The Twelve Zenati Pt. 32

Author's note: Hello everyone. I am sorry for my tardiness with chapter I have been in hospital again but am on the mend once more although my writing is considerably slow for which I apologise. Again, I am grateful to MsSensualiT for her continued help to be my second sets of eyes. I hope those of you who enjoy this series continue to do so. ~ellie.

Marcella felt Noah slide from the bed sometime later. She didn't open her eyes or make any movement that would show she was awake and aware of his movements. She burrowed slightly deeper under the single sheet covering her nakedness until she heard the shower and the tell-tale change in the rhythm of the water that told her he was under the water. She quickly gathered her clothes and dressed. She hoped to make it back to the room she had been given in the main house where she could shower alone and get away from the man her muddled her mind and made her lose focus on what she was doing here. She had to concentrate on what she had to do to ensure the safety of the people she cared about, including him.

The door opened, easily swinging on silent hinges as she made to leave the pool house before Noah got out of the shower. Neither of them had slept more than to doze fitfully before he rose. Her scrambled brained was so concentrated on the sound of the shower and Noah within it that she barely noticed the man who stepped into the doorway before she almost ran into him.

"Can I help you with something Miss Gambaro?" the man asked.

"Oh! No, thank you, I was just going back to my room to shower," she stumbled over her words. "Although if there's coffee available, that would be welcomed, too," she added and stepped through the door closing it quietly behind her. She was determined to make it to her room despite the giant blocking her way, and before Noah came after her and the arguments started again. "You could also tell the man still inside here that I don't want to fight with him this morning, please.

"I'll be sure to get that message to him," the man said with a slight smirk. "There will be coffee available in the kitchen on your way to your room, Miss Gambaro. Enjoy your shower."

Marcella hurried toward the house, and she noticed a second man wearing the same black pants and white shirt strangely threaded with gold was following her. Were they watchers? Had the Farnese put watchers on her, so she didn't run straight back to Konrad? More likely, Noah had done it to ensure she didn't try to leave without him again. It was going to be yet another day of fighting with him. She knew she didn't want to keep going down that road, and for her, the only option was escaping him and these people to gain her independence again.

She could and would protect them, only they didn't want that. They had thrown her protection back at her, and tried to turn the tables to protect her. She didn't need their protection! They needed hers! They had always needed her to step in and protect them, whether they knew it or not.

For now, she would be happy with some coffee and a peaceful shower to sort out her plans. She needed to get to Perth. That was the priority, so playing along with Xavier and Noah to get there seemed the best option. She just had to decide what to do once she got there and had the means to pick up the pieces of her shattered life to become independent again.

She could come back here to look after Jessa and the boys. Not that Jessa would want that, and the Farnese would only call Noah again. Olivia didn't need her anymore; that much was obvious. Maybe it was time to take her mother in hand and get her the help she needed. It was too late to help her Aunt, and that fact wrenched at her gut, but her mother was still redeemable, wasn't she? She could fight for her mother if these people didn't want her protection. These people, she growled, picturing Noah as he had been the night before, ranting and raving at her as if she was a naughty child in need of scolding.

Marcella was still stoking her anger at Noah continually interfering in her life as she walked into the kitchen and found Olivia and Vivienne in there waiting for her. Her hands went to her hair, trying to smooth down the foreign blonde locks and backed out without saying anything at all. Fuck, she wasn't ready to face them, fight with them, not Olivia and Vivienne. She only wanted to help them, not be supported by them. She didn't need their help! If she could make it to her room, she could shower, change and prepare herself for the confrontations she would have to face with her sister and Vivienne.

"Marcella, wait!" Olivia's voice rang out behind her, but she just turned and ran up to her room, hearing a curse and heavy footsteps behind her as someone hurried after her. Closing and locking the bedroom door behind her, Marcella let out a long breath. She needed a shower and some space to think. They could all just wait to yell at her again. It didn't make any difference at this point; she had limited choices about what she could and would do. She ignored the knocking on her door, cursing at being trapped in this place despite knowing she was at the mercy of their goodwill to get back to Perth. She headed into the bathroom.

