we just opened the door for you and said 'come in' without having to go through the processes of applying and all that, has it taken away the opportunity for you to learn how to function as … well, Yourself?”

“No, Maybe but No, you never told me what to do because it would benefit your quality of life and reputation, You were checking in and giving me the space to take things like therapy and doctors at my own pace, If you and your team hadn't booked appointments for therapy or the doctors for me, Lucifer knows I wouldn't have done it myself and imagine the mess I'd be then, You always walked with me, I didn’t have that before.” Lauren rolled onto her side to snuggle up against him, it wasn’t on the side where most of the injuries were, so it didn’t hurt as much. “Plus having a child under one on my own would have absolutely wrecked me without the devilish babysitters”

Copia didn’t react or reply, just dropped his arm to rest over hers, his mind still rushed with questions and scenarios of what could have been, where he should have stepped back more, even worse he still held the guilt from beating the assassin on his shoulders as Laurens delicate and beaten form rest up against him, he felt like such a hypocrite to be holding Lauren and comforting her when he was capable of acting like that maniac.

Lauren looked up to him from his shoulder “Of anything, Have I robbed you of a peaceful retirement with the addition of an infant to your daily routine? you could have come back here to Naples and taken up golf with Antonio or duck hunting, i don't know, but now you're chasing after a 1 year old so she doesn't get into the cabinets or fling herself from her crib" 

Copia chuckled and dropped his head back, Lauren was right after all “You’ve made retirement much more desirable, but we never really get to retire around here. Not until we’re buried in the ground” He whispered, looking up to the monitors beeping away as if any of it made sense to him “I don’t have to worry about missing precious moments because I’m going away on tour for months on end." he leaned down to press a kiss to Laurens forehead, hoping it would calm the nerves Lauren had.

Lauren shut her eyes and rest her head in the crook of his neck “I guess you're right, Though when we get back home If I see Eva for the first time and I’ve missed her first word I’m going to be so very sad”

Copia gasped and paused thinking about it for a moment. " Exactly, in 2022 I didn't have to worry about that, now I get to worry and I have the privilege of anticipating all these firsts , for both of my favorite girls." 

That could at least calm the nerves they both have for now. It'll take some time to really process what's happened and the weight it holds but now isn't the time to decide on the trickier details like if they tell the others what happened or if she keeps it to herselves.
If Lauren told the people around her, Lauren would be washed over with pity and sympathy, those sad smiles when she pass someone in the hall just going about her day, when the other siblings come by her desk at work to check in on her while she's just trying to file invoices and tell her their doors are open if she need to talk, she's had plenty of that in the past year. 

But if in the future other siblings come to Papa for advice on fertility issues now that he's openly encouraged the siblings to pursue a full life how they want to, encouraging them not to stop at lust but love, At least he can offer a true shoulder of empathy having experienced loss and confusion like this.
There was still plenty of time to choose what she do,

Laurens phone dings while sat on the table behind her, Copia reached over Lauren to grab it and hand it to her "Thanks " Lauren whispered as she unlocked the screen

It was a life 360 Notification 

"Helen Sutton has checked in at the airport"  

Chapter 26: Redirected Recovery.

Summary:

Any opportunity of being able to recover properly had been ripped away, it was up to you to make the rational decisions and do what is best for your family, yet no matter the situation, the best medicine is always laughter, even at the expense of the satanic pope.
On the streets of Italy, an unholy chase with no witnesses takes place while the rest of the city is occupied with the stop still traffic.

Notes:

HAPPY NEW YEARS MY GIFT TO YOU IS SMUT AND TORTURE :D .

There was one saving grace at this point, your dad had gone to the domestic airport and not the international airport, so thankfully you had at least an hour to talk to them, they wanted to surprise you, they wanted to come in on a shining cloud to make everything comfortable and nurse you back to health. What TV movie delusion were they riding on?

“Absolutely not, don’t you dare!  Ma!” Arguing from Lauren hospital bed while her ever raising heart rate was echoing through the room with her mother who was talking about coming to Italy to take care of her daughter who’s been injured and is in hospital as if she’s won an all expenses paid vacation was not how you anticipated she'd be spending her time recovering from a near fatal assault.

“Honey, we can’t be there by your side and Eva is missing her mummy so badly, it’s already been 3 weeks since you left and it’ll be another week until you come home anyway, we just want to be there for you” Her tone was way to cheerful; she didn’t sound worried she sounded excited

“Ma, No it won’t.” Lauren groaned and slapped her forehead, falling back into the bed and groaning from the bounce sending pain up her back. “The Ministry has a private plane which we can use to get home as soon as the discharge papers are signed, you don’t need to come to Italy and pick me up like it’s a school camp”

“Well, your father has already bought the tickets…. huh? oh shush rob, your father already bought the tickets so we’re on our way. Eva’s going to stay with Terzo until we get back in a couple days, Terzo’s friend Oscar is taking us to the airport now”

What the… Lauren didn’t approve of that “MA!” Lauren yelled from the surprise, Lauren waved to Copia who was arguing in fast and panicked Italian to Terzo, all she knew was that he was scolding his brother for inciting panic and not handling what should have been an easy situation, The man had ONE job.

“Put me on speaker, I want dad to hear this as well” Lauren ordered, watching Copia pace back and forth around the room, using that as reference to slow her breathing and calm down. The phone shuffled around with fingers dragging over the microphone, her mum mumbling ‘ is that right? No oh I just turned the screen off, oh ,,ok ok’ “You’re on speaker now Honey”

Before Lauren could chime in her dad called out , a little too close to the microphone “I’m on my way, Darling, we’ll be there soon” he was shouting as if we was giving a war cry, it took Lauren by surprise and made her ear ring

“No. No Guys, I love you, Really but I couldn’t be in better hands, but now you’ve left MY DAUGHTER alone with someone who’s practically a stranger to you! You’ve left a ONE-YEAR-OLD ALONE to fly to ITALY. Yes, I know him so I know what he can and can’t do but she needs you more than I do right now!” It wasn't hard to bear her fangs when all Lauren felt was disappointment and anger.

“Darling, it’s our money we will do what want with it and we want to be there for our daughter  , you would do the same thing for Eva when she gets older, especially with what you’ve gone through" her dad argued back to her

“You need your parents, Honey, Mum knows best, and I know how to take care of my baby girl. Does Copia know about your allergy to Fennel plans?” Mum called over him

Lauren pinched the bridge of her nose and dropped her head; it wasn’t about the money where did that come from? “I get what you were thinking, I get that you’re upset you weren’t there for me when I ran away and that Ethan made you believe we were dead, I never told you what he was doing to me, I’m eternally sorry for lying to you about that, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Right now I am in the best hands possible, I needed Eva to be in the care of her grandparents but now I don’t think that’s where she should be”

“Don’t say that, No one can care for our granddaughter better than her mother or the parents who raised her mother! we’re the most experienced caregivers for her”

“You left her alone to fly to Italy!”

“To care for our daughter” Oh It was frustrating, no it was maddening, that her dad was not understanding the point, he’s put on his superhero cape and he’s flying into the sunset to save the day without looking back at the giant hole he blasts through the building,

“ you left…your grand-daugh-ter..to fly…to Italy. I could call Child protective services on you for abandoning my daughter!" Lauren had to pull out the police card, it was risky but hopefully it would get through to them that this Lauren were not only serious and how upset she were but emphasise where her priorities lie

“You’re clearly still delusional on pain meds, you’re not thinking right, Darling”

It hit Lauren like a brick, how could he disregard her concern so easily, how could he still talk down to her like a child? How could he say that? What else could it take to get them to come to their senses that they left a helpless infant, they couldn’t be as stupid that royal who left her baby at home to chase a man, “OMEGA” Lauren screamed

Copia jumped in the doorway and dropped his phone, clattering to the ground, staring at Lauren wide eyed from the sudden screech, he clutched his chest feeling his own heart rate speed up.

“Omega, you turn the car around RIGHT NOW and take these two BACK to their home RIGHT NOW!" Lauren ordered, holding the phone in front of her, screaming AT the photo of her mother on the screen.

“Yes, Boss” he called out, the sounds of tires screeching and the two of Lauren's parents gasping from what sounds like the car making a sudden and possibly illegal U-Turn.

“The two of you will listen to what I have to say, Copia, Omega, you listen good too!  This is what’s happening, I’m coming home. Now, I’m sending Cumulus to care for Evaleigne. She's going to take her back to the Ministry. When I am settled back home at the Ministry, THEN I will get in contact with you both from there. I am her mother, What I say, Goes. Understood?! “

Silence… just the sounds of the rumbling of the car humming and the wind rushing past the windows. Lauren looked to Copia and widened her eyes, waiting for anyone to respond, Lauren just nodded to tell him she was ok and to go action that plan, he dropped down and grabbed his phone and stepped out of the room ‘New plan, listen close’ he went right to sending those orders out.

So Lauren broke the silence “Now before you make me angrier by saying something stupid like ‘ well since we’re such horrible parents’ blah blah, Listen, you’re not horrible parents, your priorities were not in the right place. I am disappointed in you both, I know you’re not making this about yourselves, I know you both mean well but I wouldn’t be as upset if you’d have brought her with you, but you didn’t. You shared multiple updates with me daily, you knew how scared I was to be leaving her for 7 days, You do realise I’m not here for an extended holiday right? I want nothing more than to see my baby. I haven’t been able to enjoy my time in Italy without worrying about her every second of every day I’ve been here, but to see my baby I must heal.”

Still…silence… they didn’t hang up, they didn’t fight back, Lauren had no idea how they were going to react, Lauren couldn’t see their faces, she couldn’t predict what was going to happen. And that scared her, it filled her with the guilt for having to yell at her parents like they were children. “I’ll see you later, by mum and dad” ending the conversation.

“Bye darling”

“Bye”

Lauren pressed the red button, hanging up the phone, and putting it down to the side of her on the bed.

In her mind Lauren pictured the two of them putting Eva in Terzos lap and leaving to pack bags, tapping away on their phones to buy tickets and rush off to the airport as if they were going to leave her in the car with the window cracked in fall while they go to the bank, the rational side of her mind knew they wouldn’t actually have done this in any other situation, Lauren knew they were scared, they feel horrible for not being able to help Lauren when she should have been able to go to them for help. They just want to be involved, they want to be able to help, They’re her parents.
It doesn’t change the fact that if they had called Lauren, if they had contacted her before taking any action, there wouldn’t be any anger or problems.

Acting with rage will lead to a bigger mess, that’s what her therapist has taught her, to not make big decisions or important choices while she's emotionally charged.
Lay back in the bed, shut her eyes, sink into the mattress, and breath in deep through her nose, count 1…2…3…, and let it out of her mouth.

Every time Lauren did this she could feel the heat of her anger fading away, her shoulders relaxed and the tension in her neck melted away until she was left laying on the mattress feeling heavy, tired but relaxed, the beeping of her heart monitor reflected that in the slower pace.

A knock came from the door, Lauren turned to look and see if Copia had come back

“Did Papa get a Coffee Enema or something? What’s got him running around like that?” Doctor Nina walked into the room looking over her shoulder at Copia running around barking orders on the phone, when she saw the red in Laurens eyes and the defeated frown on her face, she stopped in her tracks and dropped the joking attitude “Ah, someone did something stupid and you can’t do anything about it while you’re in hospital. It happens more often than you think” Nina stops at the side of Laurens bed and looks up at the monitors writing down the numbers of her stats.
“Do you wanna tell me about it or do you want a change of subject?”

“Change of subject, please" Lauren mumbled, shuffling over in her bed to face her better, it was better to let the disappointment pass Lauren by so she can focus on what it was she needed to do, keep a clear mind so that she can make rational decisions.

Nina smiled “I’ve got just the thing”, putting her book under her armpit and digging her phone out of her pocket, tapping away at her screen “ Alright, I know something that will make you smile, or at least make you laugh, it was the 80s after all” Nina stood by Laurens side and showed her a scanned photo of a cute couple standing side by side, She had the big hair and the big make up, braces and big bow, a purple taffeta dress with sleeves larger than balloons, even a lollipop in her hands. The twig thin man behind her was dressed in a mismatching suit of black pants and jacket, white shirt, red Cummerbund and matching red tie, his hair had so much grease in it all slicked back, rocking the original Aviator sunglasses inside a dark room, and a magnum PI moustache, standing tall to attention beside her like a robot or a soldier, his arm timidly hanging around her hips.

Laurens smile betrayed her and creeped back onto her face, she even snorted trying to hold back a laugh. “I am so sorry! I didn’t expect that!”  she exclaimed looking up at her “you’re so tidy and cleaned up now, Is that your husband?” 

“Hah, I wish” she swiped to the left and showed another pose “No, that’s Copia”

Wide eyed and jaw dropped, Lauren looked to the door, then to Nina, back to the man in the picture, then to Nina, then to the door frame where Copia paced past at speed, then back to Nina “HUH?”

“Yeah hun, That’s Copia at Belphi-prom 1986” Nina stated showing Lauren an over flashed photo of the dancing crowd, the oldest photos she'd been shown of Copia was after the year 2000.until now, it felt like she were being shown Queen Elizabeth's naughty love letters to Prince Phillip before they were married. Or photos of Putin and Trumps date night. Lauren shouldn’t be seeing this. “I… I have no words” Lauren leaned forward to try to see the love of her life in this scruffy little party animal. Ok maybe she could see it in the jaw line, but that nose is totally different.

“Don’t worry I have even more photos, I have all the actual photos of baby Cardi” Ninas grin was almost evil as she looked through other photos of Copia in his youth

“How do you have these? Do you just have an album of photos?" Lauren lay there gobsmacked, she grew up in an age where digital cameras were the way to go for photos, she could print them out, she could put them on her computer with all 50 kilobytes of internet. Physical photos were for special occasions because of how expensive cameras were.

“Oh honey I have a whole 3 boxes of albums just from the 80s” Nina stated

Lauren blinked… 3 albums of the 80s… “ this is making me feel better, um, Doctor I’d like more of this medicine please" Lauren mumbled.

Nina sat beside Lauren and showed her the phone again, Now Nina and Copia dressed in their uniform black habits and suits. “It looks like your first day of school!”

“First day of placement actually, same thing” she added, swiping to the left, first communion, a dorm party, the typical things she'd see from her university days.

One thing Lauren picked up on was that, for most of the photos, they were always together, side by side.
“You two were really close huh?" Lauren started watching the photos swipe by.

Nina paused and looked down at her like she'd missed the point of the movie “well yeah, we were a couple of high school sweethearts”

The smile twitched, threatening to drop to a frown but Lauren kept that brave smile on her face. It shouldn’t bother her, it was a whole life time ago, absolutely different from the life of service he would tell her about, Lauren had been told he typically kept to himself, stuck in his books, teaching and praying and serving and somehow she were going to have to fit the image of this typical university pothead delinquent was the same into that story book Lauren were learning about him. Lauren wasn't sad about him having a whole life without her or having other girlfriends or even lovers- actually…

Lauren's never had to think about this, she never had to worry about this with how possessive Ethan was, Lauren doesn't know how she should feel about this. Should she be mad? Should she be worried about their strong friendship after all this time? Looking at how much fun they were having there clearly, they’d had an intimate relationship. Nina didn’t wear a ring so she couldn’t confirm if she was married or moved on to someone else. Maybe it’s not Copia she needed to worry about, Ninas currently in charge of nursing her past boyfriend's current lover from a horrific attack, could her kindness be too good to be true?

Nina's smile dropped when she saw the spiralling behind her eyes “He didn’t tell you, did he?”

Laurens smile dropped when Nina's eyes met hers, she was reading right through Lauren like she was caught in, not just a bad lie, but at the bottom of the spiral of lies after lies after lies after lie. “No, he didn't," Lauren admitted.

Nina pursed her lips together and shook her head “Quell'uomo non impara mai” she sighed and put the phone down. “If you don’t feel comfortable with me as your doctor because of that I understand”

Lauren shook her head “no, I’m not going to ask you to leave, I trust you’re a professional like you have been this whole time" Lauren pat her arm to put her at ease, out of fear of the woman who has access to entire pharmacies of drugs that could do who knows what to her.

Nina placed her hand on top of Laurens “Thank you, it’s a part of one of the oaths I’ve taken, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, but that doesn’t stop me from showing you personal photos of a person we both know very well” she chuckled and pat Laurens hand. “However, he is currently not my patient, so I can educate him on communication in whatever language I see fit” Nina turned her head to glare at the doorway where his voice continued to echo, what was taking him so long was beyond her. “Oi! Papa!” She yelled out
Copia leaned in with the phone still pressed to his ear, “Que?”

“Sei nei guai” She called, gesturing to Lauren

“Cosa ho fatto?” his eyes darting between the two ladies like he was looking for a point or a punchline to a joke but that confused and lost look on his face was adorable,

She lifts up her phone waving a blank screen at him “È quello che non hai fatto”

His expression didn’t change, still like a lost little puppy “Cosa non ho fatto?”

“Più tardi dovrai chiedere alla mia nuova migliore amica,” Finally he smiled, some sort of relief in whatever secret was being hidden in their native language. “lei avrà qualche domanda sul perché il tuo naso sia così diverso da quello degli anni '80”
His smile drops, frozen in shock, What in the world did she say? 80s? a Voice shouted through the receiver of his phone when he broke from the shock “Eh, Yes I’m here” he covers his phone again and leans in
“Lasciami raccontarle quando non impazziva per la droga” he begged before zipping back out of the room

Nina broke into giggles and pat Laurens arm again “Well he’s got quite the story to tell when you get back home”

“What did you say to him?” That was better than a Telenovela from the TV, normally Copia would have translated it for her but now he was the handsome love interest.

“Only that he’s in trouble” Nina turned and slid off the bed standing upright again, she turned off the monitor and squeezed the IV Bag that was near empty “In the meantime, let’s get you ready for transfer”

“Oh, no rush, I’ve bought some time now that I’ve yelled at my parents" Lauren let out a sigh and rolled her eyes dramatically “you don’t happen to have baby photos of Copia do you?”

“No, I don’t” Nina pouted thinking “But I do have the photos of him and Antonio when they had to do their service for the military”

“The WHAT now?”

The low hum of the engine dulled any outside sounds while the passenger was focused on the video playing on his phone, moving slowly through the late afternoon traffic the driver passed the time by counting every one he could watch as people on Motorcycles or Scooters whizzed past them at 10 kilometres per hour, 10 kilometres faster than they were going.
A learner driver had crashed their car into a café, knocking a street lamp across the road and across the bonnet of one unfortunate driver, blocking all the traffic behind them, by the time the traffic and the accident had been reported to the driver it was much too late to turn around or take an alternative route, so there the driver and his passenger sat, patiently waiting for the crash to clear and traffic to start up again.

The passengers phone dinged over and over with a flurry of messages, he’s been seeing talk of his employer returning soon and talk of reports and needing to prepare in case of a surprise audit “Il Boss non tornerà prima di dopodomani, perché c'è così tanto panico attorno al suo ritorno?” The passenger changes his notification settings to Do not Disturb, There was no need to panic as his boss was regularly conducting audits and investigations, he never announces them so people can never put on a mask and pretend to have a sparkling work ethic, no special preparation of their product, no emergency rushes on reports, everything should always be ready, people should always prepare to be judged from head to toe.

The passenger closed the news report he’d been watching and switched to an app where he could order attractive women to keep him company in the large and empty manor he was temporarily in charge of until his boss returned. Would he have them wine and dine them like the man of power he is? Or maybe join him in the hot tub on the balcony? The possibilities were endless, all he had to do was command it. It’s good to be the boss.

The driver craned his head up to see the traffic ahead of them as the sounds of other drivers beeping at one another grew closer and closer to themselves, “Sembra che presto dovremo traslocare di nuovo, signore.” The driver called as he saw the tops of vehicles inching forwards,

The passenger looked up from his phone for only a moment to acknowledge him “Questo è fantastico, ho davvero fame dopo che l'ultimo incontro è durato più di 2 ore, mi servirebbe un buon pasto” slumping back in his seat, crossing one leg over the other, finally able to get comfortable.

“Vuole che mandi un messaggio alla villa perché le prepari la cena, sign-ore?” The driver's voice hitched as he choked on his own saliva, breaking out into a cough , he covered his mouth with one hand while holding tight and steady onto the steering wheel.

“Sì, per favore,”  he looked up at the driver as the sounds of his cough continued, it reminded him of someone working around a wood saw and they had breathed in dust and wood chips.“ mio ​​Dio, hai bisogno di un po' d'acqua?” he looked side to side for the water in an ice bucket, unscrewing the cap and leaning over the front seat for the driver to take.  “Ecco, prendi questo”

The driver leaned forward as the cough scratched the itch and rattled in his chest, he let go of the wheel to hold onto his chest, as he inhaled his voice wheezed, his face started to turn red the harder he gasped for air. His throat and chest burned as he choked on the air rushing down his chest, his cheeks and eyes felt as though they were being pushed on and strained, saliva dripped out of his mouth,

“Prendi Questo!” The passenger shouted, leaning forward to hold the water in front of the driver's face.

The driver lurched back into the chair as he finally regained control over his breathing, he saw the water bottle and snatched it from the passengers hands, spilling the water on his hands and lap , it didn’t matter to him as he threw his head back to drink every last drop from the bottle, it was gone in a matter of a few seconds.

The passenger slapped him on the shoulder “Meglio?”  He watched as the window rolled down and the driver threw the empty bottle out the window, over the car and directly into the rubbish bin on the sidewalk without even turning his head to look where he was throwing, he just nodded in response. The passenger leaned back in his chair, slightly impressed by the accuracy and effortlessness of his throw. “Bene…” he mumbled, pulling his phone back out again to go back to his scrolling.

Driver cleared his throat and took hold of the wheel again, “Grazie capo” he mumbled as he took the car out of park and accelerated into the flow of traffic once again “Non morire adesso” , Driver chuckled and rolled his eyes “Questo non è nei miei piani per la giornata, signore.”

Having already spent the better half of an hour sat boxed in between her office worker role and the single mum coming back from football practice all slamming on their horns to get a move on, the car made its way to take a right down an alley which will lead towards the back roads, the path less taken will hopefully shave a few minutes off to get home sooner, or at least give the illusion it does. The passenger looked up to see where the car was turning “Buona idea, nessuno sano di mente prende questa strada” thankful for the shade of the buildings from the harsh afternoon sun.

Motorcyclists seem to have followed this car's initiative to drive down the back roads as they continued to zoom by the car, the passenger paying no mind to any of this, transfixed by the ladies swiping by on his screen.

The car sped up as it turned down a long straight of empty road, it wasn’t usual to try to make up the time lost, fast enough for the motorcycles to match the speed and drive alongside them. The car bounces as the tires dipped into a pothole, Sending the passenger off the seat for just a moment and landing with enough force to drop the phone from his hands. “Sai guidare con prudenza?!”he yelled out, looking up to the driver only to see him still as a statue, hyper focused on the road, frozen in place “Mi hai sentito? Oi!” he yelled out in fear but his cries fell on the deaf ears.

**THUMP** **THUMP** The passenger looked to his side, A motorcyclist was smacking on the window above him clad in leather and a mask, over and over until the glass started to crack. The passenger scrambled across the seat  and reached under the chair for his briefcase only to find more carpet, instead he reached over and grabbed his phone,  “Cosa stai facendo? Allontanati da questo stronzo!” the passenger yelled orders as he frantically tried to bring the phone to live to call his associates,

**SHATTER** The glass window behind him shatters into pieces, falling down into  the folds of his jacket and twisting into his hair. The passenger looked over his shoulder to see another cyclist leaning in the window to grab at the passenger’s leg. He kicked at his hand trying to get away from the attackers, He backed up against the door with the unbroken window, “Cosa vuoi? Non so con chi hai a che fare”  

“Ecco dove sbagli signor” the driver spoke up “loro sanno esattamente chi sei”

In his panic, the passenger swore his drivers skin had paled to a sickly grey, his hair long and flowing down his back and there were horns under the brim of his hat, before he could confirm he wasn’t imagining it, the glass shattered above him and the collar of his suit jacket and shirt, the motorcyclist lifted the passenger with ease off the floor of the car and through the window, pulling him out and into his lap on the motorcycle, the leather clad man clapped a hand over the passengers mouth and gripped it shut, holding him tight against his chest

“Don’t try anything stupid, you’ve done enough of that already” a deep and gravelly voice echoed from the helmet as he sped up to pass the car, the second motorcycle followed him close behind.

The driver slowed down and turned to park in an alleyway, parking safely out of sight of patients. The driver took off his hat and ruffled his hair, finally taking a moment to breathe after that delivery.
He reached over to pull the mobile phone from the glove box to call the one of the two contacts he had.

Pulling a cigarette from his jacket pocket and tapping it to his finger to light it, taking a long draw until his contact finally answered “Ciao”

“The groceries have been picked up, will be delivered to you in 15 minutes, Will the driver meet you at the door or should they wait at the gate for any loose dogs?”

“No, I’ll meet you at the door, Thank you”

“Fantastic, Good bye for now” the driver answered, blowing smoke into the car.

“Good bye”

The driver hung up and crushed the phone in his hands, letting the pieces crumble to the ground. He took his time to enjoy the cigarette before putting it out on his knee, burning a hole into his suit. “Time to go” he mumbled before relaxing back into the seat, his body going limp as he seemed to fall into an easy sleep.

Until he jumped to life and let out a yell, covering his face and jerking his legs up into the steering wheel, “AAH. Shh..” he grabbed his leg with one hand from the pain, he reacted like he was about to crash into the side of a building, only to find he was sitting stationary in the driver seat, a fresh burn wound on his knee was the only injury he’s sustained, He looked around in a panic to see the back of his car empty and glass shattered across the leather seats, his client nowhere in sight. Left alone with the confusion and panic of what happened since he turned out of the traffic.

Free from the IV’s, fresh painkillers in her system, Changed back into clothes of her own, a quick visit from a hairdresser to tidy up the hack job of a bob that her hair had been cut into , and enough mental preparation for what was to come, It was finally time to go home.
This time the ministries plane had been summoned to take them all directly home, but wouldn’t be teleported using the ghouls abilities since the experience for anyone but the ghouls had been described as the sudden stop to a roller coaster and with her ribs still healing it was the kindest thing to not subject her to sudden pain again.
Lauren's been helped from the bed to a wheelchair for the transfer. “Shouldn’t I walk to show you I’m recovering?”

“It’s too far to the car park from here for you to walk unassisted, and It’s a hospital policy that patients admitted to extended care are escorted out until they make it to their transport home” Nina shrugged as she looked down at Lauren from the chair, handing her a stack of papers printed out that detailed her care plan for the team the ministry prepares to care for Lauren.

Lifting and flipping through the pages to get a quick look at the plan they’d crafted for Lauren, it was a relief to be leaving after over a week of being stuck in bed and being unable to move without risking the pain tolerance levels. It was only yesterday that Lauren could walk down the hallway without stopping but she was still far from dancing with Papa again any time soon.
Yet they were only moments away from reuniting with her daughter, how would she react to seeing her mum after so long apart. If she’d been sad Laurens mum hadn’t told her, if she’d cried for her  or couldn’t sleep Lauren didn’t know. Too many times this month have Lauren fallen asleep thinking about how she’s not beside Lauren, how much she misses her, imagining all the things she's missed, what foods did she try, what toys does she have, did she mess up any of her clothes, did she make any baby friends?
All she wanted was to have her back in her arms.

Copia walked in with his jacket draped over shoulder, followed by Rain and Aurora. “Are we ready to go?” Copia smiled and leaned on the back of her wheelchair to smile down at Lauren, she looked up at him with big smile “Yeah, I’ve got no strings to hold me down now" Lauren lift her arms to show him the plasters on where her iv’s were

“Bene” He leaned down to kiss the top of her head “Doctor?” he looked up to Nina, “Can I take Pinocchio home now?”

“She’s all ready for you, Papa.” Nina smiled and stepped back “Don’t be a stranger, come visit me next time you’re in the country”

Copia dropped a hand on her shoulder, “We won’t, maybe you should come visit us in the countryside some time, get away from the bustling city every once in a while”

“Are you kidding, she’s been targeted by a maniac from there on more than one occasion now, you come here” She laughed and leaned on the stripped bed

“Yeah, well if you’re there Nina, I’d feel a bit safer" Lauren reached up a hand to Nina but couldn’t quite reach. “Copia, can you hug Doctor Nina for me, please?" Lauren looked up at him over her shoulder, Copia smiled and nodded, he walked out with his arms stretched out to Nina.

Nina laughed but stood up from the bed and stepped into his hug, wrapping her arms over his shoulders to hug him tight “Take good care of her, Papa”

Copia turned his head to kiss her cheek, and he rubbed her back “Thank you for taking such good care of my love”

Nina shrugged and looked down at Lauren over Copias shoulder “Mama here is the one who did all the hard work, I just poked and prodded her and gave her bad news and recorded results”

“And made sure I didn’t die" Lauren added with a cheeky smile, Nina really did do all the hard work of this process, doing all the running around, checking in at least once an hour for 12 hours a day for the past couple of weeks, putting up with the memory lapses and the mood swings from both Lauren and Copia.

Nina pointed to Lauren, giggling thinking about it “You’re right, not dying is a very important task as a Doctor, but now that I know you’re not going to die and I say this with all the love in my heart”  She clapped her hands together, stepping away from Copia and Lauren “I don’t want to see either of you back here any time soon, ok?”

The couple laughed in response, Copia backed up to Laurens side “Yes Doctor, but it was very good to see you again” Lauren couldn’t quite read the smile on his face, his brows turned up in the centre and his smile felt painted on, accepting that he wasn’t sure the next time he’d see her, especially since the hospital had become her own ministry.   

“It was good to see you too, Papa” Nina pat Copias arm “Now go home, there’s a little girl who needs your attention most”

“Nina, you know Sodo’s not that little anymore” Copia winked at her, his phone dinged with a message from the driver out front “We have to go, the driver is about to get a ticket”

“Bye Nina” Lauren called, Copia pulled on the wheelchair and the group made their way through the halls to the main entrance.
Mindlessly flipping through the paperwork on Lauren's lap passed the embarrassing moments of being pushed through the halls, Lauren was recovering well, the doctors all agreed on this, yet she was still helpless and needed help from those around her, still weak, still fragile.

Outside the sky had clouded over and rain was falling yet the air was still noticeably humid, such a contrast to recycled and chilled air of her hospital room.

Copia covered his eyes and looked up“eh… Maybe I should have checked the weather. Do you have an umbrella?”

“It’s just a little water, Hun.” Lauren pushed the papers into her bag and closed the zip, bracing herself on the arms and preparing herself to stand, Aurora stepped to Laurens side taking hold of Laurens arm and holding a hand to her back helping her to stand upright with her own strength “it’s safer to walk anyway”

Copia sighed and walked to Laurens side, wrapping an arm around her back and resting his hand on her hip “you’re a stubborn one, you know that?”. Walking side by side into the rain to the car. It wasn’t hard or big but raining enough that a short walk across the courtyard would soak her hair enough to need a towel.
Rain walked out into the rain to hold the car door open for Lauren, he took her hand and helped her down onto the seat. Copia jogged around the back of the car and slid in beside her,

Rain and Aurora sat in the front and drove away from the hospital without hesitation. “Sodo told us there’s been an accident on one of the main highways so we’re taking a detour Papa” Rain called out while he was messing around with the google maps directions.
Driving back through the streets of Naples didn’t have as much excitement as it did when they arrived, not even a sadness that they were leaving such a beautiful place. The theatres and the historic buildings, the parks and the statues, all the little cafés. There was plenty of time in the future to make better memories without all the work commitments, let's hold onto that.

Approaching the Airport, Lauren prepared to get out when the car turned away from the terminal and around towards the gates “Where are we going?" Lauren looked out the window towards the terminal.

“Hmm?” Copia looked up at Lauren from his phone “We’re flying privately, we drive right up to the plane” saying that as if it were common knowledge “All of the customs and border patrol detail is taken care of before all of this, it’s the best way to avoid congestion and annoyance of commercial flying” he shrugged

As someone who’s only ever flown commercial, his casual description didn’t exactly inspire anticipation, “Aren’t we supposed to use a private air strip then?”

