Their new home was beautiful. That was all anyone could say about it. It was a large ancient roman styled villa made to be open and breezy along the ocean side. The town was even more beautiful, with rolling cobblestone streets and alleyways, the high sweeping towers of the church and the slanted red shale roof tops and magnificent ocean view. And for such a quaint pretty Italian village, it was also very quiet and peaceful.
"Velcome to your new home liebling!" The smooth deep voice of a man called as he pushed open the main doors, and entered the grand room where two rows of columns held up a high vaulted ceiling. In ancient days it would have been a room to hold business and banquets for guests. Now it was a finely furnished living room with a comfortable pair of couches and a grand fireplace.
On the couch to the far left, a pretty pale blue thing, was a round box, striped in green, red, and white. The bow atop the box however was a distinguishable red, yellow, and black.
"Now 'old on, before you go exploring there's vone more thing I vant to show you Italy." The man's voice came once again, with a German tint to the voice, and footsteps sounded on the bright marble floor. The fast click of sandals hurried after the heavier thud of boots.
"~Vee~ You got me a present! Oh what is it Germany what is it?" A lighter, bubblier man's voice sounded excited and rang with a light Italian accent.
"Vhy don't you open it and Find out?" The box rattled for a moment and a tiny whimper came from within. The man known only as Italy sat down on the couch next to the multi colored box and gently lifted the round lid to peek inside. A little black nose poked out first, shoving the lid up another two inches, and soft cream colored paws came to sit on either side of the also cream muzzle. The next thing to appear was a round little head of tan fur with long mahogany red ears, and a cream stripe from the muzzle to the back of the head. A familiar curl or fur stuck out of the right ear, twisting up and out in the same was as the man on couch.
A little pink tongue lolled out of it's mouth as Italy fully removed the lid propping it against the side of the box, and reached in to pick up the puppy by it's scruff. The short thick limbs and long body with soft docked tail confirmed his suspicions. It was a Cocker Spaniel, originally a spanish breed, but they were highly popular in Italy as well. And such a sweet little girl as well. She turned her head to lick at his wrist and turned magnificent amber eyes on him, wide and so innocent it darn near melted his heart.
"Oh Germany she's so prezioso! And look she's even got my curl! Oh how Bellissima!" The small Italian cheered as he held the puppy in both hands now cradling the little dog to his chest and cheek. A gentle hand scratched under the ear with the curl. Again that little pink tongue came outto lap at her master's cheek. "Oh Bellissima, it's perfect. You are my little Bellissima!" Italy chimed with delight as the little girl turned her gaze to meet the blue eyes of her other Master.
And Master he would be. The tall blond haired blue eyed man was strict, but gentle and often, though his partner didn't know it, he would sneak her an extra treat after a long walk at the end of the day. Bellissima grew up sleeping at the foot of their bed, running around the kitchen while Ita-vee made delicious smelling foods, and romping in fields and palettes of paint, resulting in a good many baths. From the tiny puppy she had been, into a beautiful young lady at the age of two now.
The collar she was proud to wear any day was a beautiful sea green ribbon always tied in an elegant bow about the back of her neck. A set of shining silver tags like a little diamonds stated her name and where she lived . She loved her collar, it told her that she had a family that would always look after her as far as she was concerned.
She also made friends with the others dog that lived nearby. A rather frisky golden retriever by the name of Alfred, a former bird dog to his master Mr. America. Sadly the handsome and outgoing dog had nearly lost his sense of smell years ago. Another dear friend was a rather quiet Shiba Inu called Kiku. He was a very soft spoken animal but observant and wise. Though an odd trio the three friends were quite happy with each other's company on long afternoons.
All in all her life was good. Grand even to most other house pets. Her Ita-vee was sweet and kind, slipping her bits of table food and cuddling with her during storms when she was scared. Despite the strict house training implanted by Master, he had also proven to have a gentle hand. She was happy, just her and her little family, even if they did send her running from the room making strange noises at night sometimes.
However that all changed one day. Her Ita-vee had been sick she knew, having curled up in bed with the man while he pouted and held his stomach many a morning now. And after a few weeks of this every morning, Master finally abated, and took him to see a doctor. She had been very patient in her waiting at the front door for her family to come home, all quite like with her paws together in very proper fashion as she had been raised. When the great white doors finally opened she stood to attention with her short tail stock still and head held high. But there was no cheerful greeting, no pat on the head or even a 'Hello my little Bellissima, have you been a good girl today?' from her Ita-vee.
Instead Master held the younger man in his arms cradle like, and carried him down the hall and up the stairs to their room. Bellissima was quite confused, Master had even left the door partially open, he never did that! Was her Ita-vee okay? With a shove of her paws against the white wood the doors clicked closed and she raced up the stairs to meet her persons. She had to know if everything was alright.
The bedroom was designed to be very soft and somewhat romantic, red curtain framed a large window sette that overlooked the ocean and currently let in the brilliant evening light. The bed was off white to cream with red bordering, and thick pillows piled against a wonderfully carved headboard. Master had kicked off his boots and was leaned back into those pillows with Ita-vee settled between his spread legs and leaning back against his chest. He had a soft smile to his face as he hummed a soft tune, Master's hand and his resting low over his belly.
Bellissima didn't know what to make of this, she had never seen them in such a position before. Yes she had seen them cuddle on the couch or give each other a kiss but never quite this position with this...feeling... in the air. It was soft and sweet and happy. Yet something was different about her Ita-vee. With a shake of her hind quarters she leaped up onto the bed easily, she swore she was always part Springer, and she trotted over the plush mattress to climb up into the smaller man's lap. Pressing her little wet nose under Master's hand she came nose to shirt with her person's stomach.
