The Twelve Zenati Pt. 17

"If she wanted you to know, she would have told you. You can't second-guess every decision you have made about her. You did what you thought was right, at the time. You've been her friend, even when she was pissing everyone else off." Gideon reached out and placed a comforting hand on his wife's leg.

"Not a very good friend. I didn't listen to her, not properly. I'm a doctor, for goodness sake. This is my speciality! I should have seen the signs," Vivienne said and began to tear up, at a total loss with the disaster she had made of today, not only for herself but for the man she loved and his brothers.

"In the beginning, Olivia was the victim, not Marcella. None of us looked properly into Olivia's past, even though we all guessed that it wasn't good from the way her parents refused to acknowledge that she had been found alive. We just assumed that all the real damage to her psyche was done by Royce. I think that this discovery bothers us much more than it bothers Olivia, or Marcella. They have dealt with it already, and we have to come to terms with the fact that real evil exists in the world and that even the people we love are not immune." Gideon tried his best to console his wife, knowing that she would be blaming herself for the lecture they had all received on interfering in other people's lives uninvited. "I was pretty hard on Noah today, and he didn't deserve it. I need to go find him. Are you going to be okay?" he asked, as he pulled up in front of their apartment building.

"Sure, I'll be fine. I'm going to go and keep Olivia company like Genesis suggested and actually listen to her this time, if she decides to talk about everything," Vivienne gave a sad smile, her eyes still glassy with unshed tears. "I won't push any more or investigate things on my own. I will just listen and support," she vowed.

"That's not in your nature. You care too much. Just run things past me before you do anything, okay? I will do the same for you. Keep your phone on," he smiled as he spoke and leaned over to kiss her. "Don't ever stop being you and caring about the people that you love. I love you just the way you are."

"Go find Noah and make sure he knows how much we love him," she said when the kiss broke and Gideon stepped out of the car. She hurried indoors, knowing that he would wait to make sure that she was safe, and made her way up to Genesis' apartment where Olivia waited.

"Olivia?" Vivienne called out as there was no answer to her knocking. "I don't have a key to this apartment. You have to come open the door." She knocked again. "Olivia?"

The door cracked open slowly, and Vivienne could see Olivia peeking through the opening, making sure that it was who she thought it was before she opened the door wider.

"Is something wrong?" Vivienne asked, concerned by the fearful look in Olivia's eyes as she opened the door.

"I'm... It's just... It's different... being here," Oliva tried to express how she was feeling.

"I'm sure it is. You've been in a private hospital for the longest time," Vivienne said with understanding. "Would you like to show me around your new home?"

"Okay," Olivia said uncertainly, closing the door and leading the way into the living room. "I only got here late last night, so I haven't really explored without Genesis here. So, this is the living room and through here is the kitchen. Would you like to see our bedroom?" she asked, still sounding uncertain.

"No, that's fine. How about we have a cup of tea and a chat? It must be strange for you, moving in here without Genesis being able to spend time with you because of everything that's happening at the moment." Vivienne moved into the kitchen, determined to help Olivia find the cups and teabags. "Do you know where he keeps everything?"

"Not really, but I can find the cups at least," Olivia said, opening one cupboard. "And this is the pantry. I guess that's where the tea bags would be." She sighed. "How did I get this useless? I've been here all morning and I haven't even thought to look for anything, and now that we're in here, I'm starving. Maybe I could make you something? I haven't always had someone looking after every single thing in my life. I can do stuff on my own."

"I know you can, sweetie, but you were very badly injured, don't forget. No one expects you to get out of the hospital and be Wonder Woman," Vivienne smiled. "What do you feel like? Maybe Genesis has ingredients for something simple, like pasta, or we could call for takeout?"

"I'm more of a heat-and-eat kind of girl. Mama didn't like anyone but Jessa in the kitchen with her. I was too little, and Marcella argued with her too much. At least, until they left, and by then Mama didn't want any help by the time I got home, in the afternoons. I never really learned to cook," Olivia admitted.