He pursed his lips thinking about it “No, I’m not normally the one who organises it so I don’t know how it works, all I do is go where I’m told” 

Rain looked back over the seat “it’s also how we guarantee our equipment makes it to our destinations with us. Nearly lost our stuff going from the UK to the US and half the drum set went to Canada”

The car turned up to park alongside the small unmarked Jet on the tarmac far away from the main terminal in the distance, the giant A380s and 787 international planes roaring in the distance, as soon as they parked, the doors were opened for Lauren and a hand was shoved in her face to help her out “ Buongiorno signora, buonasera. Mi scusi ma dobbiamo farvi salire tutti sull'aereo subito perché siamo in ritardo.” An Italian man standing before her, speaking so fast Lauren only caught the end of that sentence, Lauren had to take her time to stand up out of the car again with his support, Copia appeared by Laurens side and took her hand from him and leading her into the plane

“Copia? Did he call me something rude? “Leaning in to speak to him quietly as they walked up the steps together

Copia thought for a moment as to what he’d heard, “ er… well…no he didn’t, Ritardo means to say we’re late my dear” he chuckled “ Not that you’re deficient in your education”

Lauren looked back over her shoulder at the man on the ground “Good, I’m not in the mood to be insulted in other languages”

“Pay it no mind, I have a better distraction in mind” Copia acknowledged the Captain and flight attendant and walked right past them into the main cabin, a much smaller and compartment that will seat maybe 6 people in plush chairs 4 on one side, 2 on the other, Copia walked through the compartment and back into a private room in the back, instead of individual chairs, a long couch wrapped around the 2 sides and the back wall, A tv on the wall and a small built in bar off to the side of the couch, a much more cozy room for sure. “ Ok, now I get why you really fly privately,”  Lauren teased him, “where’s the Caviar and Champagne?”

“Right here Ma’am”

Lauren squeaked and whipped around to see the flight attendant holding out a pair of champagne flutes. “Welcome aboard Ma’am, Papa, just call for a refill when ever you like”

Copia took both flutes and nodded a thank you, “Could we have some privacy please?”

“Of course, please take your seats, we will be taking off soon.” She shut the door behind her. 

Copia walked off to the couch and balanced the champagne flutes on the barrier behind the seat, Lauren followed behind and carefully sat down beside him, the TV Screen turned on and showed a simulation of the flight plan from Naples back home.

“This is what I thought your tour busses would look like, not a plane” lauren exclaimed as she looked around the cabin at all the little touches of luxury

“Oh the busses in America do look similar, but their couches turn into beds so they’re not used as couches very often” he reached behind Lauren to retrieve the drinks and handed her one, clinking their drinks together “Nearly home”

Two hours passed quickly as the plane ascended into the clouds, the sun as it set over the horizon, filling the cabin with darkness, Copia had plans to take advantage of the private quarters to watch both the 1922 Nosferatu film, Relaxing along the lengths of the couches with Lauren sat in Copias lap, both of her legs relaxed outwards and his arms draped around her waist while she relaxed into his embrace.

Normally the two of them watch movies in silence but this is a silent film, the quiet was filled with rat facts , how the film before it was remastered Count orlocks eyes sometimes glowed like a cats, very poor lip reading, debates on how this Thomas is absolutely in the closet but that door is glass and everyone knows he's a dandy and Ellen is a cottage core witch's grand daughter. 

“Don’t you think it’s quite eerie that this film came out just after a world war and it was set after a plague and yet they make their vampire the harbinger of plagues when that subject is fresh in their minds?" Lauren asked him while watching the scene of the coffins being walked down the streets.

“Hmm? This is compared to the Dracula Vampire being depicted as the high class and hypnotizing seductor? Si?” Copia lifted a hand to trace his fingers over her shoulder, drawing shapes with his fingers. “It is eery but it’s effective, with anxieties being high about possible returns of the plague, it plays on one’s curiosity”

Lauren pursed her lips together thinking about this, “so you think it was a good public relations move? People looking for answers as to why they experienced the sickness and all the death, in the fantastical or the uh… the spiritual?”

“Madam, Did you not curse the catholic god for abandoning you when you’d left your husband?” Copia smirked down at Lauren, he squeezed her shoulder and pulled her to lay against his chest  

“Yeah, but I didn’t know Ghouls were real things then, and I keep seeing Lucifer in my dreams as a man with ginger hair in a suit, now the realm of possibilities is open to me now. I wouldn’t be surprised that vampires or fairies are real now too. But back then when the Catholic Panic and anxieties were very high it, people want to blame someone for why the world was falling apart around them”

He had to think for a moment  “You make a good point, It’s just a shame people in the early 1900’s were such prudes” Copia chuckled, he pointed up at the screen, Ellen Hutton was reading her husbands journal which told her she alone could stop the plague. “100 years later and that overacting look on her face tells me she’s excited by the terror, not afraid, her husband went away for months and brings back this stranger who keeps peeping into her bedroom window?”

Her overacted reaction could easily be seen as flushed “I… see what you mean there, what does that have to do with the Catholic Panic?" Lauren mumbled, up until this point Ellen had been seen as this overanxious and terrified wife, Lauren could see how there was a certain undertone but that would be left up to interpretation.

Copia leaned down to her ear “When he saw her for the first time he was utterly fixated on her, he said she had such a lovely neck, didn’t he? We didn’t see him give back the picture. He’s utterly obsessed” the way he whispers is hypnotising, smooth, private, for her ears alone. not looking away from the screen, he kissed at Laurens neck.

Lauren flinched, half expecting him to bite her neck. “S…So you think… this film could have been more intimate?”

“Si” he pointed up to the screen, Ellen was going back and forth with herself to open the curtains, “look, he’s in her mind, he’s waiting for her, all she has to do … is open the curtains” his free hand tracing down her leg and pulling up the fabric of her skirts “and let him in” as she does on the movie, she rips open the curtains, The Vampire reacts with surprise at her boldness and slowly makes his way out of the window frame.

Testing the waters to see how she'd react, he pulls the fabric further and further up Laurens legs, of course she let him touch her, he was always welcome to touch her, it’d been a couple of frustrating weeks since they last had true privacy, it wasn’t until a couple days ago that he didn’t panic about sitting with her. So, for him to be so bold, it made Laurens legs tremble.

Lauren drops her head away from his exposing her neck, playing into the movie. Ellen was back up against the headboard of her bed as the counts shadow of his hand trailed up her body, grabbing onto her ‘heart’, Copia matched this by stroking his hand up her thigh, cupping his fingers between her legs over her cotton panties, “Nothing gets the blood pumping quite like a lovers touch and a pinch of fear” his fingers pressed down on her clit, sending an involuntary whine from Laurens mouth, she were weak to his touch and to his voice, very aware to how sensitive she's become after nearly 3 weeks.

“Y--e--s” his voice crackled as he whispered to her, drawing out her gasps, flexing two of his fingers into her flesh over and over, awakening the need for more, the addictive pleasures helping her to relax under his precise touch, he kissed and suckled at her neck, his teeth scraping against her skin,

Laurens head drifted away but her arm wrapped around his shoulders and up his back, pressing down on his neck so she could hold him closer to her even if she felt like she was drifting away. “Tell me if I hurt you” he whispered to Lauren “or if you want to stop” his kisses trailing up to her ear.

“Don’t you dare" Lauren groaned, “just … I haven’t been able to” in a hospital shaving isn’t exactly encouraged when Lauren can’t do it herself.
“You haven’t been able to do what? Touch yourself?” he mumbled, his fingers moving the offending cotton fabric aside to find her slick only to figure out what Lauren was mumbling about. Copia stopped kissing her neck to look at her for just a moment, “ah, you think I’m afraid of a little hair? When I’m practically covered in it myself?” Copia spoke into Laurens neck. His fingers pushed deep inside of her with no warning, Lauren gasped turning her head towards his “Silly” he whispered, He kissed her slowly, his tongue tracing over her lips to her own tongue.

His wrist finding a comfortable rhythm to pump in and out, listening for her moans muffled by his own lips as cues of her own, listening for begging, for the right touch, for any discomfort.

Lauren weren’t careful, he didn’t feel careful, he was strong in chasing her pleasure for his own, tugging at his hair to bring him closer, though his hunched over back wouldn’t let him, he pulled away to kiss at her neck, his free hand wrapping under her shoulders, his fingers pressing down on Laurens breast over her heart, squeezing hard to make sure he sent sensations past the foam of her bra. His grip on her chest sent a twinge of pain up her chest to her shoulders, “AHH" Lauren cried out tugging at his hair, he grew low into her shoulder , it wasn’t enough pain to make him stop, but it wasn’t a sensation she's entirely object to either.
Yet he took this as a sign of he’d found Laurens sweet spot, “Yes, sing for me” he called, leaning back to watch the desire on Laurens face as she gasped and moaned over and over, higher and higher, his fingers work at her chest, his lips at her neck, he looked up to the screen one more time, his eyes met with that of the vampires when he bites down into her neck, not hard enough to draw blood but enough to push her over the edge, quivering around his fingers and trapping his hands between her legs, her cries strained but echoing through the room, masked only by the orchestra of the ending film.

Copia holds onto Lauren as she rides through the waves of pleasure, waiting for her to come down and catch her breath. He hooks an arm under her leg and repositions her to rest up against the couch on his lap. He drops Laurens head into his shoulder and kisses her forehead , reaching behind her to find the forgotten about champagne “ it’s not water but it’ll do” he mumbled 

“What about you?" Lauren mumbled, resting her head on his shoulder, sipping the champagne. 

“What about me?” Copia asked, grabbing the remote and turning the tv off

“you know what I mean, I can feel you on my hip" kissing his jaw and wiggling her hips earned a low groan and a squeeze from his hand low on her hip, the way he squeezed his eyes shut, if she's been so sensitive and weak to his touch, he had to be as well. 

"I don't want to hurt you" Copia whined, he looked up at the ceiling of the cabin away from Lauren, he kept his touches and his hold on her low, far from the bruises on her skin even now. To see him struggling to resist her very kind offers disappointed her. All that was holding him back was the fact that Lauren couldn't bend at her ribs, She really didn't need to bend to be able to please him 

"You won't, you've taken such good care of me, let me take care of you now" Lauren hold his chin and turn him to look at her, her eyes slightly closed and her voice low, embodying temptation as he'd done to her "I know how much you crave that release " 

Before he could protest Lauren shut him up with a kiss, moving her body to slide to her knees in front of him, grabbing onto his belt and pulling him closer to her on the couch, keeping her back straight, and looking up to him from the ground, waiting to touch him 

"Please, May I give you the pleasure you've denied yourself? Until i can give my whole body to you again, I can give you this"  

Copia watched her pray before him.  If it weren't for the lustful eyes watching him and the throbbing between his legs, the concern for her pain and his own desire to hold out on giving her the intimate treatment she deserved. His resistance was crumbling to pieces looking between her eyes and her lips trembling, he relaxes back against the cushions, taking the champagne from Laurens hand to finish it for himself in one gulp, "fine, you may" Resting on his arms crossed behind his head, lounging before her. 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, please get comfortable as we begin our descent, we’ll be on the ground in 30 minutes” the pilot called over the PA system 

Leaning up on her knees to hover over his lap keeping Laurens back straight, Lauren made quick work on his belt "plenty of time, I'll taste your release before we touch down" pulling at the fabric of his briefs away to free his cock from his tight pants, Copias body twitched under her touch, stopping him from protesting that cheeky promise. 

Trailing her tongue up his warm and stiff shaft from his base to his tip, there wasn't time for romance.  No time to savor his taste and his quivering and his moans, Lauren kisses his tip and takes his tip in her mouth, sucking softly , holding and gently squeezing the rest of his length in her right hand , pressing down on his lower belly to stabilize herself over him. 

Copia drops his head forward and gasps at the rushed sensations, the hot and the wet, her smooth lips and the texture of her tongue. He felt like a fool to think he could wait.

Lauren started to take more of him in and sucking hard as she let up, stroking what she couldn't take into her mouth with her hand in time,  he was already throbbing against her tongue,  so she settled on a cruel pace, bobbing, stroking and moaning against his flesh, her other hand trailing down the hair and past her own lips on him, Lauren pulled his pants further down and cradle his neglected balls, massaging and gently squeezing his sack. 

All this sensation drove him wild, his body tingles and twitches around Laurens mouth, Copia clasped a hand over his mouth knowing his moans would echo to unwelcomed ears beyond those walls,  

Laurens thighs were burning from supporting herself and keeping her posture right to prevent any pain, where Lauren hung over him, she settled against the curve of the couch, having to let his balls go to brace herself against his chest again, Copia grabs onto Laurens hand, holding it against his chest, she could feel his heart beat race and the muscles in his core tensing as the pressure built up inside.  "F...fuuhh...haah!" He moaned into his palm. " I....I ca...can't " he stutters and drops his head back and his moans turn to desperate whines . 

His cock throbs in Laurens mouth and she can taste the ropes of cum spilling onto her tongue and down her throat, Lauren keeping her lips over his head, it just wasn't polite to leave a mess after all. 

Copias focused on catching his breath, so she swallowed every drop of him and climbed back up to sit beside him on the couch. Draping her legs over his lap to cover him up incase of any intruders. 

 “you’re a stubborn woman, you know?” Copia wrapped an arm around Laurens side , pulling her closer to his embrace. He may have been more sensitive than he had anticipated, 

“Yeah I am" Lauren rested a hand on his chest and used her fingers to pick the hair from his brow and move it aside. "You didn't want us to get caught by Nina and for her to get jealous huh? " Lauren smirked

Copia turned to look at Lauren with a confused smile "why would she be jealous?" 

Lauren look down to the buttons on his shirt and start playing with them "She might see what she's missing out on since you two broke up" 

Copia turned his body to read Laurens facial expressions since he was trying to figure out if Lauren knew something or if she was over thinking the casual behaviour between him and the nurse. Lauren's furrowed brow and small smile reminded him of a child unable to keep a secret. "Well, I would hope not. That was over 30 years ago now. Mi Amoure, does this upset you? Were you worried that I'd want to leave you and Eva behind for an old girlfriend if I wasn't satisfied sexually?" 

Laurens cheeks flushed and the smile dropped to a frown, when he worded it like that it did sound a little ridiculous but not out of the realm of possibility. "No... well.... " Lauren couldn't look at him while she tried to piece together what she was worried about " I don't know why I'm upset, I've never had to deal with a lover's girlfriend, let alone them having a good relationship after parting ways. So I don't know if I should be worried about her or you, I don't know Nina like I know you so I didn't know if she'd wanted to get rid of her ex-boyfriend's younger girlfriend so she could get him back.  I...I don't..  it sounds so stupid " 

Copia sighed as he was disappointed in himself that Nina was right about their relationship decades ago being an issue now and that he never saw this happening at any point, slumping back on the couch and tucked himself back into his pants. "And here I was worried you had some subconscious habits to unlearn " he chuckled trying to lighten the mood, he turned to face her and cupped Laurens cheek, "look at me " Lauren looked up into those mismatched eyes , he wouldn't let Lauren look away no matter how hard she could try "You have every single right to be upset or conflicted meeting someone who previously was the subject of a lovers affections. You don't know that person or their motives, you're absolutely within your right to be suspicious or protective to want to keep your lover yours." Copia spoke slowly to emphasise his point. No euphemisms or high inflections, it was a point he'd had to learn himself over quite a bit of time. His thumb traced over Laurens cheek to comfort her.  "I can not speak for other people but my past relationships ended for particular reasons, hence why they are exs, I have my own reasons for not wanting to rekindle old flames. Not when I'm head over heels for the life I have now with you." Now that did calm Laurens nerves, She relaxed her cheek into his hand. Copia pulls Lauren in for a gentle kiss, pulling her to sit on his lap. Resting his hands over her leg and up her back. "Though I guess that does mean there's another little princess in my heart" 

The princess he was referring to was fine. Lauren let out a gasp with a laugh and rested her head on his shoulder "I can be ok with that." Lauren whispered to him, why she'd anticipated humiliation or being seen as overreacting was beyond her. Copia of all people is a true leader, not one to dismiss concerns but knows to validate and redirect those concerns to clarification. There were still so many things she hadn't experienced, Even though she's experienced enough traumatic events for multiple lifetimes. 

The plane jumps around as they touch down on the tarmac, Copias arms tightened around her "thanks for the warning guys " he mumbled looking around. 

The cells below the ministry was cold and quiet, broken only by the shivering chains that hung from the wrists of the assassin, curled up in a ball on the concrete floor of her cell as her body was catatonic while her mind was plagued by the worst trip she’ll have ever taken, hallucinations varied from visuals to the physical sensations or an intense combination of both, While the ghoulish guards were responsible for her believing her skin had been burned, torn and bitten, that her bones had been broken and shattered, her limbs pulled and stretched, and her entrances defiled, Any wounds from the beatings she’d taken had faded but were not serious enough to require medical attention, one of the many kindnesses she’d been shown.

Mountain watched her from the corner of the cell for any sign of concern or break from the trance, they weren’t entirely cruel though, she still received plenty of nutrients to sustain her life through a feeding tube into her stomach, just as she'd had while Lauren was in the medical coma. Babysitting, this ghoul from hell was reduced to babysitting and it wasn’t even the fun kind.

Until the next round of orders came through, he was stuck here, watching and waiting.
The memories of being in her head, that point of view of the beating, was still so fresh in his mind and they never changed, he could only wish that someone, anyone, had interrupted her, caught her, stopped her. How humans could be so cruel to one another and feel joy confused him, it was common for ghouls to partake in vicious behaviours like play or during a hunt, it never caused enough harm they couldn’t heal from, the pride from being the better fighter was normal for ghouls, but humans, that wasn’t normal, it was dangerous.
At this point they’d gotten enough information out of her to confirm who her employer was and where to go from there, even if they needed more information from her, her mind was so wracked from the hallucinations she’d be stuck in a constant state of shock she wouldn’t be of any help to them anymore.
It made his jaw clench tight knowing he had to resist every urge he had to tear her limbs off her body, drink the blood that ran through her veins and squish her brain into the stone walls she’s kept in then call Cumulus to defile the remains with ghoulish passion, She certainly needs it after all the stuff she’s put up with this past month.

But no, mountain stood in his corner for hours on end, his phone on do not disturb otherwise he’d be bombarded with the ghouls group chat exploding with chatter as they all spent their time preparing to go home, which of course meant plenty of chatter about Papas laundry and how many souvenirs they should bring back, who touched who’s instruments, and the telephone game of trying to figure out what the plans were to actually get home, no one was sure if they were flying or teleporting or even which plane they’d even take considering the condition she  were in, even this wasn’t entertaining anymore since he wasn’t directly involved.

The silence was broken by the most beautiful sound, footsteps and melodic humming, finally his shift must be over, but he picked up on a second set of heavy foot falls behind her, the clicking wasn’t familiar boots but Italian leather clad dress shoes, a pungent cologne heavily applied to mask smell of iron that waft down the hallways. He’s back early.

“Mounty, how are you holding up?” Cumulus’s melodic voice echoed down the hallway,

Mountain smirked at the coincidence of what he had just been fantasizing about just moments ago, it’s like he called her to him, he shoved a hand between the bars to shoot her a thumbs up, “No Change, still breathing, hearts still going. Did you warn Antonio about what he’d see down here?”

Cumulus pounded her fist with on his when she reached the cell, fumbling with the keys to find the right one to open the padlock holding the door shut “you think something like this is going to bother the head of the Naples Mafia? Really?”

Antonio chuckled, flattered by how brave the Ghoulettes thought he was. He stood back from the door, very aware that getting smacked by one of these bars could be fatal.  “I’m familiar with the sight of a traitor being broken from hours of processing.”

Cumulus opened the bars carefully to avoid them rusting off at the hinges, they would stand open on their own, and walked into the cells and standing by his side ready to take the next watch, Mountain draped an arm over her shoulders pulling her into side, just glad to have the contact with another conscious being after hours of silence and whimpering “So what brings you down here Antonio? “

Antonio stood in the doorway of the cell looking down at trembling mess on the floor, on foot crossed behind the other hands shoved in his pockets, this man was frustrated with the results of the internal audit he’d ordered in the past week “ Had to cut my travel short and get back here as soon as I heard there’s one more complication to Alessandra's situation”

Mountain’s head dropped limp pressing his chin to his chest, letting out an overdue and over annoyed groan, not a sigh, a whiney groan of a teenager who’s being told to take a jacket out in winter cause it’s supposed to rain “Of course there is” every time there was a complication it just meant more hours of waiting for three someone’s in suits to decide her fate. “What did you find? What happened?”

Antonio smirked and looked down the hall back to the stairs they’d entered from “She’s getting a roommate” he knocked his head to the side signalling to ‘come’ to someone behind them , “I didn’t have to go far to find out that she has been trying to off load the work to get paid faster without having to do the work, She’s been in contact with someone in my rather close circle, when that man destroyed his reputation by hiring cheap, disposable, wannabe assassins for both the private dinner and the Gala, he kept every piece of documentation and didn’t do his research into the target and those surrounding them, well it was obvious when a the bill for document destruction was higher in my office than it had been in the past.”

Mountain looked up confused, he didn’t see anything in her memories communicating about this other hit or trying to pawn the work off to someone else, how much of what he saw was in code that he could never understand. “You can’t find good help anywhere these days, can you?” Mountain stated, he pulled on Cumulus’s arm to stand in front of him so he could lean his weight over her, draping his arms over her shoulders and down her front “Can’t trust no one” resting his head in between the horns and wild locks.

“What are you implying, Mount?” Cumulus tilted her head up to try to get a look at him with that cheeky smirk, holding her hands on his arms as he leaned over her, now what has this tall glass of dirt been thinking while he’s been all alone?
He leaned down and whispered to her “Why don’t you try to find out how much I can trust you later?” He kissed her neck and grazed his teeth on her skin.
Cumulus pats his arm and leaned back into his embrace “down boy, not in front of the prisoners, they might get ideas” but it certainly was tempting her.

Antonio stepped out of the way as Aether stomped through the door and threw a duct tape and zip tied man in a suit onto the stone ground beside her, making a muffled grunt as he hit the ground, he’d been gagged with some cloth or fabric. The man twitched in place as he struggled against the restraints and pressed down on what must not be a bruised and aching arm, not to mention leaning on any other wounds or bruises from any beatings having taken place before coming here.
Aether turned on his heels and stalked back out of the room.
Cumulus waved at Aether as he left “Alright, this is you being nice Toni, Darling, only duct tape and Zip Ties?” trying to read Antonio’s expression and figure out who was under the pillowcase, yet it was thrilling to see someone get the karma that’s due to them, 

“Ghouls, you’ve met my former right-hand man, Nico Rossi” Antonio leaned against the bar, the disappointment thicker than a fresh chocolate mousse, he couldn’t fake a smile looking down at the prick who lay restrained before him. “It's up to you how he’s seen to, I have what I need so he’s useless to me now.”

Mountains looked at the bound man on the ground with wide eyes for a second, surprised that she had a connection that high and kept that companionship quiet enough to get away with it, even with that connection and what Rossi would have been witness to he didn’t warn her of the hellish connections that her target had, was it intentional? He questioned if the two of them were setting each other up, and yet still,  they had both failed with fatal consequences awaiting them.
The desperation and fear of being caught and punished for his betrayal filled the room with such a rich scent, like fresh gravy on a freshly roasted chicken only this chicken was still kicking and rotten, just the way the ghouls like it.
Watching the bound traitor at their feet, writhing with what little energy he has left, it made the ghouls salivate at the taste, Mountain’s grin stretched high across his cheeks as he thought of all the possibilities for how they could prepare such a fine they’ve been delivered “I am a little peckish, Join me for lunch Luss?”

“Oh, I’d love to, it’s been a while since you’ve treated me to a meal” Cumulus giggled, licking her lips to catch the dribble that threatened to fall down her chin, “Lets make her watch”

Mountain held onto her shoulders and pressed against her back, leaning down to whisper to her " She can watch as we lunch, then watch as I devour you for myself" 

Just thought of it was enough to for her cheeks to flush, her tail to flick, and her eyes to darken, pressing her hips back into his to tease any sensation "Don't make me wait now" 

Antonio knew they were like wild animals but considering how they were almost transforming from once civilized creatures to their true selves he knew it was time to take his leave, so Antonio waved his hand and turned to walk down the hall “Lovely to see you both, Tell Papa I’ll be in contact with him soon” Antonio shoved his hands into his pockets “oh, and give my love to the missus” He didn’t look back, he was not wasting any time on a last look to the man who’s been by his side for the last decade, who’s helped in shaping the business around them from the anarchy left behind by Antonio’s predecessor, another man who threw away everything he’d built up in the pursuit of power only to meet a bullet at the back of the head, now that would have been a kinder fate.

Notes:

FUN FACT: You can watch the original 1922 Nosferatu: A symphony of Horror in full on Youtube! - Yup! The original image of our beloved "If you have Ghosts" album is in the public domain- and if it weren't for some sneeky people in 1935 , we nearly didn't have that film at all - let alone the film the monster friskers are obsessed with now. :3

Chapter 27: Old Halls, New Outlooks, Borrowed Time and Blue Thoughts.

Summary:

Normally, Coming home from a vacation of any length can leave someone with a feeling that no time has passed at all, and everything you experienced was now just a memory and some pictures on your phone.
Sometimes, not often, you spend enough time away where you're able to reflect on how to live the life you're returning to.
For those who experience traumatic events It's advised to write those thoughts down and discuss them with a trusted friend or professional.
Curiousities flood your mind thanks to the exhaustion of flying and anger flowing draining you of rational thoughts.
Its best to surround yourself with things you like about your home, remember your priorities, talk to a loved one about what you've been through, the validation that could come from those discussions will put those blue thoughts aside and put you right back on the road you were walking before.

However, it seems when you don't talk anyone because you're trapped in a box and being monitored by Satanic forces, that draws attention to wasted energy and power, opening all kinds of doors to a variety of fates.
Someone that the ministry is not aware of is meddeling in the shadows while the spotlight is on another.

Notes:

I AM NOT DEAD. I /STRUGGLED/ WITH THIS CHAPTER I'M SORRY!!!!! not because of the story or anything - I honestly got so stressed out with work and planning cosplays and stuff for the year ahead that writing felt a bit like a chore- and if i force it, it's not going to be a good chapter.

I accidentally started waffling in this chapter whoops! and i cut it at 13k words cause that's already long enough! but don't worry. I totally understand if it feels like this chapter is filler - that's what got me to work slower on this fic- but believe me I do have a plan, I know how this story is going to go...and possibly end.

The plane landed long after the sun had set over the mountains and any remains of warmth faded well before the wheels touched the tarmac, stepping out of the jet and being greeted with the harsh wind chill… well Lauren can only assume it was anything but a warm welcome home. There was only so much a light jacket could do to hold back the chill from the northerly winds rushing down over the mountains, they certainly weren’t in Italy anymore now Papa.
Very little snow was left on the very tops of the mountains as spring was properly taking its seasonal hold.
At least going downstairs was much easier than going up them, considering they landed at 10:26 pm and that she’d been sent a message more than over an hour ago that Eva was back home and in her crib already, there was no rush to get home, once she was down she was usually down until the next days sunrise. Despite not needing to rush the streets were clear of any traffic, free of wild Vespas and Jay walkers looking to become “bonus points”, And still she couldn’t comment on how peaceful the late night city since she’d been in the same building and the same room for the last week and there wasn’t that many people to interact with anyway, just the nurses and doctors keeping her alive and cleaned and the gaggle of popes and ghouls to keep Lauren company, and now with no traffic and no other bodies walking the street this late at night, It felt like her world was suddenly so… small.
And yet, the world around Lauren knew of her, knew of what Ethan did to her and Eva, Lauren knew nothing of news reports being shared across the globe. Could there have been something missing from there too? Could that have had an effect on the ministry? Could she have done something more in her time at the ministry? If it reached Naples and Antonio, who else could it have gotten to? What else did other people have to say? What did other news reports have to say about Lauren? Going to the Satanic church is already a “juicy story”. Taking a baby there as well? Ugh… people who think they know the whole story like they were there on her shoulder would surely have some choice words on the matter. On the other hand, could Laurens actions have encouraged other women in her position to seek out help as well?

No, there had to be other brave women who were more inspiring, Brave mothers who could be better role models than Lauren. It felt selfish to imagine herself as some saviour for women in domestic situations.

Driving up the mountain, Lauren undid her seat belt and shuffled into the centre seat to lean up to Copias side, He was scrolling through all the emails that had popped up as soon as the plane had landed so he didn’t notice the click of her belt or the shuffling, only when his arm was suddenly being weighed down by something warm did he look away from the screen to see her. “Are you alright?” he mumbled, his voice still low from the quiet and tired cabin of the car, he lifted his arm up and over her shoulders.
“Mmm… I started to over thunk something” Lauren turned her head up to rest on his shoulder, his warmth and the weight of his arm was already a comfort.

“Is there anything I can do to help that thing you thunk?” He turned the screen off and put the phone down on his leg.

Lauren shuffled and wrapped an arm over his torso to lean on him as Lauren contemplated the thing that she thunk that made her feel stunk …. Stink… sad… “ I should probably start making trips back into town more often.”

“Of course, You could just ask a ghoul to drive you or sign out a car if you’d like, just need to sign it out with 2 hours’ notice”  That wasn’t actually the case, anyone could sign it out whenever, Copia had to give at least 2 hours’ notice due to the fact he would take cars without signing them out and not refill the gas and get away with it, until people picked up on the fact it was him because of the juice boxes kicked under the car seats. “Where would you want to go?”

“Maybe I’ll take Eva to the café I used to work at, or I could find her a play group, I’d like to start socialising Eva with other babies” It was a start, there wasn’t any anxiety to go out into public, she’d just had everything they needed at the ministry so Lauren never really needed to leave the grounds unless she wanted to go see her parents. “Teach her to be gentle, you know?”

Copia nodded, watching for if Lauren were just tired or trying to scan for any sense of underlying sadness. He'd been trying to read Lauren better in case he was missing anything or if he needed to read between the lines. “That would be a good idea, She is quite gentle with the animals, the ghouls must be a bad influence, making her all rough and tumble” 

“Swiss… Swiss has been the rough and tumble one” Lauren tilted her head to smile up at Copia "But I think he’s gotten softer with her being around, you know?”

“Oh absolutely, all my ghouls have been more careful and watching themselves around everyone. I think they’ve got a better understanding of how fragile we are” Copia leaned down to kiss her forehead before turning to rest his head on hers. “If we’re going to open the doors to future wards or orphans, it’d be good if she can interact with them safely”

“Yeah” Lauren sighed, resting her head back against his shoulder.
Opening the doors to other children and infants, Children need socialisation and enrichment, hobbies, other friends, opportunities, not all of that can be brought to the grounds at a moment's notice. There needed to be a plan for all stages of life, not just what the ministry can provide for the children but what the village can provide for their futures.
That’s not as simple as writing down a novel on a word document. This needed careful planning and communication. The ministry has always been open to interacting with the village and helping them where needed, the same couldn’t be said for the village especially since Lauren knew at one point what people believed about this place without ever knowing the truth.

Copia broke the silence and her concentration “You’re thunking deep again, aren’t you? I can feel your pulse racing in your arm” he squeezed her shoulder gently to a heart beating faster.

“Just..” Lauren paused, trying to find the right way to phrase it, Maybe this wasn’t the best time, all tired, stressed and home sick, Lauren decide against bringing it up for now “ Just thought about Eva having little buddies her age”

Copia chuckled and rubbed her arm again “That is exciting” settling in to hold Lauren by his side, The car made the final turn up the drive to the ministry grounds. they were home, later than they expected, but they were finally home.

It was very nearly midnight, only the dim street lights illuminating the road ahead and the courtyard outside the chapel. Lauren pat Copias chest to slide away from him to gather her things and find her keys for the door. The car slowly came to a stop in front of the double doors when Copia tapped her on the shoulder “Amoure ”

“My keys are at the bottom of my bag, hold on” blindly swiping her hand around the bottom of her bag, she could hear the jingle, but she couldn’t feel it.

“ No no, Amoure, You should see this”  Copia called, sat up tall in his seat, Lauren looked up to see the grin on his face, he pointed out the window so she turned to look at where he was pointing.

Laurens small group of friends, Laura, Randy, Dylan, Penny, were all waiting at the door to the chapel in their pajamas, waving down to the car with a small A3 paper that said “Welcome” and “Home”.
They stayed up this late? How did they know they were coming home? Especially this late? It didn’t matter, they were there. Lauren let out a small laugh, they must have been freezing and tired out in this cold. Penny was hugging her arms to her chest so she must have been shivering.

“Come on, Don’t keep your fan club waiting” Copia chuckled, leaning in front of Lauren to open the door “ I’ll find the keys” in a swift movement he swiped the bag from her feet and pulled it into his lap and pointed to the door.