The shower's hot steamy water was a balm to her body. Now that she was calmer and in her own space, she could think about more than escaping Noah and the others. The mild pain of her bruised body now took her attention. She was marked from her night with Noah, and she could remember every delicious moment of how he had claimed her body as his. The smaller, softer voice within her mind purred at the sensations and the memory of claiming him in return in a moment of weakness. Still, it was quietened as her fighting warrior side growled her disapproval.

If only she could give in to that feeling, but she knew it was never in her destiny to be loved like that. She was broken and incapable of the sort of love he wanted and deserved. He needed a woman who could open her heart fully to him, and that wasn't her. The thought saddened her as her quieter voice spread warmth and reassurance through her that she could be that woman if she wanted to be. Then she had a momentary vision of him looking into another woman's eyes the way he looked into hers, which made her feel sick. She pressed her hand to her belly as the warrior voice inside her mind growled out her reminder that she was strong and could overcome anything thrown her way.

Her dual personality borne from a lifetime of suffering went to war within her mind, refusing to come together for the greater good as they had before when she escaped her family home and the dark influence of the Tables. Letting her legs relax beneath her, Marcella slid down the wall and sat beneath the shower spray with her head down and eyes closed. Her head hadn't been this full of inner voices since she had chosen emancipation and education over a life of subjugation. Marcie had made that decision and saved herself, but Marcie was gone now, ripped apart again. Now there were just her broken halves.

When she had gone to Darwin, Marcie had embraced her warrior side while staying in control. She was there to save her sister, after all. Since meeting Noah and the rest of the Zenati, including Vivienne, she had become a basket case again, her inner voices fighting for dominion. Marcie grew to like the voices of her conscience, which were never drowned out or subdued by her circumstances and who she needed to be at any given time. She knew both the warrior and the submissive well. Still, she tried to focus on that third tiny voice of reason which brought the two together, her sense of self that was Marcie. Only Marcie's fragile blend of egos drowned in despair at her current circumstances and knowing there were few options available to her.

The warrior Marcella raged at her wanting to tackle the world alone. She needed no one and nothing. She could save them all and be home in time for dinner if she would just let go of the others who crowded her brain and another tiny voice asked, "At what cost?" It was the warrior within her that had brought her to this. Perhaps it was time for her to rest and let someone else drive the agenda while she calmed down and took stock of the consequences of her actions.

"I can rest for a day, maybe at least until we get to Perth. Fighting here will accomplish nothing but delay our return to life as it should be," Marcella agreed with her conscience as if talking to a completely different person. All the while, the soft voice within her mind spoke gentle reassurances to her as she took control of their life. The warrior would always be there when they needed her. It wasn't as if she was defenceless without all that self-confidence and bravado. She could protect herself in other ways, and she drew a deep breath lifting her head and letting the spray of the shower wash over her face. Taking one last shuddering breath and allowing a small smile to escape her lips, Chella stood up and turned the water off.

She couldn't bear to put the same clothes on again from last night, and bring up those lingering feelings of the warrior within her fighting the man who loved them. She wrapped a towel around her body, planning to find someone who could ask Olivia if she could borrow something of hers. She didn't want to impose any further on their hosts' hospitality by asking for more than she had already been given by requesting more clothes. She smiled, opening the drawers to find a brush, and the usual supplies had also been gifted to her by her hosts'. They were good people, and she needed to thank them properly when she left.

She took her time brushing her teeth and styling her hair. Her face looked pale without any makeup but not unhealthy, and she shrugged. There was nothing she could do about it right then. Maybe Olivia would let her borrow some makeup as well. It was not worth worrying or fighting about something so trivial. On the other hand, she had to do something about her clothes. When Marcella opened the door to her room, she found Vivienne standing there with Olivia, and she blinked in surprise.

"Oh! I was just coming to find you," Marcella said in surprise.