"Me neither," Vivienne said sadly. "My mother died when I was too young to have helped her, but we had a cook, so I didn't really need to help in the kitchen. I preferred to study, anyway, so it was never something I learned to do. I can make a mean cheese toastie, though, if you're interested. I'm sure there must be bread and cheese in this kitchen," she laughed lightly, trying to ease the anxiousness that she could hear in Olivia's voice.

True to her new resolve, she didn't push Olivia to talk about her family, even though she had touched on the subject. Instead, she helped Olivia find some bread in the freezer, and cheese and butter in the refrigerator. They talked about food and kitchen basics as they made toasties, frying them in a pan with way more butter than was good for them. The finished product, however, was crisp and golden, and exactly what Olivia had felt like.

"Thanks, Viv," Olivia said, sipping her glass of cool water. "At least I know how to make something that doesn't come out of a can or get microwaved now."

"Maybe we should take a cooking class together, to learn the basics. Gosh knows I could use it. This is the best thing in my recipe book," Vivienne smiled. "Maybe we can talk Marcella into coming with us," she suggested with a small laugh.

"She's gone," Olivia said quietly. "She won't come back this time."

"Why do you think that?" Vivienne frowned. Imelda had told them that Noah had found her. Surely, he would bring her home again.

"Because the Battaglia came, and she was already hurt and weak. She couldn't stay in the hospital. They always came for her when she was hurt or sick and couldn't defend herself, but she got away this time. She won't come back now," Olivia said, emphatically.

"Olivia, Noah found her today. I am sure that he will try and convince her to come back," Vivienne said gently, unsure of what Olivia was implying. "The Battaglia were sent away. They never got to see Marcella while they were here. The Zenati would not have let them take her if she didn't want to go with them."

"Is that what they told you?" Olivia asked doubtfully. "Marcella never wanted to go, but they still took her. She won't let Noah take her anywhere, either. She's stronger than they realise. That's why she is so mad at Genesis. She thinks he made me accept him as my Master when Remy died, and he took me to the clinic, even when I said I didn't want to eat or drink or move anywhere. I love him, and I understand why he did it that way, but she is mad at him and mad at me for letting him treat me like that. I'm not as strong as her, though. I never was." She knew her thoughts were coming out wrong and as jumbled as they were in her head, but if anyone could understand her, it would be Vivienne. "Genesis never understood why she kept wanting to take me away from him and this city, but I did."

"She still wants to help you, Olivia. She will come back to make sure that you are safe," Vivienne said, clinging to the one thing she was sure of. "You are the reason that she came here in the first place. She won't leave with the investigation still going on."

"Maybe, but she won't come back here," Olivia said, lifting her arms, indicating the building they stood in. "She won't come back to where they can find her again."

Vivienne heard the conviction in Olivia's voice and sighed sadly. She hoped that Olivia was wrong, but she had a bad feeling that Olivia knew her sister better than any of them thought she did.

*****

"Let's make sure I understand what you're proposing," Marcella said, flexing her hands which Noah still held, though his grip had loosened a little.

"Okay," he nodded and moved sideways to adjust the uncomfortable position he was in, sitting on the couch, facing her. One long leg was bent to curl underneath him, and he could feel the tell-tale beginning of pins and needles urging him to move and stretch it out. He let go of one of her wrists as he turned fully and leaned back against the couch, stretching both legs before him.

"You will keep your family off my back and looking in other directions if I tell you why I stayed in the city?" she questioned cautiously.

"And," he prompted.

"And if I let you help me with whatever that might be?" she continued. "You will let me be in full control and follow my lead, without taking over or making snarky judgemental comments." She raised one eyebrow at him.

"I will follow your lead and let you be in full control, without taking over, but there may be a little snark. I am sure there will be times when I just won't be able to contain it," he chuckled. "I'm only human, Marcella, and you are, after all... you. I will, however, try not to say anything out loud, unless we are alone. Continue," he encouraged.

"In return for your assistance with what I am trying to achieve, and keeping the watchers at bay, you will expect equal time from me, where I help you with your plans under the same conditions," she finished.