Lauren rolled her eyes and turned to stand up from out of the car, The 4 of them jogged down the steps to meet Lauren on the ground, Randy took hold of Laurens arm to help her onto her feet “We’ve got you” he called, waving to Papa before shutting the door behind her.

“How are you feeling? Are you tired? Did they feed you?”  Lauren was swarmed with questions for her concern one after another and you couldn’t get a word out to answer them “Do you need pain killers? What kind are you on?” “Can you get upstairs?” “No, it’s too many stairs,” “Wait what did you do to your hair?” Did you get a sunburn?”

“Guys!" Lauren held her hands up to shush them, “Thank you for meeting us at the door but Papa took really good care of me and you’re all shivering, lets get inside before you get sick too”  Lauren looked up to Randy and nodded, So long as they were concerned for Lauren and didn’t know what condition Lauren was really in for themselves, Lauren will let them at least help her to her room, especially since she’d been awake for way too long at this time, it’d be nice to get up the stairs without risking falling. Laura walked over to Copia and wrapped her arm in his to walk with him

Penny stood by Laurens side and took her hand to walk with Lauren, her fingers were freezing to the touch “I want to hug you so bad, but I don’t want to hurt you”

“if you can hold out till the morning after I’ve taken my next painkillers, then I can give you a hug Pen" Lauren could only squeeze her hand and offer her a sympathetic smile “I wish you guys could have seen how beautiful Napels is”

“Oh, we have” Randy chuckled as he wrapped his arm around Laurens back and under her arms to support her posture going up the steps.

“Huh?”

Dylan looked over her shoulder “We always have the opportunity to go to the Naples ministry if we feel the desire or need to strengthen our connection or further our education from the old texts, It’s sort of like an exchange programme”

“Oh… so these snacks we brought back will be for someone else then?" Lauren teased with a smirk on her face

“Noo!” Penny, Dylan and Laura all called. Copia laughed and pat Lauras’ hands.

Dylan shut the door behind them as they all entered the chapel and turned to the left to head up to the apartments.

Climbing the first flight of stairs was fine, the second started to wear Lauren out but up to the third flight was when the pain started to kick in, Randy tried to match Laurens pace even as she had to go slower, since he was taller than her, he tended to lift Lauren up as she climbed stretching her ribs and spine letting twangs of pain catch her. Randy apologised over and over every time Lauren gasped or winced with pain, yet every time Lauren would say it’s fine and wave him off.

“Papa, It’s time we update the accessibility to the Building” Penny called from the top of the stairs.

Copia groaned while he was again digging for the keys in her bag again, picking out bits and pieces, handing them off to Laura to the side. “Believe me, I know” he bounced the bag up and down hoping for the keys to make themselves appear out of nowhere, they were jingling as he was jostling “Amoure, the keys aren’t in your bag”  

At the next pause to catch her breath, 4 steps from the top “Is it in the side pocket? Laura, the Lip stick pocket”

Laura leaned over and felt for a zip, she opened it and plucked out the keys “Found them” She handed them off to Dylan who jogged down the hall to unlock the front door. Laura started putting things back in Laurens bag. Copia stood there dumb founded “I need to get my eyes checked”

“It’s ok Papa, you just did a man look” Laura smirked up at him, Penny snorted and covered her mouth, Randy shook his head “I resent that”

Copia looked to her confused, clearly having never heard of a “man look”, He handed Laura the bag and held his hand out to Lauren as she made the final steps to the top. Randy handed her off to Copia who took hold of Laurens hand again as they went down the hall again.

“oh, Just so you’re not confused, When we heard you were going to be in Italy longer, we thought the only thing we could do was to, you know, water your plants and open the windows and get rid of the perishables from your fridge.” Penny told Lauren

“But we may have got a little excited when we heard you were coming home and uh…” Laura smiled nervously “we did a bit of a deep clean and rearranged a couple pieces of furniture so you can be comfy”

“That’s so nice, thank you” It was such a kind gesture, Lauren hadn’t even thought about the state of her home, Stale air, damp windows, laundry Lauren wasn’t allowed to do before they left. “I mean, you didn’t have to do that at all, I didn’t even think about that while we were there”

“You had to focus on healing and the little princess. It’s fine” Penny shook her head.

“Still, I really appreciate you all doing that for us, thank you” Lauren reached over to touch her arm and squeeze it gently, smiling up at Randy and Laura. “But what do you mean rearranged a couple pieces?” 

“Oh, you know, just moving the coffee table out a little so you can sit on the couch, moved the table to give you space” Laura listed them off

“Put a little staircase next to Eva’s crib since Mountain and Swiss put a door in the side of the crib” Randy cut in.

A part of Lauren felt like a pin pricked her heart as someone made a change to her baby's crib, her safe space, but really it wouldn’t be that much different from one of those toddler beds or one of her playpens. “So she can get out by herself?”

“Yeah, You can’t bend over or lift heavy things, And Papa’s not as young as you” Randy joked, laughing to himself until he spotted the glare Copia was shooting at him. “Sorry Papa”

Lauren pat Copias hand to get him to stop. “I understand the need for that actually, But she’s my baby girl. I like to carry her around as much as I can before she gets too big for me. I saw someone post something on Facebook when I was pregnant that one day I was going to pick up my child not knowing it would be the last time”

Copia looked at Lauren in shock with those puppy dog eyes “No, don’t say that, she’ll never be too big”

Lauren leaned up to kiss his cheek “sorry”, they hadn’t quite talked about the concept of her growing up like that.

“You’re tired, no more sad thoughts” he ordered, squeezing Laurens hand.

“Yes Papa" Lauren mumbled, holding onto his arm with her otherwise unoccupied hand.

Everyone filed into her living room, like they said they’d move things around to give Lauren more space to walk around safely, some of the decorations had been moved to the mantle or off to the side so they won’t get knocked over, the room was warm since the fire was smouldering, having been lit hours ago so the smell of pine lingered in the room. The room was clean, not just tidy, but clean, no stray drink glasses or dishes, no forgotten papers or discarded bags or forgotten toys.

Just a stray Cumulus relaxing on the couch with a book on her knee, when she saw everyone, she quickly put a finger to her lips for everyone to stay quiet “Don’t talk too loud, Baby’s fast asleep I’d like to keep it that way!” her order hushed everyone’s giggles

Copia turned and whispered to the group “You all should be too!”

Lauren let go of Copias hand and turned to her group of friends “He’s right, I’ll get you guys to come over tomorrow, ok?”

“It is tomorrow” Dylan smirked, ever the smart ass

“Did I stutter?" Lauren can be equally as cheeky “I’ll see you guys in 35 hours when I’m sufficiently high on painkillers”

Penny rolled her eyes and patted Laurens arm “Yeah right, I’ll be back at lunch time. Come on guys” as much as the others moped about having to leave so soon, Sleep and yawns could only be fought off for so long. One by one they passed Lauren and Copia, shaking Copias hand and attempting very gentle hugs with their arms over Laurens shoulders to be as gentle as possible, shutting the door behind them.
It really was so lovely of them to think to do this, and to stay up so late to see them come home.
As soon as Lauren could stand for more than 30 minutes, Lauren had to make special cookies for them all.
Copia draped his jacket over the top of the arm of the couch and leaned over the back to Cumulus “So, are you going to tell me why you smell like you’ve been rolling around in blood and dirt, Missy?”

Cumulus’ eyes went wide looking up at him over her shoulder, her cheeks flushed blue with embarrassment “You caught that?”

“Huh? I thought that was pine on the fire" Lauren looked to the fireplace then back to her.

“It is, But I’ve gotten used to this lot using strong smells to mask either Mischief or Sex. Which was it?” Copia’s hushed interrogation of her was quite amusing, even if Lauren was being somewhat left in the dark.

“Not in our bed, right?" Lauren asked, the bedroom door was only cracked open to let the warm in

“No, It was back in the cells at the Ministry” As if that was any better, Now that Lauren looked closer she could see a bruise on her neck…or was that a bite mark?

“So... you went to Mountain who was guarding our prisoner and distracted him with sex? And possibly snacked on the prisoner?” Copias questioning may have sounded like a light hearted assumption to any other person, but Lauren knew better, she knew that was entirely possible.

“Ok, He came on to me and I’ve got a witness to confirm my story!” she held up her hands , letting the book on her knee fall to the floor “And no I didn’t snack on the first prisoner, The new …well…”

“Sorry, New? What?” Copia straightened up, his tone changing back to the serious nature of his. Lauren was still listening intently, but she walked over to the nursery door to see if she could get a look at Eva in her crib without waking her, slipping through the door and walking up to her crib as quietly as she could.

“Antonio found the rat in his crew that organised the expendables, he was working with the prisoner-”

“Yes, I know, He asked for some of the others to collect the rats and bring them to Toni. What did you do to them?” Copia moved so he would sit on the back of the couch, his arms crossed over his chest, now he was getting answers.

“Well, Antonio told us he had no need for him anymore and that it was up to us to deal out his punishment.” Cumulus’s cheeky grin hid the nervousness to report what they’d done and how he’d react to this news, especially since they didn’t inform Papa at all.

Copia raised a brow, he didn’t say anything, just watched and waited for a response, when she didn’t get a reaction or a response from him, he had to encourage her to continue “And?”

She was caught by surprise, no scolding for at least informing him that was what was happening  or that something as important as WHO the prisoner was “We broke the assassins trance in time for her to watch us tear the rat limb from limb- “

“Can you please not call him a rat? Anything other than a rat” He asked, waving his hand like he was trying to get the thought out of his head, even after all this time he was still bothered by the fact people referred to rats as something Dirty or Bad. Yes, they may have carried the plagues in the dark ages, but times have changed since then and the denizens of the Ministry, contracted or otherwise, should know that.

“Sorry Papa,the uh.. The Target, We tore off his limbs, we ate his arm and his leg  with both of them still conscious, we also removed ... .other… sensitive extremities, he would have expired from the loss of blood within minutes anyway. We may have gotten a little carried away in ensuring there was nothing physical of him left to be found.”

“You ate the body, yes?” Copia shrugged, this wasn’t new to him nor a concern, if it was someone much less deserving of said punishment his concern then be higher, for a person who conspired and took action to harm his flock, he didn’t spare a single thought of concern “Then you got carried away from gluttony and turned to lust in the spot his body once was, desecrating the remains?”

“Yes Papa, we made sure she was watching too” Cumulus grinned

Copia smiled and pat Cumulus’s shoulder “Smart. Let me know if you get any stomach aches or lingering effects of illicit materials”

“I will Papa… You should get to bed, both of you, I’m good to be here until morning if Eva wakes up” she picked up her book from the floor and waved the pages at him

“Thank you” Copia squeezed her shoulder before letting go “I know I’ve been an absolute mess with everything going on, so… Thank you for being that person to get me out of that funk” he smiled down at his friend.

“Ahh Don’t be so sappy now Papa. You needed a strong woman anyway, and when your strong woman was indisposed, well you know I’m your Ghoul……ett” She patted his hand on her shoulder and pointed to the bedroom door “Now go sleep!”  She ordered

Copia chuckled and nodded “Amoure?” he called out, if Lauren was in the bedroom, only to be answered with a hushed “shhh” as Lauren walked out of the nursery “She’s totally conked out”

“4 limbs? All her hair? Noes still tiny?” Copia listed off, he held his hand out to Lauren to lead her to their bedroom

“10 toes, 10 fingers, 2 eyes, still fits in my arms, off in the land of nod" Lauren responded, taking his hand and following behind Copia “Night Cumulus”

“Night!” She called as she got comfy back on the couch to pick up her book and go straight back into trashy romance with the male lead never wearing a shirt when he fights and the female lead lying her ass off and using the power of Rizz, so she doesn’t get banished from the kingdom.

Just like most nights at the hospital, Copia helped Lauren shed the clothes Lauren had been wearing all day and into some fresh clean pyjamas, with her hair cut so short there wasn’t as much need to care for the bob but Copia insisted on at least giving it a quick brush for her, Lauren hadn’t bothered with make up for many days so just used a moisturiser to care for her skin. Then it was a matter of waiting to pass out.
When they were finally both settled under the covers, finding what position was most comfortable and what best supported her torso and her shoulders.

To be back on her own mattress, under familiar and comfortable blankets, no need to worry about Copia having enough space for himself, Lauren insisted the most comfortable position was in his arms.
As nice as it would have been to talk until they both passed out, sleep had its grasp on Lauren both faster than she could have anticipated. It’d been too long since she'd been comfortable enough, let alone felt safe enough to pass out so suddenly.

---

The sun rose way too early, even during the late winter.  The sun ray shining on Copias Eyes roused him from a rather mundane dream, he grumbled and turned to find the time at the clock on the bedside table… 7:30…ish…but Lauren was still so peacefully sleeping away into her pillow. No midnight check-ups from nurses, no twinges of pain, it must have been the most comfortable night of sleep in nearly a whole month, how could he wake Lauren up from that? Copia ever so carefully turned his body away and stood off the bed, walking on his tiptoes to stay quiet.

Had he actually read the correspondence between Lauren and her parents, he’d have known that Eva has gotten used to waking up at the crack of dawn and being sat in front of the TV to watch the Australian dog girl with great parents. So while he waited for water to boil in the pot. The sounds of shuffling coming from the nursery surprised him. It wasn’t Cumulus, She’d passed out with the forgotten book on the ground.
It shouldn’t have been Lauren, she can’t really move without assistance, There was only one other lady in the apartment.
Copia left the kettle to do its thing to poke his head into the nursery only to find Eva leaning against the bars of her crib trying to reach her binky which had fallen out of her crib and beyond her reach. She wasn’t crying, just huffing as she struggled to reach against her own barricade.

There she was, the sweet little girl he worried for every day for the past month, but she was wide awake, if she was awake and he was awake then there was no harm in sneaking in a long awaited morning cuddle, He walked in and leaned over the barricade, easily picking her up and out of her crib, resting her on his hip “Buongiorno Mia Principessa. Your Papa is home” he whispered, he crouched down, trying to keep her upright so he could swipe up her pacifier, offering it to her, she opened her mouth wide and snatched it up in her mouth when she looked up to see who had scooped her up, she looked over his whole face, making sure it was him this time. Still waking up, she leaned into his chest and stretched her arms up and around his neck, “pa-pa”.

Copia felt his heart jump in his chest and his cheeks flush, did he hear that right? As much as he was excited to hear her call him “Aba” , she called him Papa. He was very accustomed to being called Papa by members of the clergy over the last 4 years, and hundreds of thousands fans cheering for him , but this tiny voice he’d watch grow bigger and learning new things every day with a very limited vocabulary not only recognising him and calling him Papa, it was different, it was sweet. Nothing could really prepare him for that sudden surprise and the warmth he feels when he hears that for the first time.

“Yeah, Papa is home” he rubbed her back gently and kissed the top of her head resting on his shoulder “Do you want to see Mama?”

Her little head nodded lazily.

“Ok, Let's go see your mama” he whispered, reaching down to grab the blanket from her crib and holding it to her back. Copia walked out of the nursery and into the hall “We have to be gentle with Mama ok?”  no answer. Walking into the bedroom and up to his sleeping beauty in the bed, He sat beside Lauren on the bed, Eva looked up to see Lauren asleep and wiggled in Copias arms, he put her down to stand on the mattress and she held onto his fingers in both her hands, he held her little arms up and followed her as she tried to walk over the blankets and moved to sit down in Laurens arms.

Lauren roused from the deep sleep she was in “mmm.. Nurse?" Lauren turned to look at the weight on her upper arm to see the face of her little girl, the dream and sleep pushed aside and replaced with the excitement to see her awake again and trying to crawl into her arms “Hi Baby" Lauren smiled and rolled over , reaching to scoop her up in her arms and hold her to lay against her chest, the weight on her chest sending an ache through her torso and up her spine, Lauren groaned from the pain, no painkillers in her system, but she could handle the ache even for a little while.

“I missed you so much" Lauren whispered as she held Eva close, her little whines and hiccups muffled into Laurena shoulder but they grew and grew until she broke out into full sobs, her shrill cried loud enough to block out the sounds of Laurens and Copias sighs of sadness “It’s ok baby, I’m here I’m back I’m not going anywhere I promise" Lauren called to her, rubbing her back even as she grabbed onto the fabric of Lauren shirt and clinging to her tighter and tighter, the ache in Laurens ribs starting to twinge and sting and her little fists pulling at Lauren's hair, Lauren couldn’t quite hide the pain in the grimace on her face from the over concerned partner by her side “ah,,, we have to be gentle remember”  he called as he reached over but Lauren swatted away his hand “I can handle it" Lauren mumbled to him with a smile “for a little while" Lauren could only reassure him so much, but he knew just how much they both were missing her. The physical pain could easily be trumped by the pain of missing her parents.

“Ok” he whispered, shuffling closer and draping a hand over his two girls, quietly watching as Eva cries over and over into Laurens shoulder, taking in her scent ,her warmth and wetting the pillowcase behind Lauren with her tears. She didn’t need to say it in words, her little mind had her believing mummy had gone away for good. 1 month is a very long time to someone who’s only been in the world for a year. Thankfully Lauren had to tell herself there was no way she’d remember her mum had been gone, Lauren had to tell herself this over and over that she wouldn’t have any knowledge of the attacks and what Ethan had done to them both.

“She called me Papa” Copia mumbled as he reached over and rubbed Evas back to try soothe her.

“Did she? You’ve been promoted from aba to papa?" Lauren tilted her head up to look at him.

“mmhmm, funny, after years of being called Papa by adults, this one means a lot more” Copia smiled down to Lauren, “you’re not mad she might have started talking without you there?”

Lauren shut her eyes and grinned up at him “oh I’m grumpy, but my baby girl is right here, sign me up for kickboxing I’ll take it out on a punching bag later”

“May I volunteer one of my brothers in place of a punching bag?”

“Absolutely not, they’re too pretty and Primo Is fragile" Lauren kissed the top of Evas head as her cries started to peter out into whimpers “Feel better missy?" Lauren moved the hair out of her tear-soaked eyes with the tip of her finger.  “wanna have some breakfast?”  Lauren asked her but she tightened the grip on mum “don’t wanna move, ok, breakfast in bed then” reaching over to grab her phone and texting one of the ghouls.

“You might want to make that an order for 2, I have to go back to work today.” Copia told Lauren nervously “I’ll have someone come keep you two company”

Lauren pouted, they've been back less than 12 hours “Ok, give me the laptop and I’ll start going through your emails while you get a 2-hour lecture" Lauren grinned up at him “And my drugs and water bottle please “

Copia nodded and leaned down to kiss the top of Laurens head, no fighting Laurens stubbornness, it’d give Lauren something to do “Ok” he whispered shuffling away from the two of them “Let me know if there’s anything I can do, any big pain I’ll leave right away”

“Actually there is something you could find out for me" Lauren called as he ran into the ensuite bathroom

“Si? What’s that?”  yelling over the sound of the shower turning on

“Can you find out where my mail has been going? Or send a ghoul to the old house and see if there’s anything about mail there?" Lauren called out as she played with Evas hair. One thing that had occurred to her on the flight over was the severe lack of mail Lauren had received since coming to the ministry.

“I can do that” he called as a T shirt was flung out the door of the bathroom, then a pair of sweatpants

Lauren rolled her eyes and put a reminder into his calendar for 1pm for him to check since there was no way he’d remember off the top of his head. “You’re such a tease”

“Yes, I am, the sooner I can have you back in this shower with me the better” he called out while drenching himself under the waters.

“Hey Baby? Can you help me with something?” Lauren picked up Eva's hair to look at her, she nodded and sat up on Laurens belly “Can you go to Papa's suitcase and pull all his clothes out?”  Lauren pointed to the red fabric suitcase that had been put aside in their room against the wall. Eva nodded and slid off Laurens belly, finally the sweet freedom from her weight on Laurens ribs, Lauren let out a big breath from the relief, Eva waddled over to the suitcase and found the zip, pulling at the one from the bottom and zipped it around the outside, the one thing Lauren wish she hadn’t taught her was coming in handy right now.
When the zip went out far enough, the pile of clothes toppled out into a pile of various black and grey fabrics, Eva backed up and giggled, looking back at her mum like she was proud of the mess she made, “What do you want Papa to wear to work today?”.

---

Copia left the two of girls after he was sure Lauren was going to be well taken care of in his absence and wearing the original Black Sabbath band T Shirt that Eva insisted he wore for the day under his blazer. He’d made his way to Sister Imperators office for the meeting she’d called but found her door shut. Odd, if there was a meeting it usually was ajar until everyone was there, so he knocked.

“Come in, Cardi” Sister’s voice called.

Copia walked in to find the room empty apart from her, not set up for a meeting so this must have been a scolding. “I thought there would be a few more people here…” he mumbled as he walked in taking a seat in front of her desk

“No need for them yet, I need your undivided attention on this matter” Sister put her notebook aside and took off her glasses. 

"Oh good" this would be a good opportunity to tell her what happened in a private setting, he fumbled with his copy of the report "I need your attention as well, but uh. you go first" he gestured to her as he crossed one leg over the other

Sister nodded and took in a deep breath "I might as well get the quicker topics out of the way, What do you want to do with the assassin now that her involvement and her action have been made clear?"

A little warning to that would have been nice, "I don't know" he looked away from sister as he fumbled for an explanation or an answer, the hours of travel and finally being back in his home, to have the little one back in his arms again after so long, he'd softened his thoughts, thankful that both of them was able to return to her again, everyone in the clergy would recover and return to their daily lives soon enough
"At first I wanted nothing more than for her to be inflicted with a punishment worse than what she caused, she's been trapped in a nightmare since her capture thanks to Mountain, Swiss and Sodos' cruel and unusual insanity."

"The obvious option is death, a ritual to send her on the highway straight to the pits, You could use The hell hounds blade" Sister suggested "we've done this before"

Copias face twisted into an unsatisfied frown, of course that was the obvious option, it'd crossed his mind so many times, it never felt quite right " Yeah... But while she was the one to cause the physical harm, the intention and desire for this hurt is all on another to blame, and for the situation to truly be settled, for justice to be properly served, I don't think it's me who should be wielding that blade" 

Imperator leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed, surprised by his logic " Interesting, I imagine that's for later down the track, So what do you want to do with the assassin if you don't want her to meet her own end?"

Copia thought back to the hospital, the last time he saw Antonio, what he'd told him about Allesandra, What Mountain had recalled to him about her memories, when he stormed her cell and beat her from the pure and overflowing rage. " I want to offer her to serve in the ministry, under probation, it'll be cruel enough to be living around the people she'd harmed, those siblings won't take it well at first, It'll be like community service" 

"Do you think she'd take an offer?" Sister questioned as the logic behind this decision bounced around her mind, it didn't sit right with her, there were too many liabilities and possibilities with not only an experienced assassin in the clergy, but someone who's been mentally tortured for close to a month at this point.

"Of course not, but she's been begging for death every time I've been to her cell" Copia shrugged. "It's service or straight to the pits. Put that decision to her and see just how she responds to a second chance. I'm not going to make it easy on her though" 

Imperator just smiled and dropped her hands to her sides. This maturity and this natural leadership filled her with pride to see that side of her shine in him. "Fatherhood has done you so well, It's a good look on you Cardi".

Copia let out a nervous laugh and looked away, somehow a folded piece of paper in his pocket suddenly felt heavy as lead. " It's been a surprise how much my outlook on many aspects and priorities in my position now. until last year my position was about supporting the ministry like a business, now I look back on past conversations and situations and...I wonder what sort of insights I could have given with what I know now" 

Sister sat back upright and leaned on the desk "That happens with all of us. So should I call the ghouls off her cell and replace them with human security?"

"For now, See that her medical needs are cared for, wouldn't want her immune system getting to her before I can" he chuckled and shook his head " Could you see where that HellHound Blade is? I don't think it's here or in Naples."

"I can certainly do that, Anything else?" Sister started scribbling down on the open page of her notebook for what she needed to do after he was gone

"Uh yes, Could you look into if we ever had Laurens mail redirected to the ministry? She asked me about it this morning" 

She kept scribbling down " I'll get Penny to look into it,  I don't think anything has come in the mail for her."

"Nor do I. Now I think about it, medical documents or bank statements, bills, if it had been redirected they should have come here." he raised a brow as he thought about 12 months of letters being comically stuffed into a letter box, every day just another letter slid in to any sort of space until it bursts at the seems. 

"It might be a good idea to send a ghoul to her old house and just confirm if anything's been left there" Sister suggested "Maybe send Rain down, he's reasonable and available" She clicked her pen shut and turned to look at him "Now, What was on your mind? you said you had something to tell me?" 

"Oh! uh..." He looked down to his pocket then back to her "uh.. well.." he sighed and pursed his lip, pulling the page out of his pocket, holding the paper in between his fingers " It's something we didn't learn about until after Lauren woke up from her deep sleepout" He hesitated, the overwhelming feelings of how he should have felt, mostly the guilt from his carelessness. "it uh.. turns out Lauren was pregnant"

Sister gasped and clapped her hands over her mouth, first a visible smile quickly dropping as she picked up on the "was", her hand dropped to  the table reaching over to him across the table "no... the baby wouldn't have survived the attack did it?" 

Copia just shook his head but his eyes fixed on the paper, taking slow deep breaths trying to hold back tears and keep his composure " no.. it did-t" his voice choking in his throat. the shock and the pain were still very new and how to feel about the situation, it was still fresh in his mind since he'd been distracting himself with work and helping Lauren " We didn't know, the ghouls didn't even know" 

Sister nodded along, waiting for any sign of need for his mother and not his peer, watching his eyes, his breath, she was waiting for a pause "were you trying for a child together?" 

"No, we were talking about how we were worried this relationship was moving too fast, it's only been... 6 months?" he hands dropped into his lap and he looked away from her " I do not want her to feel pressured into rushing anything. She needs to focus on healing and finding her independence and her strength and that takes time, especially since she's molding the world of a whole other human who's just learning to talk" 

"Ok" she whispered, "Does anyone else know?" 

Copia shook his head, the words stuck in his throat, his cheeks and throat flushing red as it burned from the sting of holding it all back.

Sister stood from her chair and crossed around the desk to stand in front of him, she took the paper from his fingers and put it on the desk behind her, dropping to her knees in front of him, she put one hand over his and the other holding the side of his face  "Thank you for telling me, I can only imagine the scenarios in your head of what could have been, especially since you've taken on the roll of Papa to such a little one"  She tuts and sighs, leaning up on her knees and wrapping her arms over his shoulders.
Copia looked to her and wrapped his arms around her torso, more holding onto her and leaning his weight into her, Rare as they were and no matter how old he got, the connection of a hug never failed to help release the stress and the sadness that plagues him.
He dropped his forehead into her shoulders as Sister rubbed her hand up and down his back. 

"Any loss, no matter how early, or if it's expected or not, it's going to feel horrible, sometimes the guilt and the grief feels like it will never go away, but over time it gets easier to accept and to live with. ok?" 

Copia just nodded, it didn't quite take away the sting in his throat, the burn in his eyes, the fact she showed no hesitation to help and support was appreciated as much as it was surprising "how many times have you had to give that kind of speech to the other sisters?" 

Sister chuckled but didn't let go, she'd wait to feel for him to let go first "oh it must be in the thousands by now, not just loss, but unexpected pregnancies and the uncertainty of what to do, it's terrifying, I understand it all too well. " 

Copia dropped his hands from hanging behind her back and leaned away from her embrace, resting back on the chair " because of me...right?" 

"Well yes..buh-but you know it's Nihil's fault, I don't blame you for that." stammering to clarify what she meant she stumbled over her meaning, they'd talked about this in the past, this was just not the best scenario to discuss his accidental circumstances in life.
In an attempt at a silent apology She just pat his shoulder "I was hoping that I'd end up taking you away from the same treatments the former Papas had growing up"  she then pinched his cheek and traced her thumb over his cheek bone "You wouldn't be who you are now if things had been different." 

The thought of who he'd be if he wasn't sent to the orphanage, raised as their child, hell even if he hadn't been as dedicated to the ministry as he was had often crossed his mind, it'd become a topic he actively chose to push aside and not acknowledge, it never did him any good. Deep breath in...2...3....4... slow breath out, let that thought go away. 

"I'm going to review the processes we have in place for all medical and reproductive health and education" Copia stated, gesturing for her to stand and helping to support her as she did "When I'm back to full duties, I'd like a full copy of those processes in my office. " He had a higher priority to attend to after all, especially since this wasn't a meeting of the higher clergy after all. Copia got up from his chair and turned away from her 

"On top of organizing the Orphanages and child care?" sister questioned as she sat back down behind the desk 

Copia looked over his shoulder as he made his way to the door "better get started then Sister" making his escape back into the hallways before she could protest any further or call him back. 

---

Cirrus and Sodo had been assigned to keep Lauren and Eva company, All Lauren wanted to do was rest, lay in bed and play with Eva, Bond with her again and tell her fantastical stories of her Papa and Mama dancing on a Castel like a king and queen and traveling through time,
Lauren waited for weeks to just play with her hair and watch her shows together until Papa came home and they all could watch movies together.

But that wouldn't be normality would it? Lauren's just been stuck in bed for 3 weeks and the doctor ordered light activity and movement. 

Cirrus came in holding a pile of fresh towels when Copia was getting dressed himself and ushered him off to work, not before one big cuddle with the sleepy girl still in her footie pajamas. Sodo stood in the doorway waiting to carry Eva off to breakfast, but Evas little protest of wanting to stay with Mama was too strong and much too cute, She'd wave her head around and plant her feet in her spot on the bed, When Sodo would reach to pick her up she'd let out an ear piercing squeal, As Cirrus helped Lauren stand up from the bed by holding Laurens arm and supporting her back, Eva kept shuffling to stay by Laurens side, holding onto the fabric of Laurens night dress. 

"You take the towels, I can take her" Cirrus offered as , by her correct logic, the towels were lighter and wouldn't actually rest on Laurens ribs .

Before she could protest, Lauren picked up Eva off the mattress and rest her on Laurens hip, now that did cause a sharp sting on Laurens left side where Eva clung onto her, Lauren let out a hiss and shook her head " I don't think I have much of a choice really" Lauren smiled at Eva and kissed the top of her head " Do you want a shower too?" 

Eva shook her head and tightened her grip onto Laurens shirt" mm-mmm" 

Lauren shot Cirrus a knowing smirk, the attachment and clinging was to be expected after all "ok, but mama needs a shower, do you want to stay with Aunty Cirrus And Mama? or do you want to go play with Nanny Sodo" 

Eva didn't budge, refusing to move from Laurens arms. Her mind was made up, no words needed to know she wasn't leaving. "Alright, Shower time" Lauren nodded to Cirrus "we're going to have to do this with an open door."

"We can do that" Cirrus bounced the towels in her arms and walked into the ensuite bathroom, taking the lead to turn the shower on and grab the bottles of lotions and hair products. While Lauren set Eva down to sit in the plush laundry hamper that had been empty for weeks 

Cirrus had taken care of Lauren on and off for the last few weeks so walking around naked with her in the room had become a normal thing for her, the embarrassment was gone by now, She took the time to look over the remaining bruises and scars that dotted Laurens ribs and arms as well as her range of motion, even if she tried to push through the pain like a strong woman, lifting her arms high above her head caused a twinge of pain cirrus was not happy to see
"Ok be lucky i'm not going to make you sit through this. get under the water Naked Lady"  Cirrus ordered while she made a little nest out of towels and the laundry hamper for Eva to sit in,  "I think you're going to need to get a bigger hamper" she called to get Laurens attention . 

She'd step under the hot water of the shower, letting out a sigh of relief being able to relax under the stronger water pressure compared to that from the hospital, Lauren's hair sinking under the water and that initial feeling of sweat or muck washing away from her skin. Lauren tilted her head back and let the water wash down over her face when cirrus called out to her. She wiped the water away from her eyes and looked over. 

Eva was used to sitting in hampers or baskets as the ghouls pushed her around like it was a car and it was an easy way to support her before she could sit up on her own, she just liked being in there. but now at 14 months old, She was growing so far and it certainly showed as she used to be so tiny in the baskets and now she was fitting in half the hamper. quite happy to play with the toilet rolls Cirrus put in there to distract her while she walked out to get a couple toys for herself, She pouted her lips and smiled at Eva, "aww my baby~"   She let out a happy giggle, perfectly content in her tiny 'boat'  and watching her sopping wet mama standing under the water, being sopping wet was just as entertaining as cardboard tubes. 

Cirrus walked with her goat soother and Very hungry caterpillar plush ring and leaned down to put them on Evas little feet. "She used to be so tiny you could fit four Evas in there" Cirrus stated as she rolled up her sleeves 

Lauren nodded and tilted her head looking down at her " I'm sorry you missed her New Born scrunch phase" 

"Newborn scrunch?" 