"Hi," Vivienne said. "I packed a bag for you when we went to the gathering, hoping you would come there once you had done what you needed to do," she held up the small valise as if in explanation. "I brought it here with us because I didn't know if you would have anything with you when we heard you were with the Farnese. I always prefer my own things, and I thought..." Vivienne's voice trailed off.

"Thank you so much. That's exactly what I needed!" Marcella said delightedly, opening the door a little wider to allow the two women to enter. She took the valise from Vivienne and began to rifle through it. "I can't believe you did this for me when I've been the worst friend. I'm sorry I didn't call you back, how are you feeling? Is the morning sickness bad?" Marcella asked with genuine concern in her voice.

"I've learned some of the tricks to stave off the worst of it now. Peppermint tea seems to work best in the mornings and allows me to at least keep down a piece of toast with vegemite," Vivienne said, unconsciously putting a hand to her belly as if to soothe it. "Besides, you had other things happening at the time, and I was selfish wanting you to put it all on hold for me."

"Vivienne, that's what friends do for each other, and I am sorry I wasn't there for you. Or you, Olivia. Konrad told me you were a free woman now and probably married already. Did I miss the wedding?" Marcella asked with a note of sadness, touching her voice as she grasped her sister's hand.

"Marcie?" Olivia asked, carefully stepping warily to close the distance between them as if trying not to spook a feral animal. "What happened to you?" She asked quietly.

"Nothing. I was treated well by everyone. You know I wouldn't say that if it weren't true. I am here now, and soon we will be back in Perth to check if what they say about Papa and Uncle is true and see Mama. Everything will work out, Olivia. It's all fine now that Jessa has her children back, and you have Genesis. You're both safe, which means I can go back to my life now too," she gave the two women a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I'll just change in the bathroom. Thank you again for being so thoughtful, Vivienne."

"What was that about?" Vivienne asked Olivia in a whisper.

"He broke her," Olivia said sadly. "All we can do is hope she snaps out of it again like last time."

"Who broke her?" Vivienne asked. "Konrad?"

"Him and Noah," Olivia shook her head sadly and watched the door her sister had gone through to change. "Maybe Jessa as well, all of us probably now that I think about it. I don't know," she sighed. "That wasn't Marcie or not the Marcie, you know. It wasn't Marcella, the warrior princess we have seen for the last few months, either. That was Chella. The woman Apollo created and came to collect when he came to Darwin for her birthday," Olivia said. "He still wanted Marcie when she got better, but he preferred her when she was Chella and always tried to get her back to that personality."

All of the pieces of those turbulent years during the last investigation and her father's punishment for sending Marcella to the Battaglia a second time flooded her mind. They made more sense now that she was older and infinitely wiser. She remembered the countless appointments with trauma specialists who tried to put the pieces of her sister back together again after the last time she had been splintered into pieces to deal with her life. Olivia had to attend some parallel sessions; but was not poked and prodded as much as her then meek and mild sister had been subjected to at the time, as she struggled to recover from the trauma.

"You've seen this before?" Vivienne asked. Her doctor persona falling into place.

"Vivienne, don't let them put her in the hospital again, please," Olivia whispered. "She will come out of it and be fine, I promise. Just don't let them shut her away again. Promise me, please. We won't get her back at all if they do that."

"Okay," Vivienne nodded, seeing the panic in Olivia's eyes. "Tell me everything you know as quickly as you can. Nothing about personality disorders had been in the reports she had looked at, and she wondered how and why that was the case when Olivia obviously had seen it in her sister before. Olivia babbled with only enough time for a few relevant questions from Vivienne until Marcella emerged from the bathroom.

"It's wonderful to be back in my own clothes again. Thank you for packing my favourite Balenciaga heels," Marcella said, ignoring the wide-eyed looks she was receiving. She sat on the bed to put her shoes on and fix up the straps. "They cost me a fortune but are worth every penny." She stood and repacked the valise. "I expect they will want to leave as soon as possible this morning, so I may as well be ready." She gave them that slight smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Oh wow, you packed my wallet and phone? The ones I left at the hospital?"