"Where I am in control, and you follow my lead without judgement or snarky comments," he extrapolated.

"What happens if I choose not to accept your proposal?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Then I let the people looking for you know where you are and the name that you are using so they can take you back to the hospital and treat you like a weak, fragile girl who needs looking after," he smirked, knowing that this was exactly what she wanted to avoid. Her independence was important to her, as was her reputation for being a tough bitch and a ballbuster in her career.

"So, you're essentially blackmailing me into letting you in on my plans," she accused.

"Blackmailing is a bit harsh," Noah replied and put his hand to his chest as if she had just wounded him. "I'm just giving you an alternative to the inevitable. I found you easily enough. It won't take much for Gideon to track you down, especially because Vivienne is so upset about your disappearance. People care about you, Marcella. They won't stop looking until they know you're safe," he said, seriously.

"That's where you come in? You tell them that I am safe and we are what? Taking a time out from the world to recuperate from the accident?" She rolled her eyes.

"I won't even tell them that I am with you. I'll admit your disguise is pretty good; even I almost didn't recognise you. I will let my family know that I am spending a few days here and that you aren't here, but if you show up, I will let them know. Now that Dom is healing, it's not so urgent that I am there, and Papa can handle the AFP for a few days and let me know if there is anything that needs my immediate attention," he said as if he had given it a lot of thought. "I've been pulling triple duty as a lawyer, Oracle and my own role on the Table for weeks now, and no one will begrudge me a few days off."

"What if it takes longer than a few days?" Marcella asked, considering what he was saying. She didn't trust him, but she could see the advantages in being able to move around more freely. Her 'get out of jail free' card was blown now that he knew about her well-prepared secret identity. Rationally, she knew that she had little choice but to trust him. If she went back, the chance of her getting away on her own to make the rendezvous would be slim at best.

"How long do you think you'll need?" he asked, furrowing his brows to hide the triumph that he felt now that she had just admitted that she had a specific plan in the works.

"At least a week, maybe two," she said, considering his question thoughtfully.

"That length of time will be harder to manage to stay under the radar. Not impossible, just harder. We may have to consider posing as a couple. Anyone looking for you, not just the family but the AFP or the Suebi, will be looking for a woman on her own, not a couple, or husband and wife," he mused.

"You're pretty recognisable. I doubt that you could fly under the radar." Marcella rolled her eyes, not believing that she was even having this conversation.

"Who says you're the only one with a disguise?" Noah challenged, rolling his eyes at her. "Superman only needed glasses to become Clark Kent." He grinned at her, feeling the tension in her arm relax as he continued to hold it.

"You want us to live as a couple while we're in disguise and hiding out from everyone who may or may not be looking for us?" she asked, shaking her head incredulously.

"Think about it. It makes sense, seeing as you are going to let me help you do what you need to do. No one will be looking for a couple, and Stevie is going to be a lot safer with a man in her life. Every player in the casino was checking you out today. Having me holding your hand will stop a lot of those idiots hitting on you," he said, pulling a face as if he had just tasted something disgusting.

"I can't believe that I am even listening to this bullshit, right now," Marcella blurted.

"It's your choice, Marcella. You can either trust me to do what I have said I would, or we can head back to the hospital, and you can go it alone with even more security around you." Noah sighed as if in frustration and let go of her wrist. "I'm offering you a chance to do what you want without taking such big risks. If anything goes wrong, I will call in the cavalry, but if everything goes right, you get what you want, with the added bonus of having back-up that will do your bidding without anyone interfering with your plans." He stood, stretching his legs and walking a few steps away but positioning himself so that he could grab her if she tried to bolt from the room. "Personally, I think that I would like hanging out with Stevie. She seems like a cool chick." He put his hand into the pocket of his cargoes and fished out his phone before looking at her as if expecting a decision.

"Full control? You'll put it in writing?" she asked, finally taking in the way he looked today. Gone was the usual suit and tie, and in its place, he wore casual loose-fitting cargoes and a collared polo shirt. He looked so different from his every-day, professional persona that she did a double take before gaining control of the situation again. She realised that she didn't have a lot of choice but to accept his offer, and now that he had let her go, she didn't feel as trapped by his appearance in her room. She stood and moved toward the table where she had left the phone, she had purchased that morning.