"You know, when they scrunch their arms and legs into their body cause she spent 9 months like that in my belly it's like she thought she was still in there. " Lauren held her arms to her chest "Even when i lift her up, I'll show you videos later" 

Cirrus grabbed the wash cloth and shower gel " You better" lathering it up under the water and wasting no time to gently wash down Laurens body, standing just outside of the door of the shower "Ghoul babies are rare...most ghouls and demons are formed." Cirrus explained, her tone of voice sounded more like questioning than 

Lauren tried to look over her shoulder at her "Hey when you're formed, you run into the world being able to walk and talk, all of that. Humans are silly, they can't walk, can't feed themselves, can't even hold their heads up, literally every other creature in the mammal kingdom can , humans? nah, totally defenseless."

Cirrus let out a laugh and looked up to Lauren " yeah... but i don't know any other animal that has the bond humans to each other, I'd rather bond than mobility" she chuckled, tapping Laurens foot to lift up her leg to wash down her calf, Lauren leaned forward slightly to balance holding onto the wall. A routine the both of them had gotten quite used to.

Lauren didn't need to look back at her to hear that tinge of sadness in her voice " Hey...Cirrus? Is this why the other ghouls look to Cumulus like ... the maternal figure? even though you were formed from..i'm guessing it's needed?" 

Cirrus contemplated for a moment as she put Laurens leg down and watched  for the other 'You know.. i don't know, it could be a biological thing where we all have this internal need to be nurtured or to nurture. Cumulus is the oldest of the ghoulettes, she's been around here the longest so the boys are drawn to her. it wasn't until Copia came into power that Ghoulettes were brought to the surface after all. " 

It made sense, all warm blooded creatures showed that instinct, only creatures like fish and reptiles, But let's keep the mood light "Not because she's the best one to cuddle with?" 

Cirrus giggled and smiled up at Lauren " Now that's just a bonus, Hold still i'm gonna put this hair removal cream on your legs " the shortest warning possible as Laurens leg was slapped down with cold cream, Lauren squealed and tried to look back down at her but twisting too much that causes her to twinge "I said hold still!" 

"I know" Lauren leaned against the wall on crossed arms " That's on me this time" Lauren let Cirrus work her hands up Laurens body until she hesitated at Laurens torso "you know this is the closest i'll get to an actual spa treatment" 

"And you know we can still zip you anywhere in the world right?" Cirrus was much more gentle as she rubbed the soaked washcloth over the remains of bruises that stained Laurens skin, some were still more visible the further away from her spine, Cirrus was being as gentle as she could be but concerns of her own strength lead her to feel the need to nearly ghost the cloth over Laurens skin.  

"I imagine that’s what you'll be doing with Copia while you still have prisoners, right?" Lauren knew about this from what Secondo thought she needed to know about what was going on, it was nice to be kept in the loop about what's going on. 

"Well yeah" Cirrus looked back at the toy that had been thrown at her leg she ducked down and held the toy back out to eva but she held her hands up "Eevee i'm all wet"  she let out a little grunt wanting up, So Cirrus scooped Eva up in her arm and balanced her on her hip.
"Ghoul travel is in fact the most eco friendly international travel after all" it made her think, there were no emissions of nasty gasses into the air, no oils or damage or risk of crashes-  well..not no risk... there's always a risk especially with silly gooses like phantom and swiss around. 

Lauren turned around to look at what was going on behind her to see Eva clinging to Cirrus's vest, quite content to just be held and see mama up close, good thing her onesie needed to be changed anyway. "Imagine if that got out into the news, christians would just find something to complain about, smart people would try to market it" Lauren giggled and plucked off Evas little grippy socks on the outside of her onesie and threw them behind cirrus. 

"Like how you got into the news?" Cirrus still had a job to do so she just popped the washcloth on Laurens chest right over her heart, she looked down to it then back to her with a sarcastic "really?" 

"Well that's the thing i didn't really register it's gotten passed the county's news, maybe national news but certainly not international" Lauren stood there still while cirrus was busy juggling the two of them 

"Oh yeah, people have already made documentaries on youtube about you, you've inspired a lot of women you know" Cirrus bounced Eva on her hip "people were just happy to know you did what was best for this little love bug" 

"How come I haven't been told about any of it?" Lauren took the cloth from Cirrus and washed her own chest down since she was distracted with Eva, cirrus tried to snatch it back but that didn't quite work. "I didn't find out it was international news until I met Antonio"

Cirrus pursed her lips and raised a brow "honestly, we thought one of your buddies would have told you, or someone from the news would have contacted you, maybe that's why those youtube videos assumed you went into privacy here at the ministry"

"They don't think I was brainwashed,do they?"

"Oh yeah there's some of those conspiracy theorists, some of those comments also have some very good ideas" Cirrus grabbed the shower gel and proceeded to squeeze the gel onto Laurens shoulders 

"Oh yeah? like what?" Lauren washed down her arms and down her front, but skipped her under bust , cleaning her tummy first 

" well there were some simple ones like bed bugs or ants or teeth in his jail blanket, slowly drive him mad you know, uh, there's planting little notes around the prison that he signed and will piss off other guards and prisoners, or you know drugs, duh, oh then there's possessing the biggest brute in the prison and make Ethan dress up in a little red maids outfit with a dumb wig and shove a ‘clone a willy’ of Copias dick up his ass hole and simulate what he put you through with the birth then your postpartum stage. " what caught Lauren off guard was how casually Cirrus said it so casually she could have been reading off a shopping list, 

Lauren froze, looking at her not in shock, but using all the energy she had left in her body to visualise what that would look like and if that would actually do the job. That guilt of imagining harm on another person that once harmed her didn't bother her anymore, because it didn't harm them, Lauren wasn't taking action on those thoughts, no harm came from the imagination or the imagination of others. and yet even without guilt, she had to question if there was still a line that could be crossed?

Cirrus splashed the shower gel on Laurens chest to get her attention and break her from the deadpan stare from her "too much?"

"Not enough" Lauren wiped down her chest again " give him an episiotomy with no drugs and a husband stitch too. then shove the dildo back in raw"  Lauren took a deep breath and held her breasts up and gently wiped around her under bust, breathing slowly through the twinges and the pain. 

Cirrus could only laugh nervously and looked down to Eva " We have been a bad influence on your mama haven't we? oh no " bouncing her up on her hip to reposition her better. 

"But seriously, People are doing documentaries about the case and they're responding...well? Is that what's happening?" Lauren asked, putting the cloth over her shoulder.

Cirrus waved her finger in a circle for Lauren to turn around "It might be better to ask the sibling friends since I think Laura is chronically online, but i remember the following you did have was in your favour and wishing you well, in the UK someone called for your story to be an example into bettering services for those in abusive relationships to feel like they have a better system to run to" She crouched down and put Eva back on the ground and grabbed a sponge to scrape off the cream from Laurens leg, leaving them smooth and hairless for the first time in weeks.

"Well that's good at least, all we can ask for is improvement right?" Lauren mumbled as she considered what that really could have meant, reviews of processes? policies? practices? who knows what they mean and if that's actually happened. "i guess for those who are only reading about this happening can only use us as an example as to why they need to  happen"

"Exactly. Like I said , you should ask your sibling friends if they know more. It's weird they didn't bring it up to you though" 

"I must have told them I didn't want to talk about it and they never brought it up" Lauren shrugged as she looked down to Cirrus "am I done? oh-" Lauren catch Eva holding onto Cirrus's leg as she stepped forward under the water " oh baby wait-" too late, she tottled under the water to stand by Lauren but promptly tried to turn around as the water caught her by surprise but she slipped and fell back down on her bottom 

"oh!" Cirrus gasped and waited to see how Eva would react, as Lauren made a habit of not to spur on any tears influenced by their reactions "did you fall down in the water, Eevee?" 

Eva rubbed at her face to wipe the water away from her eyes, her footie pyjamas soaking up the water where she sat, but no tears, just whining about the never ending water on her face 

Cirrus reached forward to pick her up but Eva whinged and swatted at her hands, reaching back to hold onto Laurens , equally soaking, leg "Ah, you wanna stay with mama now huh? Ok. Can we atleast get you out of your onesie?"  she tugged at the leg of the pyjamas, She didn't struggle or whinge at all, "ok, let's get this off then" 

Lauren just leaned back and watched as Cirrus took off the little onesie and threw the soaking heap of fabric to the side in the shower. Eva decided she didn't want her diaper either so she promptly kicked her way out of it 

Lauren crouched down as quickly as she was able to grab the discarded diaper and promptly threw it into the bin at the side of the vanity " yeah we don't want to deal with that. Oh you silly girl"  Lauren moved to sit down on the ground of the shower with her between her legs. 

Cirrus sat down to and took the cloth from Laurens shoulder and squeezed some gel on the cloth, holding it out to Lauren " might as well since she's here" 

Lauren took it and washed down her little body " yeah, Thank you for this. I don't know if i said it that much in the hospital but it was a much more tolerable time having you and Cumulus there" 

Cirrus just smiled and nodded, "Of course, none of us would want you to be taken care of by strangers" she shrugged, holding out the caterpillar ring In Front of Eva to distract her from the cloth. "and Hey, if you want, i'll snatch a laptop and we can look up how the case was received around the world, we'll put one of those documentaries on the TV and we'll get you comfy on the couch" 

Eva was happy to watch the caterpillar and ignore what Lauren was doing. "Thanks Cirrus, that sounds like a good idea actually" Lauren mumbled, Eva took her hand back and leaned forward, slapping her hands down into a puddle splashing Cirrus with even more water. 

Lauren sat there in minor shock, mild amusement " Evaaah  you silly girl"  

"ehehe" Eva just giggled and kept slapping the water. Ah, to be a toddler so easily amused . 

---

Internal heating was considered a luxury for prisoners in solitary confinement, The harsh chill of the arctic winds would do these delusional 'seekers of peace' some good, At Least the coffee wasn't utter shit, it made regarding these low lives somewhat tolerable in the dead of winter, and since these low lives were all individually packaged sitting around these empty halls wasn't so bad a job after all. 

At a normal solitary unit, prisoners are admitted on a temporary basis for a short period of time as a punishment for their actions out in the main cells, But there was this one new guy who was ordered here until further instructions were given, 24 hour surveillance, half hour check ins, and cell tosses ever 4 hours, seemed a little extreme but he was more than a little unstable, He keeps grumbling on about demons and devils and clowns, something about ants and belts? Why they haven't just shipped him off to the loony bin is beyond all the guards in this place, He's somehow not classed as clinically insane but he acts like Hannibal Lecter, doesn't make a move, intimidating in the way he just stares at the guards, like he's just waiting for his moment to pounce when they get too comfortable with his frozen state. It makes us all uneasy.
I expected a bit more from the guy who opened fire in the middle of the courtroom and nearly fired his lawyer after the first day. He'd almost hope someone like that would liven up the workplace, but no, he just sits there moping, staring into space, the only way guards can tell he's not only conscious but stable is when he's allowed out for one hour of recreational time, still secluded from the other inmates but the man throws a mean punch on the punching bag. Best not to cross this guy. 

"Hey, Tim" The silence of the halls are broken by the south hall guard, Danny, walking down the hall with a pep in his step

"Danny, What's got you so excited? someone bring in a full box of Jalapeno poppers?" Tim called from his chair at the end of the hall. 

"Nah Man. I got an update you're going to want to her" he called, pulling out a smartphone from his side pocket, he held out the phone showing an email on the screen. Tim leaned forward to try read the screen as much as possible "Dude i can't ... can't read that, and the screen turned off" 

Danny turned to lean against the wall beside his coworker and turned his phone on again then just handed the phone to him. 

'Urgent orders: 

Prisoner Ethan Holloway is to be investigated for further charges, be aware that he will be prepared for transfer at any time within the next 48 hours.

Warden Carter' 

This was great, further investigations meant one less prisoner to listen out for, especially on the night shifts. It could possibly mean interviews on the guards parts recalling his behaviour since he arrived here but that wasn't likely, he had constant CCTV surveillance, it's not like they couldn't refer to that to see that he doesn't move, he doesn't act out, but hey, he's out of here for a little bit of time. 

"What do you reckon? new allegations? Does the wife come forward with more charges?" Tim asked Danny, handing him back the phone 

" Nah man, No ones seen her since the trial, no media no interviews, nothing, gotta be someone else coming forward, wouldn't be surprised if he's got a mistress somewhere claiming bastard baby on the way and wants his money" he shrugged shoving it back in his pocket " Still wouldn't rule out that he's gonna be sent to a mental facility"

"That'd be kind. Have you heard how much he screams at night?" Tim threw one leg over the other to get comfy since this was actually interesting compared to everything else 

"Are you kidding? We've all heard it. the others gave up on yelling to get him to shut up" Danny groaned "That shits borderline demonic, he doesn't wake up or even acknowledge what he did when he does wake up, Man there is something seriously wrong with that guy"  he threw his hand down the hallway and shook his head in disbelief 

Tim just raised a brow and looked up at danny, his junior, "At Least he hasn't started floating or crawling on the walls or writing things in shit, So far he's a model prisoner"

Danny laughed and looked down " yeah, if it weren't for the screaming you'd think he's trying to get out early on good behaviour" 

"That's not happening so long as the wife has any say about it" Tim checked his watch for the time, only 5:08pm,  "Maybe they're bringing him out to serve divorce papers to his ass" 

Danny chuckled and gently jabbed tims shoulder with his elbow " you wish Diana had been kept in chains with your divorce eh man?" 

Tim rolled his eyes and looked away " yeah, bring her in like Hannibal Lecter on a bodyboard, chains and collar and everything, but you know she'd like that shit" 

"Yeah she would," Danny smirked, letting out a sigh. Content to waste as much time as possible anywhere but his actually assigned post. The sound of a low and steady thump reverberated from one of the doors down the hall " Someone can't wait for the recreation time huh?" 

"Would you if you were stuck in a 2 meter by 3 meter cell?" Tim knew Danny was going to hang around and waste that time as much as possible, but where that thumping came from was something for Tim to confirm. " Keep my seat warm, I gotta do a lap" he stood from his chair and slowly made his way down the line of the doors, sliding open the window, pausing to find its occupants, then closing it again. Occasionally he'd have to yell "Oi! stop that" when he finds prisoners scratching away at the walls or the bars of the window. 

Danny gladly took the seat to keep it warm and watch his co worker track down the line, slowly, calculated and careful. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to pull up the med team incase it was anything other than working out, too many times it's not been exercise, it’s better to be ready to call than lose where it’s at 

Tim stops outside the door where the thumping is coming from, where the prisoner they were just complaining about was locked up, ofcourse it was him. He doesn't have anything heavy enough in there to make this thump, just his bed, 'god i hope he's just fucking that bed.' as weird as a request like that was, still wasn't an uncommon sight.
Tim flips the lock on the window and slides the window open " What the fuck are you doing Holloway?" he shoutes without even turning to look, the thumping was clearer, but it didn't stop. "HOLLOWAY" he hated being ignored.  

"What's he doing?" Danny called. 

Tim groaned, turning to look inside the cell. He froze to see Ethan leaning against the wall, seemingly throwing his head against the wall "Get the Medic!" Tim shouted, he leaned forward through the window to see if there was any blood spilled. 

Danny frantically jumped from his seat and ran down the hall "What did he do!" he shouted, pressing dial on his phone and waiting for an answer 

Tim grabbed for his keys on his belt to open the door "Someones in there" he gasped 

"What the fuck?" Danny pushed Tim aside to try to look in, from first glance he's alone. "What are you talking about?  he's alone!" 

"-Medical team, State your location and urgency"  a nurse called from the other side of the line.  

"Daniel Shelfman, Solitary South Wing, we have a prisoner self inflicting head trauma, minor blood" Danny stated, trying to look in again, "Holloway Stop it!" he ordered looking down below the man at the dark puddle below him

Only it wasn't a puddle, it was a shadow, a shadow much to big to be made by just one person, the shadow of humanoid figure, squatting beside him, hunched over like an animal, only the smallest indication of motion from the point of what must have been an elbow pulling back with the motion of the prisoners head.
Holloway wasn't throwing his head into the wall. It was being pushed into the wall by some unseen force. Danny's blood ran cold, "hellige Guds mor" 

Tim yelled as he fumbled with the keys falling through his fingers to find the one for this cell. "What the fuck!" he just shouted, finding the one key and jamming it into the lock, twisting and yanking the door to open but it halts. "aaaaaaaarrrrrrrggggg. Open!" he yelled tugging at the door  

"Timmy, Don't do it!" Danny grabbed at tims shoulder to yank him back 

"This fuckers not dying on my watch, he just got here!" Tim growled as he yanked the door wide open. 

The prisoner flops to the floor as a rush of wind escapes out that hole of a window, conscious, no blood loss, minor concussion. 

Tim And Danny both reported what they saw in their incident reports, 

Tim and Danny were put on administrative leave due to Occupational Stress for their mental health. 

When they would return, they would be ordered to report to the prison's therapist twice a week. 

Tim and Danny both insist they saw someone....something... causing harm to Holloway.

But no one really believed them. 

Notes:

Ok if you made it here holy shit thank you <3 thank you for your patience! <3

Love you all and HOW THE FUCK IS IT MARCH ALREADY WHAT THE HELL ok it's 3:35am i have to go to sleep i have work in 4 hours shit.

Chapter 28: Makeshift Movie Night.

Summary:

Lauren gathers her social group together to watch one of these daft amature documentaries together, probably the most actually entertaining movie nights they'd have, ghouls, girls (plus randy) dinner, snacks, drinks, what more could they want?

Notes:

THANK YOU ALL For your patience! i've now gone in and reworked the fic to be in LAURENS perspective, this is now her story!
For your patience - enjoy a comfy night in watching dumb serial killer documentaries.
featuring a little splash of smut.

The curiosity ate away at her, it felt like yet another fantasy that these amateur documentary and film makers had taken it upon themselves to do their research and report the events Lauren had experienced for others to learn. Much to her surprise,a number of documentaries and docu-series following the case had been published, some more recent but longer, Cirrus was quite happy to take on the task to find the best one to watch, she called in Penny and Randy to join her which opened a whole new door for them to gush about what they'd found, From the hilariously bad, the factually inaccurate, and the conspiracy theorist driven videos.
Penny suggested they get together and watch one of the documentaries together since they thought she'd be safer to watch these with her chosen family who knew what had happened and how she'd recovered by their side.

However, what started with a simple text turned into a group chat that evolved into a big family movie night. Her little friend group of 5, 7 of the ghouls,Sister imperator, all 4 Papas and Lauren.... 

18 people in their little apartment.... all at once... yeah of course this wouldn't be a small gathering.

Thankfully among the siblings the value of sharing the weight meant everyone contributed something towards the night's festivities.
As Host, Lauren and Copia didn't have to do anything other than have a door open and have a space for people to get comfy as well as a television and internet connection. 

The siblings were in charge of snacks and drinks, The ghouls were in charge of comfort, and the Papas were in charge of Dinner, the actual meal, and of course because Copias is still a Papa the older Papas argued that he has to do double duty and cook dinner with them. 

Everyone pulled their weight , Cumulus, Aether, Mountain and Swiss showed up to move the furniture around to fit in a king size mattress into the center of that space, where they got it from was "Not important"  (it was very much important thank you very much) , It was dressed with sheets the covered with plush pillows and a variety of blankets and Skwoodbuddies, again Lauren were told not to question where they came from. 

Primo and Secondo arrived with the ghouls to take over the kitchen and begin preparing the big share meal, A Traditional Lasagna, so traditional Secondo took the time to make fresh pasta from scratch, Primo made had to start the tomato sauce with his own produce from his gardens, so they had to start early. Early enough that Nono Primo could help with Bedtime for Eva. Nono Primo read her a book and sang her to sleep in the rocking chair, when she was fast asleep and Primo managed to get her down in the crib the sauce was cooked down and ready for layering. 

Terzo and Copia both got to the apartment at the same time, Bickering away in their native tongue about this and that and generally just not agreeing with each other at all, you know, as brothers do,  Terzo with a big ceramic baking dish under his arm and two quarter wheels of market fresh cheeses in his pockets and Copia stepping ahead of Terzo to put the steaming hot dish of sauced up ground beef he'd prepped in the mess hall kitchen thanks to the larger equipment, he didn't quite think about how he was getting it to the apartment once it was done though, hence the discarded trolly at the bottom of the stairs and the beginning of said bickering and scolding from Terzo. If Terzo hadn't kept egging him on, the older brothers wouldn't have joined in, reminding each other of their previous lack of foresight. 

Lauren walked out of the bedroom leaning on Cirrus's side, having changed into a pair of loose comfy pyjama pants and one of Copias Band Tshirts, they just waited at the door frame to watch in disbelief exactly what in the world was going on, it had to be about something menial or insignificant to set them all off like this. It wasn't until Primo caught the two girls watching that he told his brothers to shut up, they had a job to do after all. 

"Oh Don't stop on our part" Cirrus called and looked to Lauren with a smirk

"Yeah we were just thinking it's a shame Dylans not here yet, she's bringing the popcorn." Resisting the urge to compliment or even react to the scent of the sauces, the meats, the tomatos, the spices, the warm smell of home cooking made from scratch, it was rich, it was earthy, it was mouthwatering and Copia could see right through that smirk she was putting on, that shock and embarrasment of being caught swiftly changed to a smirk as he walked over to her spot,taking hold of her hips and leaning in to kiss her cheek then leaning in to whisper to her "I think you're hungry for more than a popped snack, aren't you". His hands carefully moving around the curves of her hips to her backside and kissing at her neck

Lauren let go of Cirrus's shoulder and clung onto his shoulder, Cirrus taking her exit to go see what the heck Rain was doing with the couch, "Hi Honey Ah!" Lauren burst into a fit of giggles as his lips kissed and tickled her neck.

"Your job is not done yet, Stronzo, we still need to layer this dish" Secondo growled out 

One of Copias arms let go of her and swung out behind him, flipping the 3 men the bird, as he carefully dipped her back, supporting her spine, and kissed Lauren to show off to them what they weren't getting while also filling up the quota of kisses he'd needed to make it through meetings and paperwork and emails without Lauren there to help him tame the communications over spill.

It was perfect, She needed his attention anyway, Lauren squeezed at his shoulders to pull him into her and stepped backwards into the bedroom, Instantly taking the lead and stumbling after her.
Copia kicked outward and used his foot to shut the door behind the two of them,"I love it when you're wearing my clothes" he grumbled low as he kissed up her neck and finding her lips again, getting caught up in the moment he wrapped his arms around her torso and pulling Lauren tight up against his chest, squeezing at her ribs and sending a shockwave of electric pain in her chest and back "AHH!" She yelped, pulling her head away from his and looked up to the roof to catch her breath. 

Copia snapped out of the heat of the moment and loosened his grip, looking her up and down for her reaction, "I am so sorry, i ..that was reckless are you ok? i'm so sorry"  speaking fast in his panic, his heart thumping away in his chest didn't help the panic.
The pain was gone as soon as it was there "it's ok, I'm ok" Lauren called  breathing slow through it "it was just a shock, it's just ... it's the shock" she reassured him, not letting go of holding onto him, when she were sure it was gone she looked down to him and gave him a sympathetic smile, "It's ok, I'm ok"
Copia let out a groan, dropping his head forward into her shoulder " Thank Lucifer... I am still sorry"

Lauren rubbed his shoulders and down his arms "You can make it up to me...in the shower"
"Do I smell?" he groaned into her shoulder
Lauren leaned her head on his "Yeah, like you've been running a marathon and ... Slaving over a hot stove to feed the masses, I reckon the hot water will do us both good" Lauren tugged on his jacket to pull it off his shoulders and toss it aside, her hand found his and she laced their fingers together, leading him into the ensuite and turning up the hot water of the shower.

Copia leaned back on the counter and pulled the gloves from his hands and tugged at the band tshirt to pull her closer "did i tell you when I got this shirt?"
Lauren looked down at his, then hers, "no? I assume you snuck out during mass to go see Ozzy live then?"
Copia chuckled and nodded " are you sure I haven't told you this then?"
Lauren shook her head and leaned on the counter by his side "no, tell me, which tour?"
Copia smiled "Don't be surprised in this Satanic old man but how could i miss the Speak of the devil tour?, Crazy train was still rediculously popular and that man had no idea what "a break" was.. 1982 and 3 " Copia looked up to the roof like he was remeniscing " January 1983 .. in switzerland, A big group of us actually managed to convince our tutor to take us on a historical trip to Switzerland, Learn about neutrality in the face of war, We snuck out of the hotel and went down to the Palais de Beaulieu, we actually snuck in behind a big group of protesters. Made it into the pit, pretty close to the stage, someone tried to throw it to Ozzy, landed on my head"
Lauren stared at him with wide eyes " 1983..you would have been..what 13?"
"12... before my birthday. "
Lauren let out a laugh and looked down at the shirt "So 12 year old you..snuck into an Ozzy concert, and some lady just...goes.." Lauren pulled the shirt up and over her torso, standing in just the Pyjama pants on her hips, she spun it around in the air and tossed the shirt to land on Copias shoulder, He joined her in the laughter and threw the shirt across the room into the hamper "Yup, But when i was a spotty little teenager, I didn't have the balls to look for the real show"  He reached forward and tugged at her pants, pulling her closer to him "We don't have all night, now do we love" 

Lauren tugged his own shirt up "Then lets not waste what time we do have", throwing their clothes all over the room they both stepped under the hot water and let out a long sigh, taking turns to drench their hair under the water and let it all slip away.
As small as the space of the shower was, it was snug enough for them both, Lauren fit perfectly behind him, wrapping her arms around his chest and hold onto him, Lauren reached across Copia for the body wash, squeezing some into her hand then washing them up and down Copias chest.

"What are you doing?" Copia stood there watching her hands
"Helping, you've had a long day" Lauren rest her head against his back,
Copia chuckled and just stood still for her, watching as her hands swirl the suds around his chest..over his belly, down to his groin, she took hold of his cock and gently trailed her fingers over his shaft,
Copia took hold of her hand, guiding her to take hold of his cock, stroking him up and down his shaft, twitching to life and hardening in her touch.
Lauren smirked and pressed kisses to his shoulder blades, taking the lead as she stroked his cock harder, squeezing him gently and listening for his short gasps and moans at her touch.
Her free hand holding his hip slipping around to squeeze his ass. "I missed this" 

Copia flinched at her squeeze, turning his head over his shoulder to look at her. " The...hah...the privacy?"
Lauren nodded " and feeling you throb at my touch"she gave him a gentle squeeze ", in my mouth" she peppered his shoulder with brief kisses " in my cunt" she whispered to him,
Copia let go of her hand and turned around to face her, his chest still covered in suds and her chest hair being swished around carelessly, "Keep your back straight" he growled as he leaned down to pick her up by her thighs and lift her off the ground, careful to balance her on hips hips and the wall,

Lauren kept her back straight and her arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer into a passionate kiss, her tongue trailed across his bottom lip, his lips paring and tongue meeting hers, She could taste the meal he'd been preparing earlier in the day on his tongue from the , just a teaser to the main meal waiting her, but that's not what she was hungry for. 

Copias adjusted his hold on her so he could still hold her up on his arms, his fingers moving forward to tickle and tease at her lips between her legs, his fingers pressing between her already soaked lips to find her clit, pressing down  on her bud and rubbing circles into her clit illiciting small gasps and moan from her. 

Sensitive from the time between intimate and private moments, especially having to carefor her pain managment, Lauren was soaked, craving his touch, craving every inch of him. She squeezed her legs around his waist and tried to push down on her hips to find him, knowing he had to be craving her just as much as she was for him.
He lined himself up with her and loosened his grip to let her sink onto him, Laurens mouth hung wide open taking long slow deep breaths 

Copia certainly wanted to be careful, watching her expressions close, committing the smile of hers to his memory, how her lip twitched as she breathed, how her brows scrunched together,   "If...if it hurts,,,say-" 

"stai zitto, Fuck me like our Ex's are watching" Lauren begged as she squeezed his hips and bounced on his cock chasing her own pleasure. 

"As you wish, Mi Amoure" 

---

"You were right" Lauren stated as she walked behind him while doing up the buttons from the shirt he discarded earlier in the day.

"Hmm?" Copia looks over his shoulder to her as he pulled a clean shirt over his mostly dry hair. 

Lauren wrapped her arms around his waist, holding her hands and resting them on his belly, "I'm starving and you brought steaming hot italian food right into our kitchen" if not a cruel trick of fate or just great timing, her stomach growled low and loud against his back . 

Copia smiled and pat her hands gently "tell me, how many Papas does it take to make a traditional Lasanga?" trying to look over his shoulder at her. 

Lauren pursed her lips and looked up, resting her chin against his back as if she were trying to come up with an actual answer "1 Papa to cook and assemble the dish, 2 Papas to complain about every little detail IN the dish, and one Papa to join his girlfriend for cuddles on the couch and watch silly documentaries together?" 

Copia chuckled and squeezed her hand "Well no, but i like that answer better" 

By the time they were appropriately dressed to be around varied company, they could hear the commotion of her friends all chattering with the ghouls and the papas, the clinks of cutlery on ceramic plates.
Not only had her friends arrived but dinner was being served already, what ever happened to the tradition of serving the hosts first?
They walked out into the lounge hand in hand to see where the everyone was at, Primo was busy serving everyone portions of lasagna, Secondo was mixing and handing out drinks, cocktails, basic drinks, what every people asked for Penny had brought her collection of liqours and mixers and juicers, both humans and ghouls were all lined up single file to wait for their portion of dinner, they couldn’t exactly make a subtle entrance as they were the only two not in line for food, so when 5 people all say “Good Evening, Papa” like they were still at school or an AA meeting, Lauren could only shut them down with “ you know this doesn’t help the fact people think we’re a cult right?” 

The table was much too small for 18 people to sit around it AND be a serving table AND a makeshift bar, so it was decided, screw the table, everyone would eat dinner in the living room space. The Ghouls had used the existing furniture to make a sort of nest with the couches and chairs positioned around the sides of the mattress, though the awkward shape of the new ‘cuddle couch’ had to be pushed to the side with the table of snacks and drinks. 

Primo and Secondo had been given the 2 armchairs off to the side with the additional legroom to relax as they needed.
Terzo took the corner of the couch sitting diagonally and stretched his legs out over the mattress to which Laura and Penny cuddled up to him, Penny sat beside him, resting against his chest, Laura comfortably leaning on his thigh, his free hand patting her head every to tousle her hair, tiny gestures of affection.
Most of the ghouls and her friends messily piled onto the mattress, tangling legs and leaning against each other , heads on shoulders, thighs, resting against legs, there seemed to be more space than anticipated while everyone was sat up to eat, having been scolded for making messes on the furniture for eating while laying down in the past.
The cuddle couch was brand new to her apartment, so Lauren and Copia would have it for herselves. Copia climbed into the circular cushion first, getting comfortable on the side of the couch as odd of a shape as it was, he moved pillows around to be as comfortable as possible, When he was happy he waved for Lauren to join him, leaning forward and holding his hands out to her
Lauren sat down on the edge of the couch to shuffle back into the couch but to her surprise, a pair of hands grabbed onto her hips and pulled her backwards on the couch without any warning, she let out a squeak of surprise and look back to Copia smirking down at her like he'd done something clever or cheeky, their plates of dinner and drinks were handed over to them by Cirrus from the side of the couch, 

Copia leads a quick grace for the meal, thankful for no fires or burned down kitchens, thankful for the company we share and for the strength not to cringe too loudly at accusations or mispronunciations so that the baby stays asleep. And for little miss to sleep peacefully and dream of all the wonderful things. With a chorus of ‘nema’ everyone dug into the lasagna. 

finished plates were piled high off to the side for cleaning later on, they all had full bellies and warm blankets, Lauren cuddled up to Copias side and pulled a mink blanket over her legs, Copia draped an arm over her shoulders while she lay over his chest, resting a hand on his belly. 

“Hey, Sodo Pass the Popcorn out” Penny called while she was tapping away at her computer to get the video to play on the TV. “oh wait, i pass the the chips” laura called, Swiss turned into a lunch lady, passing out all the different snacks among the puddle, plates of home made treats like rum caramel truffles and Palimer cookies balanced on legs and in gaps of the couch, A bowl of popcorn was handed up to her couch, Copia just rested it on his lap for them to share. Secondo and Randy came back from the balcony after sharing a cigarette carrying a jug of quickly made up Negroni sbagliato to share. “Last call to piss before the premier” Penny yelled out, Dylan and Aether peeling themselves away from the cuddle puddle to take up that opportunity. 