"It's a different phone. Noah used yours to try and find you," Vivienne admitted. "Marcie, are you sure everything is okay?" Vivienne asked.

"Of course, why wouldn't it be?" She tilted her head with the question. "I'm starving. Do you think I will have time for some breakfast before we go? I spent so much time in the shower. Everyone is probably ready to go by now."

"I don't think anyone would mind having breakfast before we leave," Vivienne agreed, looking at Olivia with worried eyes now as they followed Marcella from the room.

*****

Noah was pissed that Marcella left the pool house while he showered. He had felt her resolve to go off alone falter in his arms the night before and had thought maybe they would not have to battle through another day. That just maybe, she could trust him to fight with her rather than against her and be by her side this time. The message from the Farnese watcher had only flamed his anger higher as he made his way to the house. He was stopped from stalking upstairs to her by his brothers, who needed to go through details of the plans they had made the night before and the possible connections Genesis had made to Konrad.

"The circle members are heading to Perth today. Most aren't happy about leaving their homes because of the trouble with the Suebi, but they will come," Massimo said. "Including Marcus this time. The only missing piece will Turo Pellegrini, who is in exile with his family, the bastard."

"It will be a short meeting, and they will probably all fly out again today because they have their own issues to deal with in their respective homes," Xavier chimed in. "And Phil invited Solomane Pelligrini. He thinks it's important to maintain the link to all tables and mend those bridges fast."

"Okay, whatever," Genesis chimed in. "That's your thing. Ours is still protecting Marcella from Konrad and discovering his bases of power. To be as mobile as he is, there must be more than one base, possibly more than one in each state. Thanks to Gideons' quick thinking and my networks, we discovered the one Marcella had been staying in and made it untenable for him. I have a good lead on another which Gideon and I will continue to investigate while you have your little friendship circle and sing Kum-ba-yah or whatever the fuck you do to get them all on the same page. Once we discover his nests and start taking them out, we will have him backed into a corner," his voice was gruff as he spoke, expecting no opposition to the demands and chiding remarks.

"You done?" Xavier asked and raised an eyebrow at him.

"I've been fighting this battle for too long since finding Olivia, and I am ready to move on, sue me," he shrugged. "Are we done here? Talking and rehashing what we already know isn't getting us any closer to the goal."

"I'm done," Noah said and got to his feet, needing to see Marcella. He needed to know that she hadn't found a way out of the house and away from him again. He left the room without another word.

He followed the sound of feminine voices to the kitchen where Marcella sat with Vivienne, Olivia, Connie and Jellybean, the little girl Marcella had taken under her wing when she arrived, eating breakfast. He felt relief wash over him as he gazed at her. There was something different about her this morning, a serenity that seemed to smooth out all the spikey edges her aggression and fight gave her. He quite liked those spikey edges, and he suddenly felt unsure about the woman sitting in front of him. She would never look at him so passively. He narrowed his eyes and stepped into the room.

"Good morning," he said, accepting the offer of coffee from the cook. Olivia turned troubled eyes on him but said nothing, and he looked to Vivienne, who also seemed pensive. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing. Why would anything be wrong?" Marcella asked, tilting her head to his question and using a sweet, almost foreign tone when she spoke.

"Nothing at all," Vivienne agreed and got to her feet. "I take it your meeting is done then? I need Gideon. His voice seems to soothe this little one, unlike poor Connie's little one with Massimo's voice."

"Yeah. He should be right behind me," Noah stopped speaking as Vivienne hurried from the room in search of Gideon.

"Tell Genesis too," Olivia called after Vivienne. When Noah raised an eyebrow at her, she added, "That I'm here with Chella."

Noah startled at the name. He didn't think she liked being called that. The only person who had called her that was Apollo, and she had bristled when he had said it. He took a seat across the table from Marcella and sipped his coffee.

"You woke early. I was surprised you were gone when I got out of the shower," Noah said as a statement rather than a question.