"Yes," he agreed. "But I expect full disclosure if you want me to write it up as a legal contract, and give you lawyer-client confidentiality."

"I'll be the lawyer, and I'll write up the agreement. A nondisclosure agreement will do just as well as any client confidentiality agreement. You're the one who proposed that I would be the one in control and you will be the one doing what I want, remember," she chided him. "Or was that all bullshit? I find it hard to believe that you could ever play back-up. I doubt you were even a good wingman for your brothers."

"I am an excellent wingman, and I have a great reputation for client care." Once again he clutched his chest as if she had wounded him. "Just remember that you are setting a precedent for how I will act when I am in control. Think carefully about what you ask me to do, because it may come back to bite you," he warned. "I was serious about the equal time for you to help me, where I am in control, once you've achieved your goal."

"Shit," she cursed silently. She'd almost forgotten that part of the deal. To be under the full control of a Table man filled her with trepidation, but once again, she didn't really have many options. However, once she found Hermione's and made things right for Olivia, there would be nothing holding her in this city with these people, and she doubted that Noah would try to follow her once she truly disappeared. He had no real interest in her, except that she was Vivienne's friend and Olivia's sister, which made her important, in some way, to his brothers. If she accepted his proposal, she would have a week or two to consider her escape plan, so she sat at the small table in her suite and invited him to sit with her as if she was conducting a client meeting at her law firm.

"Okay, let's negotiate you being my bitch for the next two weeks," she smirked, having resolved to come up with an escape plan before he could enforce his turnabout rule.

*****

"I know that I am probably the last person you expected to find at your door, but could I come in, please?" Emma asked Olivia, who had opened her door only a small amount, despite Vivienne being with her. "I'd really like to apologise for what happened yesterday."

"Why? You have nothing to be sorry for," Olivia asked in confusion. Emma had done nothing wrong. She had been the one who had been emotional and refused to talk when they had gone shopping. The other woman was the one who had every right to be upset, considering what was happening with Dominic. Olivia opened the door wider in invitation. "How is Dominic today?" she asked, as Emma stepped into the apartment.

"He's gone back to work already, if you can believe that." She rolled her eyes. "Noah came in with this big plan of his, and they went into one of their little huddles and sent me off on an errand to get me out of the way. By the time I came back, they had moved Dominic into their war room on a recliner, despite my protests," she grumbled. "Then they kicked me out until later tonight, when they promised he'd be back in bed for dinner."

"Gosh, what's going on with Noah? I know that Gideon and Genesis were really worried about him earlier this morning," Vivienne asked as they walked back into the kitchen area, trying not to give away too much of the drama that she had caused between the brothers.

"Can I get you tea or coffee?" Olivia asked, looking around once she realised where she had led her guest.

"Tea would be lovely, thank you. I haven't been able to get a decent cup at the hospital," she said as if relieved by the offer.

"I'm not sure how much better the tea I make will be, but it will be fresh and hot," Olivia said nervously as she went into the pantry. "I only moved in yesterday. I'm not even sure what Genesis has in here."

"Would you mind if I had a look?" Emma asked. "I've been sitting most of today, and I have far too much energy to just sit again now. I know it's rude, but I just can't help doing things for myself in the kitchen. It's my most favourite room in the house."

"I guess," Olivia said, stepping back and letting Emma inspect the large pantry.

"Oh, thank God," Emma said a few minutes later, emerging from the pantry cradling a bright orange box labelled with T2 and smiling widely. "Lead me to your kettle," she grinned.

"I'm so sorry about yesterday, Olivia," Emma said as she bustled about the kitchen, investigating the space by opening random cupboards.

"There's no need to apologise. Are you looking for something in particular? I have a cup for you on the bench," Olivia said, still sounding uncertain.

"I'm sorry," Emma apologised again. "I just can't help myself. I'm so nosy about how other people set up their kitchens and homes. Do you cook much?"