“if watching this is too much for you, just say something and we can stop or take a break” Lauren looked up to Copia  and gave him a small smile, it didn’t occur to her that the possibility of watching a total stranger recount the events she went through that lead her here could drum those memories back up so vividly in her imagination.
But to Copia, the day she watched back the CCTV footage was still so fresh in his mind, as if it happened yesterday, she couldn’t quite know how she’d react seeing her story in this format, so far it was just a big movie night with friends watching white girl serial killer documentaries.  

“Thank you” she whispered to him, just being in his arms like this was already a kind of intimacy that was foreign to her, especially with so many other people right there, Copia wasn’t worried about the perception of the puddle of people watching them, he leaned down to give her a gentle kiss, as always he was there to remind her that she was safe, she was loved and she was alive, What happened to her was now just a story for people to recount. 

Rain jumped up to turn the lights off and put the dishes on the counter, snuggling back in between Cirrus’s legs when Penny pressed play. 

—------------------------------------------

An overhead drone shot of a pine forest  at night faded on the screen.

“On the night of April 17th 2024, The silence and darkness of the motorway between the small towns of Bermouth and Felson was broken with an explosion. A young family were returning from a dinner with friends late in the night when their car would drive into a nearly empty petrol tanker that was hidden in the darkness and not entirely parked off the side of the road for it’s driver to take a break.
The father was able to escape the vehicle before crashing, but his sleeping wife, his newborn daughter and the driver of the truck would not survive.”

2 pictures flashed on the screen, The photo of Stanley holding a pint of beer and laughing with someone out of sight at, what looks like a party thanks to the balloons behind him. And the photo of Lauren holding Eva in her little bundle soon after she was born at the hospital, When her mum had been able to come into the room to meet her granddaughter. 

“The bodies of Lauren and Evaline Holloway and Stanley Marcus would be burned beyond recognition due to the heat of the fire, while the father would sustain minor injuries. This was initially reported as a freak accident. A few days later the small town of Bermouth would gather in their central park at the Gazebo for a public memorial for the 3 victims of this accident” 

A slow panning shot of people holding candles and pictures of the actual memorial taken by journalists started to fade over one another. 

“Friends, teachers, co workers and neighbors of the victims gathered in their masses and shared stories of their connections and memories with those who they were mourning. Local catholic Pastor, Father Henry Kirkland, began the memorial by praying for their welcome to heaven as a trio of lives taken much too soon”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It felt odd to see Father Henry on the screen again after so long, The older man in his own robes had been so kind to Lauren growing up, he was the first person Lauren tried to go to but decided against going any further when he advised her that no matter the frustrations Ethan directed towards her meant he trusted her to see this ugly side of him, that he trusted her with the stress he was facing, that she needed to be the strong pilar he could rely on when he felt weak. Father Henry was genuine in his advice, he wanted to see the best in everyone and believed that love overcame all. But it felt weird to see him while she was cuddled up to the Satanic Pope. 

“Hey Wren? Do we like him or nah?” Laura called out from Terzos embrace 

“Father Henry is a sweetheart, good guy, genuine good guy. We like him” Lauren called out, She watched as multiple heads within the cuddle puddle nodded in agreement, even Terzo and Secondo agreed - good guy . 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Father Kirkland introduced a moment of silence and reflection while a memorial video played on the screen, while the crowd was silently watching photos fade over the screen the moment takes an unexpected turn as Graphic photos and videos started showing on the screen.
Close up pictures of burns, scars and vaginal tearing, CCTV video inside someone's home of a man grabbing a woman and sexually assaulting her on the dinner table, taking pots from the stove and pressing them to her arms, grabbing her hair, picking her up and stalking down the hallway towards the master bedroom, All with the audio from those assaults playing with the video, the echos of a womans screams and begging, a Man yelling at her to shut up and hurting insults at her silenced all the gasps and murmuring of the mourning crowd before them. 

The man and woman on screen were the Surviving husband and the Burned Wife. Ethan and Lauren Holloway” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

A photo from her wedding to Ethan flashed on the screen, Ethan in his Dress shirt and tie and black dress pants. He had insisted on not wearing a jacket and wearing comfortable shoes, he didn’t want to waste money on clothes that would only be special once.
Lauren was dressed in the Chiffon A-line gown that was borrowed from a Bridesmaid and university friend , Kaitlyn, lace covering her arms and chest, her hair up in a braided bun and Veil trailing behind her, Very simple, very cheap, Very Modest.
A shiver ran down her spine seeing this photo again, Lauren tighten her grip on Copia, not wanting to leave his embrace and go back to that,
Penny looked to Lauren with sympathy “You look beautiful, Wren” 

Terzo added “But she’s not happy” not turning away from the screen, 

Terzo was right, that smile was small, practiced, she was playing the part, it should have been an exciting day, oh the things Lauren wish she could tell the bride on the screen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Narrator continued “ Someone had hacked the video footage of the memorial, the crowd shuffled around when multiple people made their wait to the gazebo, two men walked over the lit candles and proceeded in taking down the picture of Lauren and Evaleign and replacing them with other photos, of Melissa Forsyth, who passed away in 2017 from Breast Cancer and Robbie Harrison who passed in 2018 from Sudden infant death Syndrome.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lauren placed a hand on her chest in surprise, she never knew the names or even the cause of bodies put in hers and Eva's Place, They would have been from the other town over, she never knew them, 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The video cut to recreated footage as the narrator continued

“Multiple people donned in black stood guard around the stairs while a veiled woman was walked to the top of the stairs, She stood where Father henry had before and removed her veil to reveal herself, the crowd erupts into louder gasps of horror and confusion, it’s like they were all seeing a ghost, because they thought they were, Lauren Holloway stood before them, Very much alive.” 

The video cut to an intro graphic for the channel, she took a deep breath and rolled slightly to rest on her back against Copia, his arm still around her but falling over her shoulder, so she took hold of his hand.  

“Hello everyone, I hope you’re all comfortable as tonight i’m going to recount everything we know about the .. Utter CHAOS that is the crimes of Ethan Holloway, I’m not kidding this story is,,, Wacky, Now as always I have collated all sources of information for this timeline of events in a blog post in the description below, However there’s some gaps in information due to the nature where Lauren Sullen has ended up - And yes to clarify I will be calling her by her maiden name , Sullen as that was the name she was to be addressed by in the courts so i believe that is the name she’s chosen to go by, i will respect that. This is considered an ongoing case that has taken social media by storm, inciting calls to action for reviews of womens rights and people running away from domestic abuse either alone or with young children, with what you could assume is a happy ending, but we will never really know. 

Trigger warnings as always tonight include Domestic Abuse ,Cruel and unusual violence, S A , Death and Grave Robbing  - if i forgot to say anything i will indicate it on screen, I will also mention, my Wicked Watchers, Tonight i will be discussing a religious group that might have made me question many things on what i know to be true or right, It’s an absolute ‘Hear me out’ situation ok? Alright, Get Comfy my Macabre Members, Let's get right into tonight's story.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The group looked around at one another making minimal comments “Well i’m hooked” “twink needs a shave” “ I bet he likes thighs” “he’s got a voice for documentaries. Mm~” “he probably listens to the killers for fun” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Normally when I begin a retelling I start by sharing a brief backstory on those who are involved. Unfortunately very little is known to the public, 

Ethan Holloway met Lauren sullen when they both attended Bermouth High school and eventually started dating when were in university, choosing to study abroad in the UK, both attending the University of London, Ethan studied Business Management and Lauren pursued a degree in law, they both graduated and returned to their hometown of Bermouth which was when they announced they were engaged. They were married the following year in July of 2020 and moved into a 3 bedroom house within the suburbs while the two of them pursued their careers in business and administration. To the outside world, they were the ideal neighbours and newly wed couple, But since we’re talking about this seemingly sweet couple that’s clearly not the fucking case” 

Lauren purse her lips as she were impressed by the knowledge he did present, most of the photos he presented were from social media, 

“In Early January of 2021 Lauren went to the emergency department after suffering a burn to the back of her leg, Lauren claimed she had sat down on a pot she had left on the chair and forgotten about, I’m not buying it Lauren I’m sorry, considering where the burn was it’s in my opinion that Ethan took the pot and pressed it to her leg on purpose, for whatever reason, i’ll never know” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lauren nodded along and pulled her legs closer to her body.”He’s right… I made chicken instead of steak…” she mumbled , seemingly to herself but the ghouls turned to look at Lauren momentarily, resisting their collective urgest to climb up onto the couch and comfort her

~~~~~~~~~

“In the following years Lauren would seemingly become a frequent flyer for a supposed clumsy nature, burns here and there, scratches and cuts. Every Time she’d laugh it off but in hospital notes that were released due to a later court trial nurses would note down various bruises and the frequency of when Lauren would go to the emergency room.It was also noted that on multiple occasions, Lauren was asked if she believed she was in danger or being abused, every time she insisted she wasn’t, she was just clumsy.”

“November 2022, Lauren would log into her local supermarkets website to place an order for groceries as normal when she made use of the Shielded site pop up- for the safety of women in need of escape, i’m going to be very brief in this so as not to share what happens for anyone using my video to prevent someone leaving their abuser- Lauren accessed the live chat feature and created a plan to leave Ethan for the first time, When she met with the womans refuge at an undisclosed location she was taken in for a few days, she communicated with her parents, telling her mum she was going on a short holiday with some girlfriends from college. Ethan filed a missing persons report claiming that his Severely depressed and stressed wife was missing and a danger to herself, because of this her mother came forward and told them where Lauren was and who she was with, Police went to the refuge and collected Lauren, returning her to Ethan.” The Narrator let out a long sigh and broke character for one moment “Man she’s AT a women's refuge location, WHY…. I don’t know man that’s fucking stupid, ass hole abusing mental health status’s pisses me off” the story returned to photo footage of the topics he was talking about

“Lauren would go to her local catholic church seeking refuge from harm and an evil she can’t run from, and to another womans refuge the next town over, each time she would be given back to Ethan as he twisted her words and actions and what legal documents from the hospital had stated about her condition, saying she was off her pills and in an anxious state, The thing about those hospital documents though - None of them confirm a diagnosis for Depression or any psychotic or anxiety disorders, it was all Ethans charisma insisting that was something they were looking into” 

“If things didn’t feel more like prison for Lauren, like she was doomed to always be trapped in a marriage to a monster, In 2023, the doctor told Lauren she was pregnant. And things looked up, Lauren testified that during her pregnancy Ethan was in fact more careful with her, it seemed like he’d turned a new leaf knowing that his child was going to be born, Lauren didn’t go back to the hospital or the Emergency department until she experienced a ripping sensation in her belly and her water had broken but mixed in that fluid was bright..red..blood and this happened at 32 weeks pregnant, Lauren had experienced a Placental abruption which is where the Placenta prematurely detaches from the uterine wall which is a serious condition that is life threatening to both mum and bub” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Copias hand squeezed her shoulder as a shiver ran down his spine thinking he could never have met either of them if things had gone differently. Lauren looked back to him and gently rubbed her hand up and down his arm “ it’s good news i promise” she whispered to him,
Copia nodded, he pulled her to lay across his chest in his arms, a bit awkward but he felt better holding her close to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“However despite the serious circumstances, Lauren gave birth to a healthy baby girl, 6 pounds and 2 ounces, on February 10th 2023. That they named Evaline-”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Evaleigne” everyone in the puddle mumbled, correcting the narrator

The screen showed pictures of Eva seconds old, minutes and hours old, her squishy and bloodied itty bitty body wrapped up in hospital towels all wrinkly and bruised. Everyone in the room let out a collective “Awww” Copia squeezed her in his and leaned down to kiss the side of her head “she’s beautiful” 

“She looks like a wrinkly old man, grumpy, she's been ripped from her warm room, now it’s all cold, ‘put me back’ “ Lauren chuckled, and looked up to Copia,
who looked back to the baby on the screen “oh yeah, she does look like an old man, heh” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Now Normally when you have a baby, new parents will ask people to wait for the first week they are home to really bond with baby and learn like how this tiny human they’ve been left alone with acts since they don’t exactly come with a manual, it’s becoming more common where entitled grandparents show up wanting to see the baby and think the rules don't apply to them. I don’t know i don’t have kids, Actually it seemed the Holloways were doing the opposite, Hosting dinner parties every other night with family  and friends and coworkers, neighbours reported that people seemed to be coming over quite often, based off information given in later testimonies it can only be assumed that Ethan Holloway was inviting friends and family over to meet the baby and be praised for what a great father he was, CCTV footage during these events show that Lauren was left to cook food and care for the baby while Ethan took care of the host duties. Aka Mum did all the work, Dad had all the fun. “

The video started showing more recreation footage with actors who were dressed up to look the part, the ‘lauren’ was shown cooking in the kitchen with a stroller beside her , must have indicated baby was nearby, the actor ‘Ethan’ walks in in a suit and leans over her shoulder looking at what she was working on

“Now couples have often waited a while before the birth of their child due to anxieties of harming the baby or causing premature labour, but once the baby is born some couples are just so excited they want to just share the love right away. It’s advised to wait 6 weeks after giving birth before the mother has sex with penetration. Ethan couldn’t wait that long, Lauren has reported that she was able to satisfy her husbands needs for the first 3 weeks with other methods” 

The actors kiss and embrace, his hands reaching down and comedically grabbing her but, lifting her up and putting her on the counter, the ‘lauren’ actor protested and put her hands on his chest to tell him to stop 

“But Ethan Holloway wasn’t a patient man”

The actor Ethan picked up actor Lauren and walked out of the room, Lauren was kicking her legs and clinging to him, leaving the stroller behind in the kitchen.

“Lauren experienced tearing in her perineum due to the friction and aggravation of his force from the forceful penetration.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Copia rubbed her shoulder gently to get her attention “Breath, Mi Amore, Penny Pause the video” Copia called out, all eyes turned to look at Lauren,
When he snapped Lauren from watching the video as though it was a memory being projected for everyone to see, she became acutely aware she’d been tensing her jaw, clenching her fists and her muscles, falling back into the memory her body had of the want to fight and to protect itself even if her conscious mind was otherwise fine.
Lauren relaxed her jaw to drop open and to take a deep breath in but managed a stuttered breath as if she were holding back tears. 

“Do you want to stop?” Cirrus called out  “we can stop if it’s too much, doll”

Shaking her head and shaking out the tense sensation from her body “ I didn’t know I was doing that, I’m ok, really”
Copia kept a hand on her back, watching her every move.
Terzo looked around the ghouls on the floor “Aether, Are you able to offer Lauren your Quintessence”
Aether whipped his head around and nodded “ Yes, Papa, Come on Luss, Get up, go hold Rain he needs it” Having to peel himself away from the ghoulette and from the rest of the ghouls to go sit beside Lauren on the couch
Rain didn’t deny it, though he couldn’t hide the blush flaring across his cheeks as Cumulus rolled over and pulled Rain into her chest. 

“Aether you don’t need to-”
“Papa’s orders Mama” Aether sat down on the other side of the couch and picked up her leg to rest it on his, looking back to Lauren with a sympathetic smile, it wasn’t hard to tell he wasn’t happy learning what she’d gone through, let alone seeing it, he would have gotten up even if Terzo hadn’t ordered him too.
“You might as well get comfy then, you’re blocking the view” she pat her thighs as she lean back into Copias embrace, looking back to Copia and whispering “you ok with this?” 

“Ofcourse, you’re not the only one who can benefit from a ghouls protection right now” Copia mumbled, his arms dropping to wrap around her waist and rest his hand on her thigh,
Aether grinned, shuffling to lay down and rest his head on her legs, also wrapping an arm around her waist so he could allow for the optimal sharing of his quintessence,
When Aether was comfortable, she rest a hand on his head, playing with his hair “Thanks Aether” 

“Careful, he’ll start purring” 

“Shut up Sodo” 

Copia rolled his eyes and nodded to Penny,
The video resumed at the end of the scene. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“On April 15th, Ethan Holloway is out with his friends to watch the Football game with friends. At 1:17am, Lauren packed up only the essentials, some clothes, cash,passport and birth certificates, toiletries, and the contents of a diaper bag, scooped up her 2 month old and slipped the sleeping baby into a wrap, leaving behind her phones or any devices she could be tracked with, and left out the back door.

She went up the road to a laundromat and used the payphone to call for a taxi” 

The audio of her phone call was played with captions

“Combined taxis, Can I get a name please?”

“Uh, Laura, my names Laura”

“Ok Laura, where are you at the moment?” 

“I’m..on the corner of Haco Drive and Kenneth Way” 

“Got it, and where are you going?”

“The Satanic Ministry”

"I'm sorry, Where?"

"The Satanic Ministry, Please" 

"Are you sure dear? It's a private property-"

"I'll pay whatever and more to get there, please, I just need to go there, I have nowhere else that would take me Please, I need to get away" I had to beg in a hushed whisper, unable to hide the desperation and fear. " I'm doing this for my daughter she's only 2 months old"

There was a moment of silence before a long sigh

"Alright. Well, A car will come to meet you in 7 minutes. Will you be safe until then?" 

"I should be, Thank you"

“You heard that right, Lauren, going under a false name, called a taxi to take her to the Satanic Ministry located up in the mountains above her little town.”

Google maps images shows photos of the building from the town below 

“Locals had assumed that the mysterious building was a historical manor that had been left abandoned and wasn’t a safe place to go. Rumors spread that the building was a meeting spot for satanist or cult members. But this truth was actually the very opposite, it’s unknown how Lauren came to know that the building was the Satanic ministry.
Why would a new mother risk taking her new born baby to the home of Satanists? Was Lauren experiencing severe postpartum depression? No, She was desperate.” 

“Let’s briefly talk about the Satanic Ministry, Now, I’m unable to confirm if the Satanic ministry is like that of the vatican where small buildings and temples are dedicated to their religious service, the Satanic Temple based in Salem, Massechusets, has the only reliable website with information. So please take this information with a grain of salt.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“This might be a problem” Terzo mumbled to himself
“Mmm, That website is not one we manage directly, so it may be specific to the american sects “ Secondo added
Copia nodded “ They are quite independent but they haven’t severed connections” 

“ The Satanic Temples state Their mission is to encourage benevolence and empathy among all people, reject tyrannical authority, advocate practical common sense, oppose injustice, and undertake noble pursuits.
Now, I don’t know about you but that doesn’t sound like what people expect from those who call themselves satanists. No talk of inciting chaos or riots, serve cthulu or bringing the Anti-christ to our world” 

“Cause Cthulu is fiction, Stronzo” Secondo called, everyone in the puddle started to giggle 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“As it turns out, Most of what we have been raised to believe about Satan and his followers is actually wrong, words and stories twisted to fit the narrative and incite fear of the unknown, Much like how her parents would tell you not to swallow her gum or it’d clump up in her belly and would take a week for it to pass. That’s just not true.
Now if you take a look at the satanic tenets that they live by, you can see that they call for bodily autonomy and acting in accordance with their best scientific evidence. In fact their most public mission in the United states at this time is to oppose making abortion a crime. They even have the Protect Children Project to support children who are abused in the public school system by the school officials, the current law deems that abuse as legal.” 

“While the Christian church has the queen..sorry the King of England leading the Christian church and Catholics have Pope Francis, The Satanic Temple is lead by Papa Emeritus the fourth “ 

A picture of Copia in his full regalia flashed on the screen, the siblings cheered all excited not only because their Papa was on screen, but because this guy had really done some good research  

“Papa Emeritus the fourth, as it suggests, is the fourth man in the 21st century to take up the miter as the leader of the Satanic Ministry. Papa Emeritus has been in power since 2018, before him, 3 of his siblings were in power before him. Instead of voting in a Cardinal through a conclave voting process, this seems to be a familial bloodline much like the English Monarchy. And if any of these guys look familiar, it’s likely because you’ve seen them as the front men of the 80s Glam Rock and Metal Band - Ghost -” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Oh man here we go” Copia let out a long sigh and leaned on the side of this couch to hide his face,
The crowd on the ground below them started giggling knowing any of the possibilities of what could be shown.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Ghost are a Grammy award winning band that tours around the world performing at their rituals, they’ve opened for Metalica in 2019, released 5 Studio albums of original music, 2 Live Albums, and 3 Cover albums where they have covered songs from past legendary bands such as Iron Maiden, Depeche Mode, Echo and the Bunnyman, and even Tina Turner, and If you ask me, this music is si-ck, Imma fan i wanna see these guys play when are they coming back i gotta see them. And they seem to get up to some crazy antics on stage.”

Multiple clips from past rituals of the ghouls and Copia AND Terzo bouncing around and acting all goofy played side by side, Terzo falling off stage multiple times, Copia dancing around, Swiss acting as he was hungry and ready to pounce, Sodo and Aether or Rain throwing picks at themselves.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
The siblings and ghouls erupted into laughter while Copia turned his head way, hiding his face from the screen “That’s it, i’m banning phones” 

Lauren wiggled in his arms “why? How else would I see you helicopter her finger around like that or feeling up my nanny??” She smirked, leaning into him. 

Copia looked down to her with a slightly annoyed look but quickly turned to a smile “I guess you’re right”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I’d go back to church if I knew my Pope was this entertaining,” the narrator stated. 

“From there, we can only assume that the building was in fact very much not abandoned but lived in and loved in, because Lauren and Evaline disappeared.
In the Past, Ethan has filed missing persons reports but this time…Ethan continues going to work, seeing his friends, seeing his family, never had His wife or his baby with him, saying they were just too tired, until he tells his parents they’re going out of town for the day to see have dinner with a friend in the town of Felson. Really, Ethan has spent the next 10 days locating a private cemetery and dug up the bodies of Melissa and Little Robbie, He covered their bodies with blankets in his family car and made his way to the Pidgeon Spit Bakery and Bar - a little pit stop for long journeys, this is where Ethan would meet and subsequently doom a local Trucker - Stanley Marcus - Ethan spiked Stanleys drink with a strong Sedative medication , when Stanley noted he wasn’t feeling right, he made the decision to go back to his trust and go to sleep. Unaware he wouldn’t wake up.
Ethan had helped Stanley to his truck and helped him in, playing the good samaritan for the trucker who’d had one too many. In reality Ethan drove the truck back up the highway into a spot on the road with no street lights and no thoroughfare to act as witness. Once he was picked his crime scene, Ethan took the unconscious Stanley and positioned him to look as though he’d passed out at the wheel and he left the truck on the side of the road, Ethan hitch hiked with a kind farmer who picked him up back to the Pidgeon Spit to collect his car and return back up the road to enact his twisted farce. Ethan sped back down the other side of the highway and back towards the truck, When the tail lights of the truck came into view, Ethan turned the car towards the truck, unstrapped himself and quickly tucked and rolled out of the car off the side of the road and down the bank to safety as his family car speeds at 110 kilometers per hour into the back of the petrol tanker, causing an explosion that would send a shockwave out as far as 5 miles away. The scene was engulfed in flames, setting trees nearby on fire and burning the 3 bodies to an unrecognisable state.” 

“Police and firefighters were called to the scene within the hour, sending multiple cars and even the Felson Fire Departments Helicopter to the scene to try to control the flames to prevent a raging forest fire. 3 hours later the first stories were breaking that a tragic accident had taken place, Reaching as far as the United Kingdom.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The ghouls and herself went silent watching the recounting of this story, Mountain, from his spot in the puddle, reached up and over the cushion of her couch to find her leg, placing his hand on her ankle to ground himself, even though he’d seen this damage himself, he too could still remember the heat on the trees and in the soil, creatures burning and the smell from dried grass and gasoline, he still associated those smells with that accident, still wondered if Ethan would have done that to She before She’d had the smarts to run. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The names were released and the public mourned on social media, sharing their grief, their shock and their memories online. This is what leads us to the public memorial. 

Like I said , The local townspeople gathered at sunset to hold a memorial for the victims of the crash. There was a video, Video gets hacked, people charge the stage, Boom oh my god, It’s Lauren Sullen She’s Alive! And that’s where we are at, Got it? No? Go back to the start of the video for a detailed recap. “

A screen with a title card flashed on the screen “All the following footage is real, from social media and news reporting websites and used with permission and according to the fair use act “

~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Oh Lord, they’ve got recordings of that?” Aether called. No one else was surprised,
~~~~~~~~~~~~

The video cut to footage from mobile phones recording the reactions of the crowd 

her voice echoes from the tv “" I am Lauren Sullen, My Daughter, Evaleigne, is very much alive. I was not in the car when Ethan Holloway drove my car into the back of a parked gasoline tanker." The sounds of Ethan cursing her out and Aether incapacitating Ethan as she continued to address the crowd. Recorded in portrait mode for someone's spicy social media feed. 

“Lauren revealed to those who gathered to mourn her and her daughter that she and her daughter were alive, that Ethan had drugged and killed Stanley Marcus, and desecrated the bodies of Melissa and Robbie, Lauren also revealed the only foundation that actually took care of her was in fact the Satanic Ministry, those men who are standing guard around her are members of the ministry, no idea as to their identity, their faces don't’ actually match any known database, As Lauren made mention of the Satanic Ministry  being the one she ran to, Papa Emeritus the 4th reveals himself from the shadows in his papal robes and miter, not Standing behind Lauren and letting her make the moves. Not once did he speak up as she gave her speech and Ethan Holloway grew increasingly unstable and fueled by rage when he shouted at her “bitch, you’re still my wife” Lauren was just DONE with this guy, you know? She was just done with his antics, She took off her wedding ring and threw it down at Ethan and called out "I said my vows" until death do us part"....and you murdered me"  /oooooooooooooo How Bad ass is THAT! Props to you lauren” 

The video footage played from different angles, the visage of Copia walking in from the shadows behind her, hanging on her shoulder, footage of Ethan being held down on his knees, her parents crying, it felt like a distant memory from other people's perspectives or even a distant dream. 

“This was when the police stepped in to take Ethan Holloway into custody. As it turns out, Lauren and the Satanic congregation had worked with local authorities to facilitate this surprise arrest, Lauren has previously stated her plan was to lay in waiting for when Ethan dug himself a deep enough hole , i assume she means about a big enough hole for the public to pity him and fall for his behaviour.

From here not much is known until the trial began in January of 2025 when the court case began. Law commentators like Emily D Baker covered the court proceedings that were being live streamed via the courthouses website, explaining to her watchers some of the jargon and techniques the defence were using, as well as commenting on any dirty tricks, this introduced the case to a wider audience in the united states of america. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The screen started to show live streamed footage of the court case over multiple static angels 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

At first Holloway was present in the Felson Court house for the proceedings and testimonies given for the events of the abuse and eventual Faking of her death and the murder of Stanley Marcus.
That is until Lauren took the stand to give her testimony of events, Lauren was still surrounded by the security from the Satanic Ministry even if they were subject to sitting in the gallery, The defenses Lawyer, Councilor Martin, was cross examining Lauren Sullen when his client, Ethan lost his shit and started screaming and yelling at his lawyer, attempts were made to get Holloway to calm down but holloway reached for the court bailiffs belt, Grabbing his gun and pointing it at his estranged wife, Quick as a flash, Holloway pulled the trigger and the gallery burst into Panic and chaos. 

Now, because it happened so fast the live stream couldn’t exactly stop the stream before the gun was pulled and the shot was taken, which does unfortunately mean footage from that stream has had to be pulled from streaming, but it’s not lost media since it’s well known that law commentators at least have recordings of the fateful shot.

Back to sketches and generic b roll of a hospital 

“Lauren was hit in the shoulder and was admitted to hospital to remove the bullet and hide the infection, however Lairen was stronger than a stray bullet, She made it through and continued to appear in person at the courthouse, But Holloway would only appear on the tv screen, attending via Zoom after he was deemed too dangerous and unstable.”
You’d think " shouldn't that just confirm a guilty verdict and be done with it?”  Yeah…that was my thoughts as well, but in fact- heh…No. No, they proceeded with the trial after one week of recess to ensure their main witness for the prosecution was alive, if bandaged up and her arm stuck in a sling.  ” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Oh yeah, how did that heal?” Copia tugged at the sleeve of his shirt to try reveal the bumpy scar on her shoulder but just tugged at the buttons, pulling them against her neck, Lauren pretended to gag as the collar pulled against her neck 

“Papa, Save stripping and choking Lauren for the bedroom please” Aether called from his relaxed position on her lap

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Holloway appeared via video calling and was eventually muted due to his unpredictable interruptions of screaming profanities at his lawyer and his estranged wife.
It was during this ‘second half’ of the court case that the leader of the Ministry where Sullen had run away with her daughter was questioned on her state of mind and condition when she arrived at their property, as they were the ones to undertake the examination of Laurens body the day after she arrived there, so all those images shown at the memorial were from them, It was Papa Emeritus the fourth who took the stand to comment on the events leading to and after Sullens arrival, swearing under oath that Sullen had not been hypnotized by any of the satanic congregation to bring her newborn to the ministry for any sort of sacrifice as Holloways lawyer was trying to suggest.

It was also in this testimony that we learned through some dirty trickery on the defences part that Papa Emeritus shared affections for Ms Sullen, and based on the surprise evidence that seems to have not been shared with the prosecution so really it should have been thrown out but I digress, 

This surprise evidence showed security camera footage of Papa Emeritus and Lauren Sullen walking together by a lake where they embrace and share a sweet kiss.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Both of her faces went bright red as the pile of ghouls and siblings started whooping and cheering, The other Papas just shared a knowing look to the 2 of them across the living room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I gotta step up my game, Damn, Papa, you takin’ wards? My girlfriend wants me to know”  the narrator tugged at his collar on screen “ Needless to say this shocked and surprised anyone watching the live streams, but you know what, Go them. Everyone should be able to learn to love again even after a traumatic event.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Copia rolled his eyes and leaned back in the chair, bringing her back with him “ We’re not going to be able to get rid of that footage are we…” 

“Nope” Lauren mumbled, she turned her head to smile up at him “ it’s fine though, it was our first date after all, I don’t really want to forget it” 

Copia looked down at her with a smile, his hand lifting up to rest on her forehead  as he leaned down to kiss the top of her head, 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Holloways Lawyer was trying to use this to discredit any testimony Papa Emeritus gave and suggested there was a conflict of interest in him giving any testimony - but the Judge quickly dismissed this from the record. As they really should. I just hope that Lauren and Papa Emeritus are better for one another, they actually look happy there, I hope he’s better for her” 

Security camera footage from the breaks between court sessions of Lauren talking with Copia and the glamoured up ghouls surrounding them, the little arm touches, leaning into talk to one another over the barrier, even news reports with him walking behind Lauren as they would leave the courthouse with Copia hovering a hand behind her back like a bodyguard would. Ending on a slow motion clip from the daily journal of Lauren and Copias very public kiss outside of the courthouse 

~~someone from the cuddle puddle let out a wolf whistle, unconfirmed if this was edited in or if a ghoul would just never admit to it~

“It wasn’t long after this dirty trick that the prosecution and the defense rested their cases, the jury retired to deliberate and the very same day, they returned with a unanimous decision that Ethan Holloway was guilty on ever charge, the judge gave Holloway 3 life sentences to be served consecutively,”

As the narrator is explaining all of this, footage of various news reports and the celebrations inside the courtroom played one after another.
One clip in particular showed Lauren and Tanya's face reacting as the verdict were given, Laurens tight and focused face, watching as though she wasn’t breathing, if it weren’t for Tanyas tapping her nails on the desk it could easily have been confused as a still picture. But the second they relaxed, Tanyas bright smile and celebration, Lauren relaxing, letting out a long deep breath, her eyes shut, her shoulders dropping in relief.
While behind the both of them fist pumping and silent celebration and movement from her team behind her.

“ that means one after the other where concurrently would mean he’d be serving those 3 sentences at the same time, not in this case, once one sentence comes to an end the next one would begin. So Holloway will be in prison for at least 75 years until he would be eligible for parole. And celebrations weren’t just in the courtroom” 

A montage of people reacting joyously on live streams, youtube videos, all individually smiling, fist pumping in the air, clapping, jumping for joy, all of these people no one in this room knew were celebrating with them from their own places on the globe. Photos of groups of people holding up signs saying #justice for Stanley, We stand with Lauren and Eva, Never again, all supportive phrases, 

Lauren tried to count how many people were on the screen as they flashed by, but when she hit 30, she’d lost count as her eyes began to blur and the tears started to fall down her cheeks. All of these strangers cheering her on.