Now she had curled up for a siesta there many a time and his skin had always been made of soft but strong flat muscle. Even for how much he ate and how little he trained with her and Master. But now it was beginning to pooch out soft and smooth, but still firm somehow. This wasn't normal for her Ita-vee. Something must be wrong! But Master and Ita-vee didn't seem worried at all, what was going on here.
Master's hand moved and gently reached down to pat her head softly, giving a scratch behind her curly ear. She whined softly and looked up at her people with wide eyes and nudged her nose up under Ita-vee's shirt. She nuzzled her beloved person and whimpered again. She didn't want either of them to go!
"Oh Bellissima its wonderful. ~Vee~ A bambino!" Ita-vee spoke softly as he reached down and also stroked her head lovingly with a wistful look in his half lorded amber eyes. Bambino? What was that.
"Italy, she probably don't know vhat bambino means." Master chided pressing a kiss into Ita-vee's shoulder and then his ear. A soft 'vee' left his lips and he gazed down at the confused and curious dog on the bed. He carefully lifted her paws and placed them on his stomach next to his hand, where her nose already sat. She didn't mind the movement and settled there over her person's laps and waited for something, anything to happen. Then, she didn't quite know if even Ita-vee felt it, but there was a turning of something under his skin. She looked up at him suddenly and then down at his belly. Was this bambino thing inside him? Did it hurt him? He laughed and gently pressed her head back down.
"Lucky Bellissima. You can feel the baby already can't you? Its okay. It doesn't hurt. There's a little human in there made of me and Germany, and you'll get to meet them soon. And I just know you'll watch after them like you do for us." The light hand running down her back and ears and the soft words quelled Bellissima's fear. A little human like her Ita-vee and Master. That sounded nice. She still didn't know why it was in his belly. But she could be patient and wait to find out.
That had been in November. Since then she had helped oversee the small room connected to the upstairs bedroom transformed into a wonderful nursery. A white rocking cradle sat at the foot of a pale green day bed to the side of the room. An actual crib and changing table were set the opposite. From the attic came down a lovely old wooden rocking chair to sit next to a for now empty toy chest beneath the window. The once stark white walls had been painted a lovely warm yellow that glowed in the evening light. Blue waves painted the cradle and crib, and danced over the bottom border of the walls. It was a beautiful room Bellissima thought.
On this night though in early June though a storm had set Bellissima to cowering under the new day bed. And it seemed as soon as it had begun to disperse her Ita-vee's shouts and painful yelps had started up. She ran from the nursery to the bedroom where Master was fussing over his partner with a phone pressed to his ear. She put her paws up to the bed and found the smaller man hunched over his swollen stomach groaning.
"Come on Bellissima down stairs. Come on kitchen girl!" Master barked at her. It hadn't meant to be harsh, and she knew that. If it would help her person she would gladly do it. So she trotted down the stairs to wait in her corner of the kitchen where her plush bed was. Soon a pair of strange people were invading her house and Master was sent to pacing in the living room. Bellissima watched him through the door and noticed he worried brow. His normally slick blond hair was disheveled and his blue eyes were dark. She didn't like seeing him like this.
After some hours of pacing, phone calls, grumbling and worried stares up at the ceiling the heavy groans of her Ita-vee ceased and the soft high pitched wails of something new took its place. At this, Master bolted and was up the stairs before she could even begin to respond. She still didn't quite understand what this baby or bambino was yet and as such, Bellissima was not far from her Master's heels.
"Congratulations Mr. Germany. You are now the proud father of a bubbly baby girl." The strange man in white said. The bedroom smelled oddly clean but there was a lingering trace of blood and sweat. Bellissima pushed the scent from her mind as she weaved through people's feet to her Ita-vee's side of the bed. He sat there, hair damp and even his curl drooped a little, tired but happy looking. There was something wrapped snuggly in a long draping pink blanket cradled neatly in his arms. Master sat on his side of the bed and leaned over to look at the tiny bundle being cooed at.
"Oh Italy, she's pervect. She's even got your curl. My little tochter." Master's normally hard blue eyes softened as he gazed at the tiny pink bundle, raising a hand to touch whatever it was. Bellissima whimpered wanting to see this little thing for herself. A tint pudgy hand lifted up into her view to wrap around Master's much bigger one. Ita-vee looked down at her and smiled wearily.
"Uppa get Bellissima. ~Vee~ Come see our little Prinzessin." She knew that word. Master sometimes called her that. Like any good dog she leaped up onto the foot of the bed and at Master's beckoning cautiously walked up to the front. The tiny pink bundle was indeed human. But so small and pudgy, with a little button nose and just a few wisps and curls of blond hair like Master's. And indeed there was an odd little curl from the right side of her head, just in front of her ear so like her own. Little eyes opened to reveal the same amber brown irises as her Ita-vee though. With a careful sniff, new flowers and ocean wind and something that just reminded her of both her masters filled her sensitive nose. She pulled back as a little hand tries to grab at her ear and finally after months of apprehension she accepted the small human. She thumped her tail on the bed happily as she watched over the little blond girl.
"Do you remember that pretty name we picked out Germany?" Ita-vee hummed tiredly. A confirmative hmmed from Germany. Bellissima decided to lay her head across her person's arm so that she could still watch the baby.
"Alafea. Alafea Felicity Beilschmidt." The new name rung in her attentive ears. Alafea, this tiny human was now Alafea. In amber eyes one might just find the dog smiling.