“Because of the international attention, Advocates and victims rights groups have been very vocal and using this story to reignite the fight for better protection for victims of domestic violence as well as reinforcing the need for authorities to take immediate action as soon as help is called upon, and not after physical action and harm has taken place. Because as we can see from Laurens case, just because someone isn’t saying something…it doesn’t mean nothing is happening” 

The screen faded to black but quickly popped up to credits scrolling past “At this point, Ethan Holloway was shipped off to Solitary confinement and there has been no updates on Lauren, it seems she’s taken advantage of her privacy, we don’t know if she’s living with the ministry or if she’s found a new home to raise her daughter, but I will remind you all, the ladies, the families and the professionals involved in this case, i will add no matter your religious views! please respect their privacy, Don’t go and hassle them online, and just be good people. Cheers everyone, Goodnight” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everyone relaxed as the video came to an end, all making their own comments “wow” “that wasn’t actually that bad” “I still would” as if they were all going to end up writing reviews for a movie, a pair of ghouls getting up from the puddle to start off with the dishes, Secondo and randy making their way to the balcony for a cigarette each.
But Aether wasn’t moving from Lauren's lap, and Copia was content holding her on their new little cuddle couch, Lauren reached over towards the box of tissues, Aether reached forward and grabbed the box, holding it up to lauren for her to snatch a couple and wipe her eyes 

“Are you ok?” Copia mumbled, reaching forward and taking the box from Aether 

“Yeah… I didn’t expect that they’d do recreations or they’d have the actual phone calls, made it all very real again you know?” Lauren dabbed at her eyes and quickly blew her nose 

Copia sat up , trying not to jostle Lauren around too much. He leaned in to kiss her cheek and rub her shoulder “I’m proud of you for making it through that though.” 

“Proud? For watching a video?” she giggled. Looking down at the massive ghoul with his arms around her hips and legs and showing no signs of letting go , not trusting she would be ok on her own, Lauren ruffled the hair on top of Aether's head between his horns. 

“I’m proud you were able to watch it all the way through, it’s like facing the reality of your past” Copia rubbed her back gently “first time you watched that footage, i-....sister told me you “

“You could hear me bawling down the hall “ Lauren mumbled, turning into him and giving him a sad smile “ I know…”

Copia sighed, ducking his head down to give Lauren a quick kiss,
Lauren dropped a hand on Copias thigh and placed a hand on his cheek, holding him in for a longer kiss. “Hey… The only way we’re going to experience that from now on is through tv screens and therapy” 

Copia let out a quick laugh, pulling her back to lay on his chest again “You’re right, it’s just tv stories now” 

Lauren lay back into his chest like the beginning, resting against his side and laying her head over his heart, her hand dropping back into Aethers hair “I think he’s fallen asleep” 

Copia chuckled and pursed his lips “I guess there’s no other way around it, we’re stuck here” stretching his free hand up and behind his head to follow suit “big guys got a good idea” 

Lauren and Copia cuddled up together watching the siblings and ghouls going around tidying up, Cumulus and Dew checking up on Eva in her nursery. Penny shuffled over the couch to try to show Lauren just how many videos had been made on their story, as well as how many live streams were done of them. Mostly to share the stupid click bait thumbnails that screenshots from the Call me little sunshine music video with the AI lookin devil holding a baby with a halo and the title ‘Devil saved my baby???’ 

The relaxed and chill atmosphere would soon be shattered with the thumping sounds of fast and heavy foot falls and the shouts of for PAPASS, all 4 Papas whipped their heads to the front door, Dylan walked to open the front door and called the sibling in “DUDE They’re here! Don’t wake the baby!” Dylan held the door open as Sibling walked into the apartment holding up a piece of paper, folding over on his knees, very out of breath. Secondo tossed his cigarette over the balcony and walked across the apartment to the sibling “Gregory, Catch your breath, why the panic” Secondo snatched the paper from his hand and patted the siblings back, looking at the page “What am i looking at?” 

“What is it?” Terzo called. 

“It’s a screenshot from the prison, he’s sat in his cell like he’s been for the last 6 days” Secondo held up the page, waiting for Gregory to finally give him an answer.
Dylan shut the door and grabbed the first cup of liquid from a table and handed it to Gregory, Gregory caught his breath and stood up “ half an hour ago..Medics were called to Holloways Cell due to self inflicted abuse” 

“And this requires panic and my attention why?” Secondo slapped 

“Our software is indicating another being in that image” 

Notes:

ALSO - I made the appartment, Lauren and Eva in the sims 4 cause i was suuuuuuuuuuper bored! This is just how i've been picturing the apartment to look like for the 3 of them

https://www.tumblr.com/listenuplillith/779241633499725824/respite-in-the-sims-4

Chapter 29: Stay with me till sunrise

Summary:

With the revelation that an unknown force is preying on Ethan within his solitary cell, the Papas can't trust their ghouls to be honest or even trust they know what to do further.
Copia knows one way to keep Lauren distracted from further harm.

Notes:

I'm so sorry this took me so long, April just got away from me so long and then it was my birthday oh my goodness! BUT
I've started up a discord for Ghost FF Writers if anyone is looking for a community of writers to come together - jump on my tumblr ListenUpLillith for the link :D the wonderful @discountdemonwarehouse and I are both mods and it's creative chaos! :D

Both Terzo and Copia sat up in their chairs hearing the revelation from the unexpected visitor and news that an unseen force was present with the lump of human being they monitored purely to make sure he didn't expire prematurely, atleast before they could decide his eternal fate. 
Terzo pat the girls who were resting on his shoulders “Sorellas, Please” his attention was needed elsewhere. 
Copia dropped his hand from Laurens shoulder and mumbled to her “Wake up Aether” turning around in the chair to look back at what Secondo was doing. The two papas could only assume based on the urgency from the informant sibling that something had to have happened with the revelation that  . 

Lauren leaned down and gently shook Aethers shoulders “Hey big guy, Wakey wakey” trying to gently wake him from his snooze, 
“That’s not gonna work mama, try this” Rain reached behind him and grabbed phantoms foot, pulling the sock off his toes “Hey!” 

“Hold on a minute” Rain tossed the sock in front of Aethers face, a couple small snores later and he began to stir trying to get away from the sock “uh…ew…Oh… What the fuck?” Aether swatted away the sock from his face, bapping laurens foot in the process “Oh shit sorry”
Lauren just laughed, sat in disbelief that that worked “It’s fine , you didn’t miss much” 

Gregory pulled out his phone and pulled up the actual video clip on his phone,
Secondo leaned in, taking the phone from him, zooming in on the image “ What in Satan's armpit is going on …” he groaned “Does this phone uh…coast? Um.. uh..zoom…uh…play on the …TV? Persephone!” he called out to Penny on the couch . 

“Yes, Papa Secondo” she hung over the couch, secondo handed her the phone. Making the phone screen record to the living room TV. everyone turned their attention back to the TV. Those standing up were crowding around the backs of the couches. 

On the screen was a recording of a black and white CCTV footage from inside a solitary prison cell from the south east corner, In the center of the cell was the visage of Ethan sat cross legged on the west side of the cell, when Penny hit play,
Ethan sat still for a few seconds before he threw his head into the wall of his cell…over …and over…

“What the fuck?” 
“He’s Lost it!” 

“No no no wait, Sorella restart it” Terzo waved to Penny as he leaned forward on the couch, leaning his elbows on his knees,
The video starts again with all the ghouls and papas watching intently as Ethans head hit the wall over and over “La!” Terzo called, pointing to the screen,
Copia shuffled away from Lauren and sat on the end of the couch, sitting in front of Lauren. “Lo vedo” Copia called. 

Lauren shuffled up behind copia and wrapped an arm around his waist leaning on his from behind, Copia put a hand on Laurens but didn’t look back to her 

Primo growled “Fratelli, dove sono i vostri ghoul?” pulling his phone from his pocket “Randal, Would you go watch over piccola sognatrice, Please?” Randy came in from the balcony and headed to the balcony 

Dew grabbed Randy's shoulder and stopped him in his tracks and walking ahead “Not smelling like that you’re not, Stinking of tobacco, dumb ass” 

Primo pointed to Dew and raised his voice, not from anger but panic “Non lascerai questa stanza” Dew froze in his place looking at Papa Primo who has never raised his voice to him, Dew looked around to you, unsure of how to react,
Lauren waved to Laura, assuming that it was just the ghouls needing to be in this room. “Laura, Love, would you go sit with Eva please”
Laura nodded and headed into the nursery, shutting the door behind her.  

Terzo pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it over to Penny, taking the phone from her hands and swapping it with his “Could you the ‘Ghouls’ group chat and send vieni da me.  Grazie mille Bella” . 

Second pulled out his phone, typing away furiously “Lauren, cognata, It’s about to get very crowded in here” 

“What is going on?!” Lauren looked around between the 3 other Papas , Terzo observing the screens frame by frame , Primo typing slowly, Secondo typing fast, none of them acknowleding or answering her question.

Copia looked around pointing and counting all his ghouls who were present “Ghouls and ghoulettes, Stand together, Who’s not here?”

“La! Cara, look there” Terzo pointed to the screen, Penny handed him back the phone “Grazie Bella”
Lauren looked to the screen to see a shadow on the floor of the cell that wasn’t seen before, a hunched over figure with an arm stretched out connecting to Ethan's head, the figure looked humanoid, but wasn’t visible on the screen. “That doesn’t look like any of the ghouls, what’s going on?”  

“It could be the angle” Copia mumbled to her, “Who’s in Italy?” 

“Aurora” the ghouls all replied as they stood together in front of the mattress, waiting patiently.

Copia dropped his shoulders “ She’s a good girl, she’ll be there” he stated he took hold of Laurens hand again and laced his fingers between hers, leaning back into Lauren to explain to her “Ethans not doing that voluntarily. He’s being attacked by a creature of ghoul kind, but that’s just happened, and this lot have been here the whole time “ 

Lauren rested her head on Copias shoulder, looking to Swiss first as he was watching the screen, then away from the ghouls, to the shadow on the screen, then down “You’re ruling out other ghouls' involvements first?”  

“Exactly” Copia sighed, he knew his ghouls would have reported if they’d felt or noticed any sort of summoning, but nothing had been reported this entier day. “My brother's ghouls may be slightly more um… unnerving at first impression, they’re…older beings, especially Primos” 

Lauren raised a brow, normally the ghouls looked like steam punky…divers..in their masks, how could they get any more unnerving? 

Secondo grabbed a blanket from the couch and handed it back to Gregory “drop this in front of the nursery door “ Gregory took the blanket and dropped it on the floor, kicking it against the gap between the door, 

Penny sniffed and looked to the kitchen as something caught her attention first “did you guys start cooking something? I smell smoke” 

“Oh yeah… the big entrances…” Copia rolled his eyes, pressing down on Laurens hand to keep her still
Lauren heard the word smoke and stretched up to look into the kitchen, she could indeed see thick black smoke floating around in the kitchen, yet none of the papas or ghouls jumped into action. “What the fuck? What’s burning?” Lauren tried to jump up from her spot in a panic, the rush twinged her ribs “AH” she yelped and immediately sat back down behind Copia,
Copia turned to wrap an arm around her “Ah ah… where did it hurt?” looking to here she held under the left side of her ribs
Lauren looked at him so confused “Copia somethings bu-....” She froze as she saw the smoke quickly climbing and condensing together into 5 figures in hooded robes and black molded masks standing behind Secondo as he leaned over the back of the couch, Similar to the cardinal uniforms with their capelets and long black robes, Matching black Fascia in front of their robes all with different with one of multiple elemental symbols - earth, air, fire, water, and quintessence respectively, each adorned with large silver grucifixes hanging from their necks. 

Secondo shook his head “Forgive me, Cara, I neglected to inform them to just use the fucking door.” he growled those last 2 words not looking back over his shoulder “paenitet nos” all 5 voices called
“hai bruciato qualcosa?” he called
“No Papa”
“Allora non hai nulla di cui scusarti. “
“Gratias tibi ago, Papa”
“Lauren, Are you alright , Cara?” Secondo called “Ghouls, Lauren, Lauren, My Ghouls” he waved over his shoulder doing a very quick introduction, 

“Uh.. yeah just a shock, Sorry..if..I offended you all, I wasn’t expecting…to see-Are they speaking Latin?” Lauren looked to Copia, when he said Older beings, she wasn’t expecting ancient language beings.
Copia laughed and took her hand in his again, “Si, Primos do as well” 

“I got my ghouls a family plan for Duo Lingo so they speak English don’t worry” Terzo called, not breaking his focus on the screen. 

“So why did I text them in Italian?” Penny asked 

“You can do more than one language on Duo Lingo, Bella” Terzo chuckled, “ but the green parrot could only teach them so much, you might want to sit with Lauren for a minute” Terzo patted her thigh.

The lights around the lounge and kitchen started to flicker, going out entirely, the room briefly only lit by the glow of the TV screen. As the lights turned back on, Primos chair was surrounded by 5 more Ghouls, Dressed in what looked like Medieval designed robes, blank faces, the same big grucifixes, but the black robes were detailed in the front to a pointed diamond, almost like the bottom of a fleur de lis. It looked as though Primo was surrounded by 5 identical executioners. The lack of faces and identical heights and appearances sent a shiver down Laurens spine, no visible eyes, and yet it felt like all 10 eyes would have been watching her.
Lauren held onto Copias shirt, something about their presence made her feel uneasy so she shuffled further behind Copias torso.
Copia squeezed Laurens hand again and quickly looked down to her as she shuffled back "you're safe" a quick reminder, hopefully just to reassure her. 

Lauren looked around the room for any kind of signs for what Terzos ghouls could have in mind for their entrance, Terzo was known for his flare for the dramatic, Lauren tried to brace herself for the couches lifting from under them, or the TV to come to life and them climb out of the screen, Photos to drop to the ground and materialize from that. 

The door to the apartment opens suddenly once again, Lauren jumped into Copias back, clinging onto his side and yelped looking around behind her. 

“Tell us where you’re fuckin at next time, Papa”, a voice very similar to (and just as angry as) Dews called as 6 Ghouls filed in through the front door like they lived here, they were all dressed in black slacks, White spats, black button up shirts with grucifixes embossed into the velvet faux waistcoats, and the familiar Silver moulded face masks she’d seen on Copias ghouls a few times in the past.

“You literally have a psychic GPS signal on me, How could you get that wrong?” Terzo shouted as he tried to zoom in on the screen 

“Papa Copias Apartment is down the hall, that’s where we go in this wing.” a voice similar to but slightly deeper than Aether called

 “ oh shit family reunion” the other Dew clone called, the silver sassy ghouls walked in as casually as though they were late to a party, walking behind Lauren and Copia and walking up to Copias ghouls, most of the ghouls greeting their twin voices like old friends, maybe brothers? 

“Ghouls can you sit please I’m trying to figure out who’s in trouble” Terzo called. “Lauren, quick intro “ he pointed out to the ghouls one by one “That’s Alpha, Omega, he’s bigger” he smirked then looked back to the screen “Mist, Ifrit, and Ivy," One by one the ghouls whos names were called out waved as they were acknowledged.
The mattress was suddenly filled as Copia and Terzos ghouls all sat down on the king sized mattress, the Aether sibling sat beside Terzo, towering over him “What are we lookin at, Boss?” Terzo let out a huff quickly counting all his ghouls, 24 ghouls in attendance, 1 ghoul not here but accounted for….that's all of the ghouls 

“Ghouls” Copia called, Falling into his a sat up position to look to Papa as he addressed the new arrivals “Thank you all for joining us on short notice, We have been informed of an event off ministry grounds taking place which implies ghoul involvement, The woman behind me is Lauren Sullen, you will be sensing another unfamiliar juvenile presence , that is Evaleign, a 1 year old girl in the room behind you, She is Lauren's Daughter. Lauren is my partner, she is my beloved and She is to be protected and respected as such” Copia ordered, The ghouls all nodded along “ OK, the man on the screen is Laurens ex husband who inflicted domestic and sexual violence on her for over 8 years, he is now in prison, has been since the end of February,we have eyes on him, the only ghoul who’s known to have been around him is my Multi ghoul, but this event took place this evening, Have any of you left ministry grounds?” 

They all shook their head, ghouls in service were bound to honesty and loyalty, and often ghouls didn’t leave the properties their papas were on unless in specific orders- like how Aurora was in Italy at this time.  "Alright, Any questions?" 

One of the silver masked ghouls raised a hand "yeah, Why haven't we killed him yet?"  

"we're saving him for the Sam hain spit roast " Copia joked , giggles mumbled amongst the ghouls on the ground, but they knew with the joke responce that the criminals fate hadn't been entierly decided. 

Suddenly feeling very cramped, Lauren counted 24 ghouls, 4 Papas, 4 human siblings and one Lauren…. 33 beings all squished into the lounge. Lauren turned her head and rested it on the back of Copias shoulder, he turned his head towards her “Are you OK? Or feeling very….surrounded”
Lauren nodded, “ I was OK with 18 people, now there’s 33.” 

“It won't be for long, then we’ll kick everyone out” Copia turned to face her and kissed the top of her head “OK? Qualcuno potrebbe aprire le porte del balcone?” Copia called out to the ghouls, one of Secondos ghouls walked through the kitchen to open the doors and let in some fresh night air.

Lauren nodded, looking back up to the screen “ there’s 25 ghouls accounted for,  but uh, I don’t want to say anything, i don’t want them to hate me” she mumbled to him
Copia shook his head “no, tell me what you see, I'm counting over and over in my head, they won’t harm us”
Lauren shuffled up to sit beside him and held onto his forearm with her left hand, wrapping her right arm around his left and lacing her fingers with Copias to lean on his side. “the figure does look similar to Primo and Secondos ghouls with the hoods, maybe one of Secondos ghouls' cause I can see a little facial detail, Like the sculpting on the masks, but I'm not sure.” Lauren looked between the two sets of ghouls, and to the TV “But I don’t know these ghouls, I don’t know if Primo and Secondo informed them of the events of the past year. I can’t see why any of these ghouls would feel any influence to ..i don’t know… Go rogue and attack my ex husband”

The ghouls on the ground all looked up to the TV  

“La padrona ha ragione” a solo deep voice called 

Copia straightened his spine as he barked a reply “Ah! Non è una puttana. È la mia amante, la rispetterai.” Unhappy with the way the ghoul referred to Lauren, the sudden outburst in Italian made Laurens cheeks flush, in front of all these unknown creatures, She hid her face into his shoulder. 

“Doleo. Papa” one of Primos' ghouls bowed to him. “Doleo. amans patris “  

Terzo gave them an unimpressed look and shook his head “ Lauren’s right though, Something’s missing, I can’t place it…you’re all accounted for” 

“Boss” the ghoul next to Terzo pat Terzos shoulder “If that’s one of Primo or secondos ghouls…where’s the grucifix?” 

Terzo looked to the ghoul then to the screen, his eyes going wide “Good spotting, Omega… “

Dew's eyes widened as a thought clicked in his mind “gone rogue”, he turned to his head to look at his ‘brother’ ghoul “you don’t think it could be…?”
The silver masked ghoul nodded “I mean…. Who’s heard from him? How the fuck would this guy figure out to summon him?
“That’s the thing he hasn’t summoned anyone, he hasn’t done shit, we would have known” the two mumble back and forward  

“Hey, Fire ghouls, What are you going on about?”  Dylan called from behind the chair Lauren and Copia were sat in

The pair of them looked up to her then to their Papas “The Rogue” they both stated.
The rest of the ghouls looked amongst themselves, a mix of confusion, surprise, questioning and rolled eyes. 

Terzos eyes went wide, clearly a common thought shared between the upper clergy and their entourages, if only someone would share the collective thoughts with Lauren. That would be really helpful right now “ Uh, hello? Is someone going to tell us who or what the rogue is please?” Penny called 

Copia turned his head around to Penny then back to the group “Primo, He was your ghoul, Would you tell the ladies “ 

Primo sighed and shook his head “ The rogue was a ghoul summoned when I was brought in to reintroduce the world to the Ghost project, they played keyboard and backing vocals in the ensemble, unfortunately he didn’t last very long at all as when we first started playing gigs, he got a taste of the outside world and the influences from audiences, we security and management was very relaxed in the beginning and….well… the ghoul up and left the band, cutting all ties, we haven’t been able to track him, no one has, but … recently it seems he’s created his own project for this entity he worships or is influenced by called the Sleep. I.. his appearance is still reminiscent to our ghouls, he still wears the robes from the ministry, he’s changed his mask, that is all we know” 

“Except” Copia chimed in “ based on that time stamp there should be some residual energy to follow at least. If he’s still at the prison or following ethan for his own enjoyment, he can’t be far” 

“ And if you do find him, what do you do with the rogue? We have no jurisdiction over him, if we tell him to stop it he’s not going to listen“ Secondo argued. 

“It’s a pack thing, right?” Copia looked down to the ghouls at his feet all nodded 

“You don’t piss on another packs bush, that’s a fuckin death wish” Dew called. 

“I need that bush alive…” Lauren mumbled, Copia looked down to Lauren over his shoulder. “Tesoro?” 

Lauren looked up to Copia, “need to get the divorce processed and have him sign away his parental rights, Then get paid” Lauren had been spending the quiet times in hospital thinking about what we could possibly do to Ethan to seek justice from him.
Especially since Cirrus had been putting that thought in her mind. 

Copia nodded along “ please tell me that's the only reason we're letting him live ?” He whispered, very aware there's 24 infernal beings that could still hear him  

While the fantasies of making him experience what she had, how he could burn in the fires of hell or drown in the sewer system of Satan's toilet, what the ghouls could do to him in every realm of existence, it never felt like it was quite enough.
She'd still never wish that sort of treatment on her worst enemy, not even Ethan, it wouldn't work on him anyway.

It was a complicated thought, it's what he deserves, he deserves to hurt like she has, to feel the pain he inflicted on her. But she knows it wouldn't hurt him quite the same way it hurt her, he didn't feel emotions the same way she did, so it wouldn't have the same effect . So she often let that thought fall away as quickly as it boils up inside of her.
“yeah… that's the only reason for now. I don't want to deal with wills and shit to get full custody of Eva. I don't want to have to jump through more hoops than I have to “ 

Copia leaned in to kiss the top of her head and hold her to his side “OK, ”

“OK, so what are we doing?” Alpha called from his spot on the ground “scare the fucker away? Have you tried pissing on him like you’re claiming territory?”

“Done that already” Swiss called with a smug grin across his face “he thinks there's a leak in his cell” Multiple heads turn his way with a collective ‘wtf’ glare 

“I think we just need to talk to him. Give him a warning to fuck off, bing bang boom, problem solved” Omega called
“è carino come pensi che sarà così facile” one of the ghouls looming behind Secondo replied. Omega looked up behind him, unimpressed with how quickly the elder ghoul retorted to his suggestion “ Oh yeah? What do you suggest then?” 

“Non sappiamo da quanto tempo il ladro è a conoscenza del criminale. Potrebbe dipendere dall'essenza del reato” he replied.
Omega pressed his lips together in frustration “ fuck you’re right…” 

Lauren looked up to Copia “And he said… what?” 

Copia raised a brow “Secondos ghoul is suggesting that the rogue could be addicted to some sort of essence that Ethan gives off. Sort of like how a Succubus drains the energy from someone through sexual contact. Look” Copia pointed up to the screen “Fratello, would you agree?”

“Mm…”both Terzo and Secondo nodded as they studied the clip on the screen frame by frame “ there’s a possibility Ethan has been drained of all the anger or hysterical emotions and is acting quite feral, smashing his empty bottle into the wall of the bar, expecting more whiskey” Secondo waved his hands around as if he’d heard this story time and time again. 

“So what do you want us to do?” Rain called out,
“Yeah, do you want us to search and retrieve? Or just find him and report back?” Ifrit echoed. 

“Find him, make sure he’s still on the mortal coil, I’ll organise a summons” Secondo called “It’s not happening tonight” Secondo stood back and looked to his ghouls “ You are dismissed, Send Mi Fratellos trackers, if he sees you all then he’ll run” 

Primo waved to his ghouls behind him “ and you, dismissed for now, when the time comes I'll have you on perimeter”
“Ibimus vobiscum.” One of the ghouls looked down to Primo “Ad domum tuam”
“I will be safe, it is a short walk”
“Salvum te esse volumus.”
Primo rolled his eyes “You worry too much”
“And rightfully so” Terzo chuckled, he stood up and climbed over the ghoul puddle “Don’t want you passing out in the library because it was closer”
“That was one time, and that couch was deceptively plush” Primo argued as he was helped to his feet looking to the siblings “ You all should go to your beds as well, this has been an eventful evening, you should all get your rest” 

“Yes Papa, Goodnight Papa Primo” The siblings all called as they gathered their things, Penny offered to walk with Primo to his room to make sure he got back, but he insisted on walking her to her dorm.
“I have plenty of eyes on me at all times in all realms, but it seems the only eyes on you are mine, Persephone”
Lauren rolled her eyes as she saw how quickly Pennys cheeks flushed bright red, how could she say no to Primos' kind offer? And how many times has that offer come her way?
The ghouls of Secondo made their way towards the balcony doors and left as quickly as they’d arrived, like a breeze in the night.
Randy watched them as they went, trying to make sense of how they could seemingly walk directly through the stone balcony guard and into the night, as much as he studied under Papa Primo somethings will simply never make any sense. 

The door shut behind the last of the siblings as they took their leave for the night, the room felt so much lighter, Lauren could relax back into Copias embrace, surrounded by mostly familiar company she could feel the weight of being a host fade away, and the tiredness of such a busy day take its place
“So the plans set, find the hungry rogue draining my ex of his essence and wait until we can all get together? Then what? Slap on the wrist and tell him to go to another narcissistic asshole?” Lauren called out as she yawned big enough to feel her jaw click as it relaxed 

“Go to bed, Cara, I’ll be there soon” Copia whispered as he wrapped an arm over her shoulders and down her back, When she was tired it hit her fast, and this disoriented behaviour was not a concern anymore but it was fun to watch, especially if it resulted in a book falling over her chest in the middle of the night and having to find the place she was at before hand.
“I can wait for you” Lauren mumbled, turning to wrap her arms around his torso,resting her hand on his belly and lean into him as if she could pass out on him at any moment 

Copia smiled down at her and rubbed his hand down her back gently, “Let's make this fast then” Copia looked up to Terzo and Secondo “She’s right, I am sorry Omega but even if we do summon him to give him a warning, not much is going to be achieved from simple talk with a charged gun.”

“We have no intention of trapping him or returning him to hell either” Terzo waved a hand above his head “ At this point he’s good for our cause, but then he goes and does this shit…”  throwing his hand to the screen and laying back 

“If he is in a feral state he will not come quietly either, it will be a dangerous task so none of the siblings should be present” Secondo ordered “ Ghouls and Papas Only” 

“I have to be there” Lauren called, all heads turned to look at the sleepy lady on Copias chest.

“No!” Copia ordered, not out of anger but fear.
“Absolutely not” Terzo dismissed her
“You will not be safe!” Secondo warned her

“Won’t mean shit if it comes from you guys” Lauren grumbled, turning to look up at Copia “ He has no respect for any of you, He doesn’t take your orders, it’s got to come from me, you’re just the means of getting him into my face, let me offer him a deal to get him to back off” 

Copia jumped in his place, He reached over to scoop up her legs and pull them over his lap “OK you are going to bed, You are too tired”
“Wait a moment, Fratello, She’s right” Secondo called “Delusional but right”
“She’s not making a deal with a demon, I won’t allow it!”
“Get a grip, you love sick fool” Terzo groaned and leaned back on the couch “she doesn’t have to make a deal, but he wont listen to any of us, not if we summon him out of the blue”
“But I can offer him something he can’t currently get” Lauren whined as Copia shrugged her arms over his shoulders, fully prepared to carry her to bed like a child “He wants rage and anger from Ethan, I can give him that!”  

“I am not letting you get hurt yet again, That’s final” Copia hooked his arms under Laurens legs and stood up from the chair, nodding down to the ghouls to move out of his way as he charged into the bedroom.
Lauren clung to his shoulders tight in frustration, trying to use her weight to pull him down to listen to her “Copia! I don’t need to get anywhere near Ethan to piss him off! I’ll be fine”
Copia knee's the door open and walked across the room to the bed, Laying her down on the mattress but Lauren wouldn’t let go. “Lauren, let's go!” he grumbled, his hands on both her sides as he was held down to hover over her.
“You need to listen to me” Lauren cried, tugging on the collar of his shirt “ We don’t need to go anywhere near him, we don’t need to get anywhere near Ethan to give this rogue what he wants” She begged for him to listen despite the fact her words were slipping from conscious structure.
Copia sighed and dropped his head forward “If I hear what you have planned, will you please go to bed?”
Lauren nodded, letting one hand drop from his shoulders  “you’ll kick everyone out and come right back after, yes?”
“If i could have kicked them out before our shower” he turned his head and held her hand, pressing a kiss to her forearm  “I would have, Yes” Copia let out a sigh and held onto her arm “What are you planning?” 

Lauren watched his lips kiss her arm, her nails snaking over the collar of his shirt and gently scratching the back of his neck “I’ll do an interview….talk about what’s happened since the trial” 

Copia raised a brow, it seemed so simple “not everything that’s happened” 

“No..not the… assassin and the hospital stay” she mumbled, letting her hand drop from his shoulder as she wriggled around in her blankets 

Copia grabbed the edge of the blankets and pulled them down under Lauren so he could drape them over her “What would you talk about?” 

“How… we celebrated Eva’s first birthday,how I found the village to raise her when I thought I was all alone, How the ministry wants to provide care for people from similar backgrounds like me. How I learned what it’s like to be in an actual relationship and not just exist to cater to a partner's every whim. How it actually feels to love and be loved, I want the world to know you took me to a grand ball in a castle in Italy~” Laurens beamed a sleepy smile up at him. “Who else can say their boyfriend did that for them?” 

Copia smiled nervously looking away from her for a second “heh… I guess it is a bit …lavish when you put it like that. Maybe I go a bit over the top sometimes” 

Lauren reached up and held onto his shoulders, pulling him down towards her and planting a kiss to his lips. Copia returned the kiss if a bit taken by surprise, resting on his elbows beside her head, when he pulled away he whispers “ what was that for?” 

“It’s not over the top if other guys can’t keep up” 

Copia smiled and let out a sigh “ you mean keep up with the standards I’m setting with how I show you I care about you, nothing to do with keeping their dicks up and hard for them” 

Lauren snickered and laughed “ that might be the only thing others have going for them if they can’t splash out on a castle for the women they should treat as queens”  

Copia leaned down to kiss Laurens cheek then her neck “ you are no mere queen, I worship you like a goddess” before Lauren could get a hold of him he pulled away and stood up on the side of the bed “or i would, if mi famiglia weren’t outside that door, Go to sleep Mi Amour” 

Lauren tried to pout but was betrayed by a jaw stretching yawn “mm...fine… don’t take too long” She rolled over onto her side and pulled the blankets over her shoulder 

“I won’t” Copia rubbed her shoulder and turned to leave her to fall asleep. What she offered as a solution lingered on his mind, he was thinking about the idea of her partaking in an interview, talking about her life in the ministry since coming here, there was little to no mention of her life in the documentary which meant the privacy she needed had been granted to her. Plus if this was played on the TV of the prison the possibility of her ex husband having that raging spark of anger and resentment, giving this rogue a new reason to stick around and have his fill, So she could offer him something the Ministry couldn’t give him, interesting. 

The brothers and ghouls talked a while longer, settling on summoning the rogue and requesting a reward in exchange for leaving his current target alive, in exchange for simply stunning his target instead of going for fatality, they would over intel as to similar targets that suited his current tastes, other low life scum with emotional instabilities deserving of being targeted.
Copia mentioned the idea of Lauren doing an interview as she had suggested and all the papas had the same reaction he did, not to mention the continued threats on her life the way they happened, but they would indeed look into making this possible.
Secondo needed time to prepare The Summoning, as well as a good nights sleep. The ghouls tidied the apartment back to it’s original state before any of them had arrived, half the ghouls present would walk Secondo back to his dwellings under Copias orders, while the other half hung back as Copia pulled Terzo aside.

“I'm going to need your help with a distraction for her” Copia gestured towards the bedroom as he kept his voice low

“Fratello, you know she was right, the rogue isn't going to listen to us, she's going to have to be at the summoning “ 

“I'm not… I mean before the summoning, during the day” 

“ Are you asking me to take your wife-to-be on a date? because I will be glad to, though I fear she might leave you for me if you're not careful ” Terzos snarky grin stretching across his face looked oh so slappable to Copia, buy he settled for glaring daggers at him, a simple answer, Terzo dropped the smile since his brother clearly couldn’t take the joke . “What did you have in mind?” 

“Lauren has been putting a lot of work into the orphanage project, a lot more than I have, do you know if your uccelina is available to talk with Lauren? She was in the Canadian foster care system? Maybe she could give Lauren some insight” 

Terzo leaned back as he thought it over “you really want Lauren to meet Vinnie in person? Not just over the texting?” 

“Si” Copia nodded “I know it sounds reckless with Eva around but I don't know of anyone else who could capture Laurens attention and keep her distracted quite as well as Vinnie could” 

Terzo let out a long sigh “it's still winter in Edinburgh, you know our two ladies could make quite the dangerous pair” 

Copia waved a hand dismissing the thought “ Mi Amoure is a mother, mature and sound of mind, she can handle the chaos of your little shape shifter” 

“We are not starting this pissing contest again fratello” 

Copia grinned “Still haven't forgiven us about the target practice, huh?” 

“No I have not….but fine, if you are OK with it I will go fetch uccelina from Scotland and bring her here to baby sit “ Terzo grinned, unable to hide the fact he loved the idea of the inevitable storm ahead

“Grazie” Copia pat him on the shoulder “can you get her here for say…9 o clock?” 

Terzo squinted doing the math in his head from the time zones to the time it takes her to be presentable , to the redressing from the sexy hello , “ No….no I cannot . 11 is more likely” 

Copia rolled his eyes “we can do 11. Now go, better you spend a night with her now than making yourselves later In the morning “ 

“Now that may be the wisest advice you've given me ever as Papa” Terzo chuckled as he looked over his shoulder to Omega talking with Rain and Mountain “Omega” 

“Yes Boss” 

“How do you feel about taking a trip to the Highlands?” 

“ey? Now? “ 

“You really wanna try it at 5 am ?” 

Omega paused and shook his head “ Ghoul Airways is now boarding for Scotland” 

“Good man” he turned back to Copia and pat his brother on the back “try to get some sleep tonight” 

“ No promises “ Copia chuckled and pointed to Omega to go to him.
Copia walked over into the nursery to check on Eva, totally conked out and splayed out on her mattress with her arms up in the air, her big lashes and messy hair from the tossing and turning, her big lashes on her cheeks, little patches of infact acne, probably from all the kisses she was subject to by her doting extended family. Such a sweet little sight, every time day was a new adventure, every day a new worry, not so long ago her whole body could fit on the lengths of his forearm, now she's as long as his chest, one day she would barley be able to hold her head up, and now she's faster than some of the ghouls with how slippery she seems to be. 

After all the concerts and the rituals, the sermons and his projected career he never quite realized just how important the title of Papa really was, and how quickly it could slip away with just how fast she would grow up.
All this time with the crowds and the clergy cheering his title, how his actions could easily influence them all, how they looked up to him for guidance and education.
Just like how Eva does now. 

Copia adored this little girl,he would build her a yellow brick road himself if it meant she would succeed.He would take the bricks from under Ethans feet and use them to build stairs for Eva to climb her way to the top.
He never thought about the concept of having to put some bricks back under Ethan just for a short while, the monster who left her scared and ashamed, the monster who tried to mold her and punish her for not meeting impossible expectations.
Thinking about the clear fact that he would need to prevent further harm to that human scum, who’s windpipe he’s pictured crushing between his bare hands time and time again, it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

---

“Papa?” Eva tugs on Copias pants to get his attention from the soft while he sips a steaming hot coffee and scrolls through the morning news report

“Hmm?” Copia looks down to Eva “Si farfallina” he pat the cushion beside him, encouraging her to climb up. 

Eva pulled herself up onto the couch, stretching her leg up and over the couch so she could roll over onto her side then shuffling back into the pillows by Copias side. 

“Comfy?” 

“Yes, Papa” 

“Bene” Copia put the news beside him and draped his hand around her and pulled her into his side “what's on your mind ,farfallina?”

Eva looked down at her hands and played with the fabric on her little Pj pants “ Why does everyone call you Papa?” 

Copia smiled and squeezed her into his side “because I don't like being called Boss.” 

“You're the boss?” 

“Si, everything that happens in this place is something I said needed to happen, I'm the boss, but i don't like being called boss”  

“Why?” 

“Well… “ Copia leaned back on the chair “ there is something about being a boss that feels…. Like someone who wants things done for them. And I don't want that, I only want to build this place into the best possible place it can be for everyone, I want people to look up to me…like someone they can come to for advice and when they're troubled” 

“Like a papa” 

“Yes, like a papa, now you are getting it” 

“Mm!” 

“why do you ask farfallina? “ 

Lauren walked out of the nursery with an empty basket on her hip, “I think she was worried she might have more than one step sibling to prepare for” putting the basket down and patting the bump her belly had become.

Copia looked over his shoulder at her walking out , slight panic on his face as he tried to conceive the thought, down to Eva who was looked away from him “did you think all these people were my children?” 

Eva shrugged her shoulders and leaned forward to play with her feet like she was distracted “they call you Papa too. Papa is daddy's name. You adopted mummy and me,did you adopt them too?” 

Copia pulled Eva to sit in her lap , she still couldn't look up at him like she'd been caught in a lie “ the sisters and brothers in our clergy are family yes, but only in the sense that we work together like a family, like a strong team. But we are not related. “ Copia holds his hand out to Lauren 

Lauren saw the hand and gave him a thumbs up as she was folding dried clothes  

“amoure mio,  I'm trying to make a point here”  opening and closing his hand to get her to come over,  

Lauren clicks her tongue “Ever the sentimental poet, aren't you?” abandoning the clothes at the dinner table to walk up behind the couch to stand over him, taking his hand and supporting her aching back 

Copia rubbed his thumb over her knuckles and pulled her hand in to kiss her fingers and the rings on her fingers “ for ever and ever, that's what I promised you” he chuckled , bouncing Eva on his leg “this little unit of ours, your uncles, Nonna Imperator, and who ever this becomes,” Resting his hand on the side of laurens belly” that is our famiglia” 

Eva's smile dropped “but I have a different daddy” 

Laurens shoulders dropped in disappointment, this was always going to be hard for her to understand even if she was such a clever girl. “honey…” 

“biologically, yes. But tell me sprigatitto, if you were at the park and you saw him and you saw me, and someone asked you where's your father, what would you say?” 

“go away I don't know you” 

Lauren and Copia burst out laughing at the unexpected answer until Lauren gasps and groans , holding her hips “oh gods” 

Copia turned too fast to look back at her, twinging his shoulder “ it's not… “ 

“No… no it can't be, babies are never born on their due date” Lauren leaned on the back of the couch as she let the pain pass 

“still, it could be any time” 

“who's been pregnant before ?” Lauren shot him the mum look that could bring an army to their knees  

“sorry dear” Copia mumbled, mentally bracing for impact and a slap on the back of his head that would never come.

“mm hmm…”there would be words later, Laurens continues her point”  Eva, honey, we've been over this, your biological dad is just that… half of your DNA. But Your Papa is the man who's been there since you could lift your head up by yourself, he's done all the heavy lifting. While your bio dad just wanted to show off. “ 

Eva lay against Copias chest “I want Copia to be my dad” 

Copia and Lauren both let out a synchronized "awww" as he rubbed her back "well , if I'd have been your biological father, you wouldn't have been who you are now, would you? sweet girl"

Lauren pushed herself back up to stand upright, "oooh…" the weight of carrying Copias baby somehow was heavier than Eva was "I swear you're having a brother Eva" she rubbed her lower back over where it ached

"how do you know mummy?"

"because when you were in mummy's tummy, you sat up under my lungs" she gestured to the bottom of her ribs, " But this baby is sitting on my hips and sleeping on my bladder" she pat the underside of her belly

"Is that why mummy pee's a lot?"

"Exactly, baby girl" Lauren leaned over to ruffle her hair gently

Copia grinned and looked down to Eva " You wanna see your mummy make a funny noise?"
Eva nodded frantically, Copia pat her back and stood up from the couch and ran around to stand behind Lauren, reaching down to hold the underside of her belly

"What are you doing?"Lauren lift her arms up to look at what he was doing
"Trust me" he mumbled "I saw this online" , lifting the weight of the belly up from the sad, holding the 15 kilos of weight from her.
Lauren let out a whimper and relaxed back into his embrace,Shutting her eyes and resting her head back on his shoulder "Oh, I love you"

Eva giggled and sat on her knees "mummy's silly"

"Mummy is heavy" Lauren groaned "like a whale"

Copia chuckled and turned his head to kiss her cheek "not long now Amoure" he whispered.

"Don't you dare, let go" Lauren warned looking up at him " You put this baby in me you can hold it for a while"

Copia laughed and adjusted his hold on her belly, "I'm not going anywhere" pressing a kiss to her neck

"Papa?" Eva called as she sat up on the couch and put a hand on Laurens belly

"Yes Farfallina?" Copia looked up from Laurens shoulder

"Will Lucifer take my brother to hell?"
Lauren flinched in Copias hold, caught off guard by such a question from her

"Why do you ask?"

"Because… we're alive... and my dad tried to burn us... don't we need to give a sacrifice to thank Lucifer for the breath we draw?" Big words for Evaligne , she's a clever girl but this was too clever,

"Lucifer doesn't expect sacrifices, he is not like the gods who claim to be good" Copia leaned forward and played with a stray ringlet of Evas " but the blood of an innocent will be a great gift to thank him for giving us the gift of life, born from our favourite of the sins" Copia chuckles low as his hands drop to hold Laurens legs.

Lauren groaned as the weight on the front of her body weighed her down, she leaned forward, putting her weight on the back of the couch "Copia, we need to discuss that" she groaned as her stomach tightens again, the familiar sensation of contractions .
This wasn't right, the possibility of going into labour on your due date was as low as 5%, something had to be wrong

Lauren gasped and looked up to Copia " After …after you get me to the infirmary"

"but mummy, you have lots to of innocent blood to spare" Eva pointed down to her belly,

Copia lift his hand and looked to his fingers "We could save this for a gift" he held his hand infront of Lauren, showing her his fingers were covered in sticky red blood.

Lauren looked down at her skirt, drenched in dripping blood pooling in the fabric of her dress and around her feet

"Lauren…"

She dropped to her knees in the pool of blood, the tightness around her belly intensifying rapidly, it felt like labour, it felt like her body wanting this baby to leave, it felt like time. but there was only blood

"Lauren!"

---

Copia shook Laurens shoulder hard to wake her from her whimpering in her sleep.

Lauren let out a shriek as she woke in her bed, dripping in sweat and tears, she'd been crying in her sleep. She grabbed at the blankets around her and ripped them from over her body to look at her legs to find they were clean.

Copia sat back watching her in a panic "Lauren… You were having a nightmare…"

"I know that" she whimpered, pulling her legs to her chest and hugging them tight. "It had to be…" she begged "just….just…"
Copia shuffled closer behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders "Just…a nightmare..it wasn't real" he mumbled, gently rubbing her arm to keep her warm

Lauren turned around in his arms to hide her face in his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his chest "But,I wanted apart of it to be real"she cried into his shirt, the dreadful feeling of waking up to find the feeling she loved to experience wasn't real and only a creation of her subconscious weighed her down with the loss.

Copia lay back on the pillows, taking her with him and rubbing her back slowly, giving her the time to feel the sadness and fear she'd felt, let the tears fall and soak into his shirt, he'd expected this earlier on when she'd first come to the ministry, maybe she had when he wasn't there for her, when he wasn't there to wake her up.

"I…I wanted…" Lauren sobbed "I wanted our baby to …"

Copia looked down to her, "you were …you dreamed you were.." his heart couldn't sink any heavier in his chest

She nodded into his shoulder, hiding her face from him, "I'm sorry I lost the baby I'm sorry I lost your baby" she sobbed

Copia sighed and tightened his grip around her, they didn't really have much chance to talk about or process the unexpected news of the loss of a child, their child. "You have nothing to be sorry for, it's not your fault, it's not" every time she appologised, he'd forgive her, he'd comfort her and reassure her, let her cry until his shirt was soaked through to his skin, even if he would cry with her.
He could only imagine what she'd seen in her dreams, something she couldn't tell him until the surges of sadness controlled her.

Copia would lay there holding her in his arms until the sun would rise, even if she'd cried herself back to sleep for short periods of time, he would hold her until the first signs that Eva was awake and needed them.

---

Copia picked up Eva from her high chair " You silly little girl, Jam goes on the toast and into your mouth, not on your face" Eva giggled and clung to his waistcoat "Jam Jam Jam" she squealed as he walked towards the nursery "Come on" he mumbled tickling her belly "you're sweet enough when you're not covered in strawberry jam"

Lauren nearly bumped into him as she left the nursery "Oh! well someone finished their breakfast " looking at the two of them

Copia looked back at the table with the discarded toast , licked clean of the sweet jam "In a way. I'm going to get her cleaned up before I go to Secondo"

Lauren smiled and nodded "Thank you Love" she whispered and poked Evas kicking foot " Dew said he was on his way to keep us company, but I'm going to be OK, really" she stepped aside to let him pass into the Nursery

"I want to believe you, Amoure, but after last night you can't blame me for worrying after that nightmare you had" Copia called as he walked in, sat her down on the changing table and grabbed the wipes to wash her face from the sticky jams. Eva held onto his shirt sleeve and wiggled away from his grip and the wet wipes "Papaaaa!"

"You booked me another appointment with the therapist," Lauren crossed her arms and leaned on the door frame" But i want you to come too, I think it's something we both have to talk about" Lauren hesitated as she stated that, it was a pain they shared and had to support one another but there was no moving past it without professional help.
Copia threw the dirty wipe into the bin and looked over his shoulder to her "You want me there?"

"mm hmm…" Lauren looked down to the door frame "I think it'd be good for the both of us" she would never be sad about waking up in Copias arms, but waking up after such a vivid nightmare that still haunted them both wasn't something that could continue.

Copia lift Eva off the table and set her on the ground "Go play, Bambino" he whispered and pat her back. Eva ran over to the tub of toys and pulled out a doll to play with.
Copia walked over to Lauren in the door frame and held onto her arms "I'll go, it beats going to another meeting about the next Era of the band…for the 7th time" he groaned, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead.

Lauren looked up to him with those sad eyes, not wanting him to hurt anymore that he probably already did while hiding it behind the smile and the paints. "OK. that's a later problem, we have to summon a rogue demon first" Lauren reached up and fixed the ascot around his neck, pulling it tighter and pulling him down to kiss him softly.

Copia chuckled, returning the kiss and dropping his hands to hold her hips, only stopping as the sound of the door locks being fumbled with to open "Huh.. He's early" Copia looked up behind her

"Who's early?" Lauren looked back over her shoulder

"I asked Terzo to bring in a friend who could help with the Orphanage project a bit better" Copia pat her hip "You go meet our guest, I'll get Evaligne dressed" not giving her a chance to argue as he walked over and scooped up Eva from the ground "Come on Principessa, Time to get dressed"

Lauren walked out of the nursery as much as she wanted to watch him wrestle with Eva into her day clothes. "Terzo, stop pushing on the door when you're trying to open it!"

"I'm not!" he grumbled from behind the door, Lauren rolled her eyes as she turned the door handle and it swung open as Terzo stumbled out in front of her

Lauren crossed her arms and rolled her eyes " sure sure, Terzo" she mumbled and looked back out to the woman standing in the hallway, Black hair, slim frame, striking blue eyes, clearly holding back a sassy remark or a laugh. Lauren had only talked with her through the little 'Papas Companions support group' that had been made for the Papas lovers. "Go on, You know he's asking for it" Lauren grinned to Vinnie, stepping out of the way to welcome her in.

"Well he does like to make an entrance" Vinnie chuckled as she walked into the apartment, "You didn't tell me it'd be this cold!"

Terzo groaned and stood up, looking back at the two women " I said dress warm, didn't I?"

"Yeah but you could have told me dress for Alaska, not Toronto!" Vinnie rolled her eyes and took off her shoes at the door

"Dew's on his way, he'll get a fire going and it'll warm up soon" Lauren smiled, shutting the door behind them "I can make you a hot drink in the mean time?" Lauren walked over to Terzo and gave him a kiss on the cheek, as he did in return

"No Coffee for me but she'll have a hot chocolate, " Terzo smirked and pat Laurens shoulder .

"Please?" Vinnie looked around the apartment, very odd to her that there really only was one proper way out of the place, two for her but one for anyone else, why on earth would Copia choose to make his life here?

"Of course, I was going to make another "Lauren smiled back at Vinnie

Terzo leaned down and whispered " Did you get enough sleep last night? Mi Fratello told me you-"

"It's fine Terzo, Just a nightmare. It happens" Lauren tried to reassure him with a pat to his chest "Someones excited to see you since you were so missed last night"

Terzo grinned and clapped his hands together "Ah Yes! Where is my favourite girl then?" he looked around the room to see where she was

Vinnie raised a brow and held her hands out "Uh, Excuse me? I'm right here. "

"Unka Derzo!" Eva squealed, running out of the nursery up to Terzo, dressed in a pair of leggings and a black long sleeve wool dress, appropriate for the winter weather, her hair still a mess but there was no fighting that just yet.

Terzo dropped into a squat and held his arms out to her "There she is!" He scooped her up into his arms and stood right back up, holding her on his side and pressing a kiss to her cheek "buongiorno mia principessa"

"Bon-jor-no Unka Derzo" Eva wrapped her arms around his neck, holding onto him tight.
Terzo dramatically gasped "did you say boungiorno? Oh you clever girl! you'll be bilingual in no time at all" he bounced her in his arms "Sorry Uccelina, my heart has been stolen by this little one"

Vinnie rolled her eyes, only slightly surprised that the grouchy and proud man she'd fallen for would crumble to that of an infant, She wont be so cute when Vinnie gets closer and teaches the small child the colourful language she knew so well.

"You're my favourite…or… Tolerated brat " Terzo smirked

Copia walked out of the nursery holding the tiny cardigan and trying to fix the buttons on his shirt cuffs. "Evaligne is not a brat, don't you - Oh Vinnie! "

"Copia!" Vinnies face brightned as she spotted him and jogged over to give him a hug "So this is where you've been hiding all this time!"

Copia hugged her back and chuckled "Yes, i've been here this whole time, it's quieter than the ministries in Italy"

"That's for sure this place is tiny!" Vinnie chuckled looking around

Lauren left them all to catch up and took this opportunity to go and prepare the hot drinks. It was nice to listen in on their cheery conversations and talking about what they'd been up to since they last saw one another, seemed like it must have been a few years at this point. talking about Scotland and studying for Vinnie, and the rest of the ghost project and his time as Papa for Copia. Lauren was just thankful it was a reunion that would be in english and not just Italian. Lauren knew just how this would end up going so she made a pair of extra coffee's as Copia and Terzo would likely loose track of time and insist of sticking around to chat.
She brought the drinks on a tray over to the 3 of them and handed out the coffees and hot chocolate for Vinnie and took hold of Copias hands to fix the buttons on his shirt cuffs.
Copia looked to his wrist then to her and thanked her with a quick kiss to her forehead.

"You both have to be at a meeting with Brothers James and Fraser in 9 minutes" Lauren reminded him.
Copia bounced in his spot "Oh! Thank you, Got carried away"
"I know, take the coffee with you" Lauren mumbled as she fixed the last button on his cuff

Terzo pouted as he looked down to Eva "Uncle Terzo has to go to work now, but i'll be back before you know it"
Eva leaned on his shoulder "OK Unka Derzo"

"Wait you're leaving me here with a toddler?" Vinnie looked around at Terzo who was gladdly cuddling with the clinging child to his shoulder

"Believe me, I'm not cofident about it either but Dewdrop will be by to supervise soon enough" Terzo shot her a grouchy look "until then you have to connect with the woman closer to the age on your ID and not your mental age"

Vinnie huffed and rolled her eyes at him like the dramatic young university student he treats her like" I knew you were a grand papi" she called sarchastically

Copia grinned and watched his brother and step daughter "everyone did"

Eva giggled, covering her mouth to hide it but it was funny, Terzo sighed and looked down at her "You too? This is why she is my favourite girl…" Terzo grumbled turning away from the group of bullies.

Lauren pulled on Copias shoulder "not for long" she whispered.
Copia turned towards Lauren "Hey Bubah, the sooner Papa and Uncle Terzo go, the sooner us girls can watch a new episode of your show"

Nothing excite her more than TV time, the sweet little babe clinging to his shoulder changed her demenor in a blink as Eva swung her legs around Terzos chest, pushing on his shoulder "Unka Derzoooo! Go to work!" she whined trying to get him to put her down.
Terzo looked at her with concern that as she pushed he'd dropped her. "OK OK OK!" he squat down to her let on the ground safely, Eva tottled over to Copia and pushed on the back of his knee

Copia laughed and stumbled forward "OK OK, we're going to work!"
Eva followed them behind his strides , she looked back at terzo and pointed to the door .

Terzo couldn't stay mad at her even if his face clearly showed he was indignant with how Lauren turned Eva against him. He'll never compare to a little Australian dog and her family, even if he can make her an actual princess- no , he could make her a queen. Terzo turned to Vinnie, resting a hand out on the small of her back "You be good OK ? She's still healing, like when you locked yourself in the tower"

"What did Copia do to her?" Vinnie looked back to Lauren and Copia for a flash , ready to unleash war on Copia in 6 ways with just the toys scattered around her feet. until she heard as Terzo sighed and looked out to the kitchen, away from Copia and Lauren

"Well shoot then i'll have to cancel the plans to go rock climbing, I know to be gentle, Old Man" Vinnie scolded him, sick of the dad talk.

"No i … i mean she's still…healing…" Terzo paused as he chose his words carefully, "The…. Anxiety and the reminder is still fresh in her mind that those who want to hurt her still have ways of getting to her" Terzo admitted, as shameful as it was, it turned out there was still a crack that harm was able to slip through without their detection. "She's good at the putting on a brave face, especially with the bambino in the room, this isn't a warning, it's just a favour"

Vinnie watched his expression carefully, no jokes, no cracks of even the smallest smile, no indication this was fun to him, She wasn't used to seeing this side of him even after everything they'd been through and done together.
Vinnie nodded "OK… still stage 2 of healing from trauma, got it"

Terzo nodded and leaned in to kiss her cheek "Grazie, Uccelina, I'll take you home after dinner" he pat her butt gently and dropped his hand, walking past her, putting the big Papa Terzo smile on once again. "Right, we're already late, come on Fratello, Mama" Terzo leaned over to kiss Laurens cheek

Copia pushed on terzos shoulder to get hin out of the door, he leans down to give Lauren a slow but soft kiss, when he pulled away he whispers "Have a great day, mi Amoure"

"I will, Don't bite anyones heads off OK?" Lauren smirked and pat his back

"No Promises" Copia called "See you tonight, Ladies" Patting terzo on the shoulder and walking down the hallway

Lauren couldn't even get a final 'Be safe' out when Eva pushed the door shut on them and tottled away towards the TV, Lauren looked down at her with her mouth agasp "I can't even be mad, You did what i wanted"

Chapter 30: The Summoning

Summary:

While the papas are off preparing, Copia has left an old friend in Laurens company, Considering their similar past experiences, on paper, this should be a budding friendship about to bloom.
When the sun sets, the summoning begins.

Notes:

I'll address my disappearance in the end notes. - TLDR - i'm sorry o-o i got a really dang cool opportunity.

VINNIE is the OC of my wonderful friend DiscountDemonWarehouse from "Messing with the Missionary Man"
hence where some of the things they discuss come out of no where!

I need to give a massive thank you to my lovely friend "Nerd" for "character reading" for the guest in this chapter!!!

"So tell me how Terzo getting possessed by a d list demon who was trapped in a fucking coffee can is not the stupidest thing he's done so far?" Lauren handed down a fresh cup of Hot chocolate down to Vinnie who had made herself at home on the couch.
"Oh by far not the stupidest thing he's done, there's the literal dick measuring contest with Pope Francis, which he lost the first time" Their conversation only briefly touched on Vinnies time in the Canadian foster care system when it turned into how they shared their actual stories on how they came to the ministry which eventually evolved into sharing stories about their goofy Italian boyfriends.
" Why does that make me think you helped in winning their rematch?" Lauren sat carefully on the opposite corner of the couch, a pillow propping up her back and keeping her stable "Running through the Vatican naked and all"

"Considering how much of a whore Terzo is of course it helped, and that was just after he stopped being a sore loser on how shit the security was at the ministry too" Vinnie smirked and took a sip from her cocoa, looking down at the warm liquid she smiled "did you put marshmallows in this?"

"Yeah, Copia told me you liked them. I didn't think we had any left" Lauren smiled and pointed up to the counter "there's like half a bag left but i have to hide them again before he gets home cause otherwise he's gonna wolf them all down then complain about a tummy ache"

"MM! Terzo does the same thing! Then he'll try get me to lay down with him, spoons me then whines about his stomach hurting like a giant baby" Vinnie dramatically rolls her eyes eliciting a laugh from Lauren, cause she's seen it for herself one too many times.

"Food Comas tend to do that to the Emeritus brothers, Eh? But that doesn't stop another organ of theirs from working rather well" Lauren suggested as she took another sip from her coffee

Vinnie pointed to Lauren with a bright smile "Yeah! Nothing will stop them from sex! Deal with the devil? Yeah Nah Bud, That's just being a man!"

The two ladies erupted with laughter together, both careful not to spill their drinks, it really was nice to be able to share in the hilarity that came with being the lovers of Satanic Popes,
When the laughter dies down to sighs, Lauren crosses her legs again and finishes her cup "You've got to tell me what Copia was like as a cardinal before he became Papa "

"Copia? You've been here a year and no one told you he was an anxious wreck"

"Well yeah, plenty of people tell me his confidence has shot up since he got used to touring and everything, Oh and they told me something about a nose job"

Vinnie chuckled and looked off to the side " yeah, he got a two for one deal with Sisters face lift. I saw fans whining about how the ride ability of his face diminished with the nose job"

Lauren rolled her eyes " It really didn't but go on" not in the slightest bit fazed by the news of Sisters face lift, no way that woman was in her early 70s.

Vinnie took in a deep breath trying to cast her memory back to when she first met him " well, Yeah i mean he was pretty nervous, he was no cassanova, there was a sibling he was crushing on and he came to me for advice. "

"So i have to thank you after all?"

"Well you can but i don't think it's all me, I only kissed him once then it was all up to him"

Caught off guard, Lauren snorted her drink, sending the hot coffee up through her nose. "G'AH" she cried out, Vinnie looked around to the table and grabbed a box of tissues to quickly hand her a few before it spilled everywhere "Sorry! I didn't -"

"It's fine! I just didn't expect that" Lauren wiped the coffee from her nose and off her shirt "that he needed to learn how to kiss someone"

Vinnie took the cup from her so she didn't spill any more and put it on the table with hers " well yeah. he wasn't a natural whore at first, not until he became Papa really, with great power came great amounts of pussy after all" she chuckled nervously "But not my pussy,Don't worry it was just one kiss… or two?"

"Vinnie, It's fine, any practice he had means he just got better for me" Lauren smirked, laying back against the cushions again "my ex husband was a whore and he never did anything other than missionary or doggy. I gave up on trying to ride him cause he'd just sit there and want me to do everything."

Vinnie groaned and threw her head back "uugh, why are basic men so unadventurous?"

"You mean selfish?" Lauren raised a brow

Vinnie looked to Lauren with a sad shock "Don't tell me.. he never went down on you" looking around the room for if tiny ears were listening in, but she was no where to be seen.

Lauren shook her head " Nope, said he thought it wasn't manly, he never touched my boobs either during sex"

Vinnie gasped dramatically, clutching her chest "Are you kidding? that's the best part!"

"mm.. Maybe he thought he was kinky with Orgasm denial cause he never made sure I got off." Lauren shook her head

"Good thing he's in jail, years of unsatisfying sex should be a global crime" Vinnie pouted and leaned forward to pat a hand on her knee "I am so sorry you've been tortured for so long, I hope you've been able to make up for all the lost Orgasm's yet to cum"

Lauren laughed and placed a hand on Vinnies "HAH, oh you don't need to worry about me now. all I need is some lace, my phone and to know when his last meeting of the day is" Lauren smirked "No toys necessary"

Vinnie stared at her with wide eyes in surprise "really now? nothing in the bottom draw of the bedside table?"

"Nope, sometimes all he needs are these" Lauren pretended to shoot at Vinnie with a pair of finger guns, then kissed the tips of her fingers

"Oh so he's still got his pistols then?"

"His what?"

"His Guns"

Lauren froze as she pictured Copia effortlessly holding a gun, no anxiety, not even any pause, Aiming with one arm straight out.

"That's how we met in the first place, Copia trained me to fire guns, trained me on a range and everything" Vinnie genuinely believed that because of how fascinated he was with pistols and old western movies that would have been one of the first things He would have shared with her.

Laurens shoulder ached where the remaining wound from the Courtroom,
An explosion from Copias Hands, a bullet flying through the air, as the smoke clears The grin on Copias face stretches with Confidence and satisfaction, Proud of himself when he hits his target.

Vinnie sipped at her drink watching as Lauren zoned out from this world. " Boredom? Trauma? Catastrophizing?" she asked in between sips

Lauren snapped from her visual and looked back to Vinnie "Hmm? uh… Trauma, Ii guess"

"You not good with guns?"

"I thought i was" Lauren mumbled shaking the image out of her mind

"If it helps, they're all locked away in secure cases at the range in Italy, they really only bring them out when they're touring the states cause 'Murica" Vinnie offered in hopes that might calm any nerves Lauren was holding onto, but when Laurens face didn't change expression, her own softened "He never told you did he?"

Lauren shook her head

"did you not have any kind of clue he liked guns?" she asked

"I know he was a big fan of cowboy movies, I couldn't tell you how many times we've watched , he ..knew a lot about the production and the movies but i didn't know he had any actual experience using them himself"

"Yeah well, he might be a bit rusty, A whole case was illegally confiscated on one of their private flights so he left them in Italy, he threw an absolute tantrum. Ask him he's so butt hurt about that one" Vinnie sat there, the smirk on her face made Lauren wonder if she had infact had something to do with that happening,but she made the note to ask him later.
"I'm not so good at the whole… buddy buddy comfort thing so hear me out" Vinnie leaned over and put a hand on Laurens knee, something people just did to make sure someone was focusing on them, she didn't quite understand it but if it worked or if it was comforting she'd try
"Copia is so smart about his guns, He's so …protective of his guns, unless they're going to America, they live at the range, in a fancy case,in a super complicated locker, and you cant even get into without a super specific high class swipe card. Basically, he's not stupid enough to whip it out to impress you like a wannabee gangsta from America" Vinnie waved her hands around like finger guns,when Lauren didn't laugh, Vinnie dropped her hands and stood up ,charging into the bed room. "there's only one other place he'd have them"

Lauren watched her go "where are you going?" she called

"Bottom of the nightstand" Vinnie called.

Lauren shuddered thinking about what WAS in the bottom of the night stand,and it was not a gun "VINNI- ACK!" Turning her body way too fast her ribs twinged with pain, holding her ribs to support the pain lead to Lauren falling off the side of the couch and onto the floor .

"OOOO Now where did THIS Come from?Mama MIA!" Vinnie called as she perused the multiple Silicone toys and bottles of lube , Nothing she wasn't familiar with herself but not the kind of pistol she was expecting, and absolutely not this many. Vinnie walked back out to find Lauren clutching her ribs, bright pink in the face . "Oh shit… You good?" Vinnie walked over to lean over the injured new friend on the floor.

Lauren took a deep breath and turned her head back, not seeing Vinnie right away "Oh yeah, totally fine with the burning pain in my ribs while I use all my effort to not give myself a concussion on the coffee table"

Vinnie jumped in her spot and walked over to Lauren,taking hold of her shoulders and assisted Lauren to sit up right , grabbing pillows from the couch and stacking them around her "stay on the ground for a bit, you can't fall when you're already on the ground" Vinnie smiled as she sat beside Lauren on the floor, stretching her legs out under the table

Lauren tried to relax the clenching around her chest through slow deep breaths "You don't realise just how much your ribs support your body until they sting with every small movement"

Vinnie dropped her head back and chuckled to herself " yeah, can't deny that one,we kinda take this independence stuff for granted" rolling her eyes,recalling the times Terzo would have to shower with her when her own pain was too great to tough out

Lauren smiled at Vinnie and placed a hand on her knee "at least I have a friend who actually knows what this is like,and not just… "

"Friends who treat you like broken glass?" Vinnie offered, putting a hand on top of Laurens.

Lauren nodded "yeah,ghouls and gal pals really just want me to lie down and do nothing, but I'm not totally useless , but everyone else is like"oh no no let me hand you this drink thats 2 feet from you" " She sighed

"and then there's Randy"

they snickered and nodded "yeah, Randy is too scared to do anything around here without Primos instruction"

"He's such a bottom" Vinnie laughed " Not helping the 'all bosses fuck their secretaries' trope "

The two of them burst into collective laughter once again,enjoying their time together with the occasional bursts of tiny toddler play time

---

"All i'm saying is there are forms of love that we will never understand and one of those forms is arguing about what kind of cheese to use on specific pastas " Vinnie argued as she finished off the sparkling grape juice

"But can you blame them? feta doesn't go with every kind of meal " Lauren called as she mixed the mince for cottage pie

"Bah- you ain't lived until you've had a 16 cheese wood fire pizza " Vinnie picked up Eva from the floor and put her in her lap, " all cheese is good cheese aint it baby?"

Eva held her hands up making grabby hands to the pile of grated cheddar on the table " CHEE ME!"

Vinnie chuckled " yeah Mama, Cheese the baby"

Lauren laughed and picked up a small pinch of the cheese, "Two hands Eva. Don't spill"

"Yeah, have you noticed these men are more food motivated the older they get?"

Vinnie paused as she thought about it "not at first, not unless it's specifically italian cuisine or high class fancy pants shit, then they wont stop arguing until someone concedes, or Germany shows up to invade, i don't know"

"Ok it's not that bad, like you said it's a form of love isn't it? bickering ? tolerating one another is a form of love isn't it? " Lauren looked concerned that this had to be a joke they were carrying on as she spread the steaming mince mix on the bottom layer of the glass dish.

"Yeah, oh yeah it's a total love language of it's own,and honestly i prefer them when they're bickering" Vinnie laughed picking up the pieces of cheese Eva dropped in her lap

"Compared to what? that's like 90% of the time they're in the same room" Vinnie took Evas wrists and threw her hands forward in little punches " boom boom , pap, yeah, your pappy and your grunkles are always fighting, huh?, they even fight over their little princess huh?"

Lauren spooned the potatoes overtop of the mince mix and smoothed it down " you should have seen them trying to get her to eat 4 kinds of pasta as if she could critique them and tell them which is best"

At that moment the door locks jingle and open with the sounds of familiar Italian bickering filling the room. Copia walked in first, Terzo following close behind, his jacket slung over his arm.
"Americans are always looking for new ways to reinvent the wheel and they end up with overpriced colourful pasta they call better because it's gluten free or some stupid trendy bullshit" Terzo argued as he dropped his jacket onto the back of the couch before leaning against it. Lauren raised an eyebrow waiting for him to see and know she has a coat hanger for this very reason.

"But children are more likely to eat something that is colourful and fun, add those vegetables into the mix without affecting the essentials that is pasta, I see no issue." Copia countered taking off his jacket and his waistcoat, hanging them both up on the coat hanger Terzo was ignoring.

"That's IF they don't fuck with the texture, even then it's a cash grabber most of the time, the price jumps up in the name of health and it being better for you. you'd be a shitty parent if you didn't buy your kids these vegetable laced foods, or you'd be poisoning kids if you gave them something laced with gluten or dairy"

"So it's companies using guilt for parents and students who can't afford it that you're upset about?" Copia crossed his arms , trying to make sense of where this argument was going.

"No, oh for- it's the capitalism, people who actually need gluten free products can't access them like the basic pasta"

"Ok, I agree that it's a unique market! when there's a smaller demand, especially for something that requires a unique process to create it, then of course the price is going to be higher." Copia waved his hand excentuating the facts of manufacturing

"So why does products from farmers markets cost so little? " Terzo flung his hands up in the air with the frustration

"because they usually end up being a lower quality! we've been over this!" Copia rolled his eyes and turned back to the wall,kicking his shoes off and pushing them into the shoe rack. Lauren turned the raised brow to his miss matched socks and big toe poking out of the worn threads.

"There's more love in it! I'd rather pay more money for something that was loved and cared for!"

"There's no such thing has Battery Cage Corn!!" Copia turned and dramatically waved his hand in the air like he was wiping away the nonsense comeback.

"Then why are they being shrink wrapped?!"

Vinnie and Lauren looked to each other burst into a synchronised laughter, Lauren leaning over to hold her chest catching her breath.
They caught both the Papas attention away from the market argument,the two of them confused as to why they were so amused by their comments when they didn't have all the context, to them it was a serious conversation.

"I'm going to need you to explain what is so funny" Copia called, walking over to Vinnie and picking up Eva from her new friends lap " Can you tell me why your mama has a bad case of the giggles?" Holding Eva up on his hip, holding onto her little leggy "What's so funny huh?"

"Papa fighting with Unka Derzo" Eva giggled , holding onto his shirt

Copia looks to Vinnie then Lauren, both stuck in endless laughter, Lauren clutching her ribs with tears starting to fall, stuck laughing through the clenching pain in her chest. then turning to Terzo who was still leaning on the couch, " They find it funny when we're fighting ?"

"It would seem so" Terzo shrugged

Lauren looked up and shook her head "It's..it's that we were just talking about it ,," pausing to take a deep breath " ,, when you came in"

"It's like you chuckle fucks knew we were talking about you" Vinnie added leaning back in the chair.

Copia quickly covered Evas ear "mmhmm.. Well sorry to kill the buzzing but I need to speak with Amoure Mio about tonight. "

"Ok but i need to put the pie in the oven" Lauren took long and slow deep breaths to stop herself from laughing

"Nope" Copia mumbled and put Eva down on the ground " Go to your uncle, show him what you did today" Eva tottled off to Terzo who whisked her off the ground and was whisked away in her babbling.
Copia stepped over and put a hand on Laurens lower back " Let me, Can you go get my paints? "

Lauren nodded and leaned into his side " The grease paints or the alcohol paints?"

Copia opened up the oven door and slid the cottage pie onto the rack " Eh,, we'll do the grease paint, easier to take off when we get back"

"So It's happening? we're doing this?" Lauren mumbled.

Copia nodded "The ghouls are drafting the circle and hearding the siblings back to their rooms now we have maybe an hour until it's ready."

Lauren took a deep breath "OK, So what do you need me to do?"

"Come with me, I'll explain" Copia mumbled, leading Lauren to their bedroom. looking over his shoulder " Stronzo, there's paints in the main bathroom, use those to look sharp"

"I don't plan on smudging my paints" Terzo called .

Vinnie waved a hand at Eva and pressed her hands on her own cheeks, having taught Eva a little trick earlier in the day.
Eva promptly leaned up in Terzos arms and papped her hands on his cheeks,dragging his paints down his jaw line and smudging the black into the white.

"Look who's the idiot sandwich now" Vinnie smirked at him and shooting a wink at Eva, proud of the little chaos goblin in training
Terzo shot a glare at Vinnie, horrified that it only took such little time for Vinnie to corrupt Eva towards true evil.
"Cosa hai fatto alla mia piccola principessa? "

Vinnie held her hands up in surrender " All I did was show her a new game! Babies like games right?"

Terzo groaned and shook his head " You're lucky you're cute" he mumbled to Eva,

Vinnie smirked and shrugged her shoulder " I don't know, I've done good in this house tonight, Baby got cheese and games and Lauren learned the topic of her next therapy session. "

Terzo raised an eyebrow and put Eva down on the couch " I told you not to talk about swog hollow today!"

"I didn't! I swear , I followed the rules! We were just talking about Sex toys , Apparently Copia can actually satisfy a woman now without them, and he only needs these " she waves the same finger guns at Terzo "and it turns out that she's petrified of guns" Vinnie shrugged like it was nothing

Terzo turned to look at Vinnie has a quizzical look " She is? Does she know-"

"She does now" Vinnie smiled nervously turning to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of wine and a new bottle of the bubbly grape juice " He never told her "

Terzo shut his eyes and sighed, disappointed, not even going questioning why it never came up with what she's been through or been around up until now, He stalked into the bathroom to wash his face of the existing paint to start again . "Don't they watch those cowboy films together?"

Vinnie poured herself a glass of the grape and a glass of wine for Terzo "yeah but it's not the fantasy that sets her off, It's gotta be that it's her boyfriend not just knows how to use them but that he's a big fan of them, I mighta laid it on a bit thick how much he likes them"

"Right, So it's that the person she found safety in actually could be very dangerous"Terzo found the paints in the draws of the bathroom, but opening the lid of the black paints he found they were dried up and cracked, useless to him. "That's no good…"

-

"Secondo has prepared a simple summon and return process for us to follow tonight, A lot of what will be involved essentially acts as if we're freezing time so as not to disrupt the balance of the physical world. "

Lauren found his grease paints and brushes in the cupboard , laying them out on the counter and washing her hands with hot water and soap "So What does that mean? no one can move from their spot? or it'll break the fabric of the universe?"

Copia washed off the remaining paint from his face with a cloth , holding back his laughter " Not quite, no one should move from their place.
the design in the chalks become the barriers protecting anyone involved. " He dried his face off in a towel, Sitting down on the toilet lid to be at an appropriate height.

"right, so… you're making your chalk bubbles and no one can cross that line or it puts you everyone in danger"

"Essentially" he sat there watching her "Mio Amoure, would you paint my papal design on me tonight?"

Lauren nodded " you do know I'm not an artist so if it comes out wonky you asked me to do it"

Copia chuckled and shook his head "you'll do fine, it's as though you're painting your own protections on me"

"Then will you paint me like one of your ghoulettes too?" Lauren teased as she washed the brush through the paints

"maybe one day I will" Copia shut his eyes as Lauren tilted his head up with a finger hooked under his chin, brushing on the white paint to cover his skin, making sure to get into every wrinkle and crevice of his aged face,

"Oh? Do the mistresses of Papa's get their own papal design? " Lauren teased him as she pushed back his hair from his eyes to paint over his forehead and blend it into his hair line with her fingertip.

"Not quite, It's a body oil, like a protection tonic" he was quite content in sitting there while she gentle dabbed over his skin counting every tap of her finger in his hair. so careful and gentle on his rough skin.

When she was satisfied with an even base of white, she put the brush aside and grabbed the oil based remover, soaking a tissue and drawing lines down his jaw for the crisp straight lines he was known for, and drawing away the hollow areas that would be painted black, in the hollowed out spaces of his teeth between his jaws and on his temples. " that does sound nice, would be nicer if you can return the favour I'm doing for you now??"

"I would love nothing more than to wash you down in oils and tonics to take away your pain" Copia groggily stated, hypnotised by her touch and the gentle massage with her fingers on his face

Lauren chuckled and pressed her fingers to his lips " After I'm done painting you" Lauren leaned down at her hips ,holding his chin in her fingers and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, long over due for the day.
Copia held a hand to her arm , gentle tracing down her arm to the cloth in her fingers,smiling against her lips.

Lauren pulled away with a smile but seeing him with just the white paints she pursed her lips and straightened up " you look silly, lets finish making you look fit for satan"

Copia chuckled nervously and turned to look at himself in the mirror briefly " it does look silly with half the paint"

Lauren loaded up the smaller brush and tapped his cheek to turn him back to face her and start painting his cheeks " this is what they mean by 'trust the process' "

Copia took a slow deep breath and relaxed his face, running through the process for the ritual in his mind, line by line, as Secondo had drilled into their mind every last detail to ensure nothing went wrong, why Secondo felt the need to explain these to his brothers as if they were 5 years old Copia will never understand.

Lauren focused on tracing the lines of white on his cheeks carefully, the more tense her hand felt, the more she could feel her muscles wanting to twitch and flick the black paint up into the white , meaning they would have to start all over again.
She let out her held breath as she lift the brush off his cheek "I don't know how anyone can call painting relaxing, i feel like one wrong move would hurt you"

"A lack of precision is dangerous when the margin for error is so small" Copia mumbled, trying to not move his mouth too much in anticipation for where the brush would be next.

"Well,,, that's wise " Lauren mumbled, " Who told you that?" she gently tapped his eyebrow with the tip of her brush to tell him where she'll paint next

"uh, my instructor… but i think he took it from some American politician, too english and not enough … similar examples" Copia mumbled, relaxing his eyes from squinting.

"Instructor?" Lauren mumbled as she painted over his eyelids "What kind of instructor"

" Ah, it was just a formality really" Copia waved a hand in the air " just a practice for our safety in America"

Laurens hands twitched, she lift the brush up from his eye, She couldn't be too sure but the only time there's been a need for safety in America is to brandish guns, He spoke so casually as if it really was nothing of importance, but he didn't say that exactly, it wasn't fair to assume, she had to hear it from his mouth…" what did-"

The bathroom swung open as Terzo burst in holding the tub of cracked and dried paints " Fratello, these paints are useless give me yours"

Copia groaned and looked to the uninvited " what did you do to my paint? how did you dry it out?"

"No? I didn't do anything, give me your paints" Terzo ordereed, putting the pot onto the counter then holding his hand out to lauren, expecting it.

Copia stood up, gently holding laurens hip not to spook her and shooed Terzo out, " I can revive it, do you not know how to revive it? "

"It's dry! we don't have time for wasted magic!"

Lauren was left to her self in the bathroom holding the paints and her thoughts..maybe later.

---

 

Siblings had been instructed at dinner to keep inside of their dorms as all they knew was that the Papas all needed to gather and perform a powerful spell that required no distractions from anyone, one small mistake could be fatal.
That didn't mean they wouldn't watch from the windows to see what was so important the Papas all cancelled meetings and shut themselves into solitude.

The private grounds behind the smaller ministry had chalk circles drawn over the blades of grass, careful circles, four points indicating north,south, east and west,
All 24 Ghouls gathered, spread around the outside of the summoning circles, 6 Ghouls stood within every quarter, between every mortal with the white eye a balance of abilities, powers and strengths, If not a show of entrapment and protection, but to be preventing any and all escape for which ever being appears from the flames that summons it.

The eldest Emeritus stands in the north,an offering of his own harvest , he stands grounded and stable,the builder of a stable foundation, as much as it crumbles and cracks the foundation will still bear the brunt of the weight it carries.

Secondo holds his tome of incantations proudly in the west, His careful reflection of why and how they would reach the end of a vicious cycle landed him on a carefully selected , yet ever reliable, calling card. Tonight he doesn't act with careless wrath, but well considered practice and patience.

Terzo stands stoic in the South, His passion and vitality emanating with the glare resting on his brow as a protective nature around his family,close and extended.

Copia stands in the east Holding a twisted blade in his palm, Lauren behind him where his shadow stretches holding a bundled up Eva,dressed warm in her pyjamas and winter coat. Tonight, He represents new beginnings and clarity.

30 beings present on the lawn, 30 beings clear of the instructions and the stakes before them. 30 beings would be returning through the doors of the ministry, the same 30 who walked out of them.

Every infernal being very aware of the the other 29 beings around them, how they feel, how they anticipate, plan, even how they fear.

Primo grinds hand selected small flowers between the hard surfaces of their mortar and pestle. small flowers each with 5 long white petals,the stamen and pistil held in the centre,similar to a orchard yet the scent of nutmeg wafts through the air, blending with the smoke of incense as it creates a low and thin fog over the ground outside of the chalk circle only just blurring the fine lines drawn in the grass, the intent to cause confusion and to prevent escape.

Terzo holds his hands out, holding a match book,striking the stick over the phosphorus bulb across the coarse board. The small flame held up to the sky in his extended arm, waiting for his cue.

Secondos voice booms out into the silence of the darkness.

"Shrouded in darkness, the vast of the void.

Kissed by the cold and in absence of noise

Surrounded by ghouls,protective and fierce,

this unholy blade, our skin it does pierce.

we offer our riches in exchange for what burns

summon the being who causes concerns"

Lauren steps forward with Copia as they walk towards the centre of the chalk drawn circle ,Lauren holds Evas little hand out to Copia, Eva clutching the little grey goat comforter toy the ghouls had given her long ago, offering the blood which makes their targets obsession boil.
Copia held Laurens wrist in his palm gentle,supporting it as he lifts the blade to gently poke Evas fourth digit and drew the blade across Laurens Ring Finger
The blade stung as it sliced and as it pricked their skin, but the cold of the night numbed the sensation, Eva flinched but was too tired to cry she just pulled the little goat blanket into her face.
Copia let go of Laurens wrist to gently hold his free palm to the side of her face, wiping away the little tear that fell from her eye,he leaned down and whispered to her "Ti proteggerò, figlia mia"

He took hold of Laurens wrist again and turned her wrist to let the collective blood drip inside of the central circle. Watching as the blood dripped from their palmsto collectwith the dew on the grass.

Terzo walked forward with the match still lit "Fai un passo indietro per favore"

Copia pulled Lauren back towards the East of the circle as Terzo drops the flame onto the chalk and dew, as wet and impossible as sit should have been , the chalk ignited and flames drew,the smoke rose quickly yet stayed within the boundary of the centre creating a Colum obstructing every Papa from those who were across from them,Terzo steps back to his place in the south

"Through void and flame we summon thee

A creature lost to fame and fallacy

we call on you through fog and blur

to return the balance to how things were

what once was lost has now been found.

onto our land you will not be bound,

A trade of service we extend

Fulfill your craving, on you we depend.

Venire,Venire, Venire"

All the Papas repeated the phrase "Venire" over and over as the flames grow and the smoke thickens, They all held their hands out towards the central column of flames, reaching into it's power as though trying to grab the being they were after.
Lauren leaned closer to Copia as the air felt thick, the energy behind them prickling like tv static made of glass, instinctively Lauren covers Eva with her winter coat but Eva stretched her body up to see over the blanket. only to be blocked by the embroidered and bejewelled robes.

Within the darkness the ghouls joined into the chanting "Vinire" all the timbres of their voices overlapping,with how they were all dotted around the circles it sounds as though the voices could be stretching back into the forest that shrouded their activities from prying eyes.

Lauren watched the smoke swirling in a tight column stretching to the clouds above, the flames burning brighter and hotter,embers spat out into the grass,burning individual blades down to the soil, The crackling of the flames swelled into a roar, as if trying to smother the chanting — but the chorus Ghouls and Popes only rose in defiance, louder and more fervent.

It had to be a trick of the light,the smoke rising from the middle of the summoning circle began to swirl down to the ground,being vacuumed back to where it came from . Through the thinning smoke a humanoid figure stood pressing their hands to the sides of their head,

"ENOUGH!"

The smoke dispersed out from the centre in a shockwave of fog, Silencing the forest and all it's in habitant, the sudden force knocking those caught unaware off their feet and on their ass in the dewy grass.

The men in the four cardinal directions stood tall,unbothered by the breeze throwing the edges of their robes behind them,Copia holds his arm up briefly to block the wind from the girls behind him.
Lauren looked over Copias shoulder to see who,or what, had been summoned, there in the centre where the flames had died and the smoke had faded was being number 31.

There stood a masked humanoid figure— tall, imposing, completely covered in black. His face is hidden behind an expressionless, featureless mask, white or slightly reflective, almost like porcelain or bone. It's not a human face — it's something blank, hollow, and haunting. There were no horns on his crown, No tail, No crooked or stretched features like when the ghouls would loose control of their glamours,
He wears long, draped robes or layered clothing, dark and heavy, like he’s both a mourner and a god. His arms and chest are exposed,skin dark like the shadows surrounding them.

Secondo brushed some dirt from the shoulder of his robes ,unimpressed with the explosive display, before addressing the summoned by his name

"Vessel…"

The being whips his head around to who called his name, the defensive stance he held softened and he stood upright "Oh,Secondo, Paints still scuffed up as ever,dirty boy" he fluffed the sides of his robes and looked around at the chalks on the ground "wooow, you pulled out all the stops to make sure I got here, look at this!" he spun around seeing the details in this summoning circle when he spotted Terzo

"Eyy, Terzooo, What've you got this week? Crabs? The clap? Oh wait" he looked into his robes and pulled out a folded up piece of paper " I got your STI results right here" making a show of unfolding it

Terzo kept his face flat and unbothered watching him make a show.

"Ah, Just says your girlfriends would be better off with me" Vessel grins with an impossibly bring smile,of all things to be clean on him, it's his teeth

"I am not the one playing Pokemon with STI's,Rogue" Terzo called

"VEGA" Primos voice boomed,already sick of the childish teasing,

Surprised, Vessel turned to face primo and held his hands out wide, bowing low but keeping his head up so as not to break eye contact " Primordius. Jeeze what did I do to get all three of you together with all your body guards and everything" he stood back up to his full height " Drop the formalities Primo,we're long past the dark ages"

"Vega, you've not been summoned for punishment" Primo announced

"We should have done that long ago" Secondo added

"Yeah we get it, I'm a bad boy, what do you want?" Vessel growled impatiently, looking around at all the sets of eyes on him when he spotted Copia in the teal robes, when he expected to see Nihil draped in ivory, Vessel leaned back and chuckled to himself,not quite believing just what he was seeing

"Wow… You painted up the spare"

Copia leaned back from the comment, confused by what he meant by that,

"Unka Dew!!!" Eva called out from Laurens arms , reaching out to him as he stood behind the east corner.
Dew leaned to the side so she could see where he was but he was unable to go by her side without breaking the barrier around them. He wasn't happy about her being in the barrier with out him but the balance of protection would be off without him.

Lauren turned to show Eva that Dew was right behind them "he's there honey, Uncle Dews behind us" she whispered

Vessel leaned over to see that Copia was not infact alone, the familiar DNA scent he'd followed through the summons lead right to the tiny squawk behind 'the spare' . He didn't quite understand it but this tiny squawker smelled like the broken prisoner he'd given up on, What a stroke of luck, his smile stretched into a grin and his mouth salivated at just the thought of another hit from that sweet essence.

"Ah, You brought a snack"

Copia held his arm up to cover Eva and Lauren with his robes, breaking that line of sight, he dropped the blade and reached around behind him to pull Lauren up against him while putting himself between them.
Terzo looked to Lauren quick then over to Alpha , stood between him and Secondo, shooting him a scrunched up brow, a sign to be prepared in case things were to go to emotional shit.

All of Copias ghouls growled a warning from the outside of the barrier, breaking their stances to hunch forward as if ready to pounce.
Dewdrop snapped his eyes from Eva to the rogue, his hair and eyes igniting in a bright burst of flame sending embers into the air around him, his skin crackling like lava pushing through "Back off, Vowbreaker!"
The growls vibrated the air low,anyone silent could feel the pounding in their bones.

"What?! the kit ain't related to any of the old fellas here so sue me for assuming it was a peace offering" Vessel held his hands up in surrender , laughing off this ridiculous display knowing full well they couldn't step in here without letting him step out again.

"Is that what you've been doing since you abandoned your post and broke your bonds? Eating babies and draining the life forces from random humans then?" Terzo yelled,trying to take his attention off Eva.

"At least I haven't been carelessly making them like someone" Vessel smug with the power for the position he's in, he turned around in his circle to look at the protective display around them " Oh my f- Calm your tits you lot it was a fucking joke"

"You threatened to eat their foundling" Primo bellowed " one they've grown quite attached to ,we all have."

"I can see..So if you didn't bring me here to punish me or to tease me then why the fuck am I here?" Vessel dropped down into a slav squat, getting quite comfortable on the ground. "you've got the kit of my current favourite drug so it's got to have something to do with him right?"

Primo nodded "We need that man alive"

Vessel tilted his head, "the mans a fucking killer, if i don't take him out he's bound for the electric chair or something he's gonna die anyway"

"He still hasn't suffered enough yet" Lauren called

Copia looked back to her with surprise

Vessel did the same, dropping his head to an unnatural angle to look her way "And what do you mean by that, love? he's in isolation, in prison, he ain't even got a shred of hope his lawyers will get him out on a retrial, He's just waiting until he carks it at this point"

"Yeah but not once has he given a shit about seeing his daughter, he probably only imagines the other ways he'd kill me if he could"

"Well he would if he had any sort of motivation left" Vessel smirked and wiped his chin " That's the sweetest drug there is, Love, violent passion and desire, he had plenty to spare so why let it go to waste" he stood tall again turning to face her properly

Lauren stepped to Copias side and leaned into him to hand Eva over to him "Go to Papa, Honey"

"What are you doing?" Copia hissed as he cradled Eva in his arms ,

"Something you can't" Lauren whispered and turned to limp up to Vessel.

"Lauren, Stop!" Secondo ordered
"Cognata, no Go back to Papa" Primo called.
Terzo just watched on,knowing his voice would fall on deaf ears

Lauren stopped short of the chalk barrier separating her from Vessel, he stood impossibly tall over her, the air around him again felt like that static from before, she knew what to bargain, she knew what to do,
"You have an addiction to my ex husbands malice right?"

"Addiction is such a harsh word-"

"Do you want more?" Lauren cut him off from fucking around

Vessel bent down at his hips to meet her at her height " you're a persistent one aren't you? I can see why he beat that out of you"

"Answer my question" she demanded

" it's a drug, it's an addiction, you find that something you've been missing from life, that high, that mind blowing experience,that thing you've been denied for decades and will do anything you can to have it over, and over, and over, " Vessel started panting, huffing, like he was being teased with it and the restraint was all he had to focus on" so of course, I want more"

Lauren nodded " I can bring back that rage that you crave"

"How! your precious popes wont let you anywhere near him" he backed up from her " don't make false promises little lady,

"He's a narcissist. he doesn't care about us, he cares about his image above all else."

"So what, you're going to share photos online about what was hiding in plain sight? you know they don't let inmates on social media right?"

"But they do have TV" Lauren grinned, he wasn't turning her down she could see he was curious, interested in what he could be gaining from this. She had him. "I haven't been paying any mind to the attention it's got, we can reach out to a trusted news company and I could do an interview talking about how much better our lives are without him and how much of a monster he is-"

"and you think that'll fill him with rage?" Vessel grinned,licking his lips just thinking about the fresh rage he'll be able to consume " I'm interested,but what do you want from me? Bald Gandalf said a trade of service"

"I need you to show restraint, I want to be the one who kills him" Lauren declared "He tried to kill me and I wont fail like he did"

"Cognata, Enough!" Primo yelled, "Back away from the rogue now! you've said your piece"
The ghouls looked amongst one another sharing concerned and confused expressions but not abandoning their posts to intervene.

"Shut it Primordial soup, She deserves this, Doesn't the beloved Morning Star insist Justice shall prevail over laws? Your clever cognata here deserves justice" Vessel leaned down,leaning on his knees "This is a win win situation here my dear"

"It really is" Lauren grinned holding a hand out to him "Do we need to shake on it to make a deal?"

Copia flinched and bounced Eva up in his arms " Wren, No!"

Vessel chuckled and reached out to grab her hand,pulling her across the chalk barrier and breaking the area of effect. He pulled her close to his body,holding her against his chest with a hand on her lower back.
Lauren gasped and yelped from the pain of him yanking her in to his circle so forcefully" despite feeling just how cold his body was, oh but he was solid, very …solid…. " Do…we have…a deal…" the pressure he held on her twinged her ribs,but she could feel that he loosened his grip on her when he could feel her flinching and tensing around her chest.

Vessel nodded "There's one other thing I want from you before I agree" holding her hand outstretched as though they were dancing together under the moonlight

"What? Freedom to roam?A night with the current Papas Lover? the other ghouls to stop bullying you?" Lauren sarcastically suggested, "Papa Terzos' Grammy shot glasses?"

Vessel laughed, looking up at the ghouls and to Copia,anxiously waiting to jump into action "You know,as much as I would love all of those, there's something I crave even more. " his hand spider crawling down her back towards her hips. his eyes locked on the spare carrying her daughter, knowing he couldn't make any threatening advances.
Despite the fire burning in his eyes, Copia kept visually calm.

"well don't leave me waiting, I'm not a mind reader, tell me" Lauren asked

"I want to be there when you end him" Vessel declared,His black stained fingers trailing down her arm,taking the sleeve to her elbow and tracing his fingers over the remaining scars and burn marks on her arms,
"There's a reason i get my fix from prisoners, it's better if they're numb, they wont be missed when they die, I see their memories that feeds their primal rage, i have no regret draining them of their energies."

Lauren looked passed his arm to see Mountain and Rain standing still around the barrier, the concern in their eyes, prepared to pounce, but it was knowing Mountain too had seen the horrors she'd experienced, "well how am i supposed to let you know when it's happening , Can't exactly do a giant summoning circle like this every time we want to get your attention, not good for the lawn you know?"

Vessel chuckled and shook his head "No it is not, but , " he let go of her and pat down his chest and his hips , " shit, you got a pen?"

Lauren pat her own pockets and pulled out a blue ball point pen "I don't have paper though"

"No need" he took the pen and her arm again,drawing an arch, and what looked like gates opening on either side of them, "When you need me, draw this in ash and incense. a-nd if that doesn't work" he wrote down a series of numbers on her palm " Call me" he chuckled,showing the number to her

"An infernal prodigal son has a cellphone?" Lauren raised a brow

" It's not all smoke signals and ancient rituals anymore, Love. the 21st century is a beautiful time" Vessel grinned and turned her hand over in his, holding it up to his face and pressing a kiss to the back of her hand " and if these old coots start boring you, call me anyway"

Lauren rolled her eyes and backed away from him " Thank you Vessel"

"You're welcome,My drug dealer " Vessel let her go before crossing his arms and looking over his shoulder at Primo then at Terzo "Can you send me back now? I'm late for my own show"
Vessel let go of her hand and tilted his head " maybe you should give our music a listen some time "

"Ritorna da dove sei venuto" Secondo grumbled and waving her hand up to the sky, Smoke from the ground in a thick and heavy, concealing Vessel and whisking him away from their grounds.

The smoke cleared and the Rogue was gone, Lauren could finally drop the tension in her shoulders and let out the breath she'd been holding in, "o k"

" What did he do? show me" Terzo grabbed Laurens hand and looked at the what vessel had drawn on her " did he fucking mark you?"

Copia handed Eva off to Dew and rushed up to Lauren and Terzo as well " What is it? what did he do?" Copia lift her hair off her neck and took her arm from Terzo

"Stop fussing I'm fine! " Lauren laughed as Copia traced her neck and tickled her nerves "We made an agreement and he gave me his calling card, and his number " she smiled at the worrying men, quite proud of herself " I know how to get a ghoul to behave by now"

Copia and Terzo looked to one another,at first they were concerned, then impressed, the two of them breaking out into laughter
"You Clever woman, you!" Copia held her face with both hands,pulled her close to him and kissed her forehead, both her cheeks, her lips and her nose.

Terzo waved the all clear to the ghouls and the onlookers "It's alright, Shows over"
The siblings hanging from the windows began to disappear into their rooms one by one, Primo waved to his ghouls to start brushing away the chalk from the grounds to ensure no residual summoning or unwanted arrivals.
Terzo put his hands on his hips "Are you sure you're not the human incarnation of Queen Lilith? The ghouls all seem to bow down to your will"

Lauren wrapped her arms over Copias shoulders and shrugged at Terzo " Maybe she saw what I went through and took pity on another first wife who was treated like shit by her husband"

"Maybe" Terzo chuckled and pat Copias shoulder " sounds like you've got an offering of thanks to give her majesty"

Copia laughed nervously and paused "when was the last time we gave her an offering?"

Terzo slapped his shoulder "That's something Papa Emeritus should really keep a track of. Lucky for you she accepts Sex Magiks, Don't kill him Wren" shooting Lauren a wink before going to check on the elders.

Copia swallowed the nervous laugh " He is kidding of course"

Lauren shrugged and leaned in to kiss his cheek " It's not a bad idea though" 

Notes:

ok so THANK YOU FOR READING! I really appreciate this so much every single time.
I have had ALOT of things going on in my life, i turned 30, I had a diagnosis for Hip Displaysia and a Massive Labrum Tear in my right hip (which means i have to make massive daily life style changes. )
NOW. OK big big news -outside of writing, i'm also a cosplay and i've been pursuing my Music. Recently I was accepted into a Musicians Artists Intensive course being run by Mad Gallica (YES, CUMULUS!)
Because this course is only running for 8 weeks, I have been head down booty up in working on my music and making the most of the time I have with her.

UNFORTUNATLEY that does mean i've been focused on my music and not so much my story!

IF you want to bully me about it OwO you're more than welcome to join "The Riters Guild" - a Discord for Ghost Fanfiction writers I started with Discount Demon Warehouse. Just follow the linky below, I post monthly prompts in hopes to inspire people, maybe who needs a palet cleanser, etc, it's a chaotic little group but it's all for good ^^ <3
https://discord.gg/VxZW7ZJFxs
I've also been posting unlisted links to my music there if you're curious <3