It was too late for Nero to go and retrieve Anne back. He just needed to know what was wrong with her. 'Tomorrow I'll see what was wrong with her'. He decided not to call her home, cause it would be pretty awkward to ask her mother where she was, since she was supposed to be with him, so at school he was going to ask her. It was set.

---

Anne stormed off of his house and couldn't show any signs of sadness, so she managed to put a happy façade so her mom wouldn't get suspicious.

"Hey, how was your afternoon ? Did you have fun?"

"Yes it was pretty nice. ", she half lied since the afternoon while in the good terms was pretty great.

"I told you. It's nice to see you happy Hun."

'You've got no idea how fun it was.', Anne thought to herself.

-----

Next day at school it was torture again. Everybody kept looking at Anne as she walked, eyeing her, whispering things concerning her, some even asked if she was feeling alright, how she felt during the whole incident; she just couldn't be more embarrassed.

It was then that Nero saw her, heading to Calculus class; fortunately the same class as his.

"Hey, What's…unh up?"

"Hello", she didn't even looked at his eyes anymore, it was as if all the confidence she still had around him had vanished.

"Why did you leave all of a sudden yesterday?"

"I had to do things at home.", she stated all this time not even stopping to talk to him.

Nero knew it was his mother's doing, he just needed to make her say it.

"I know something happened, please do not hide. I know it was something my mother said to you."

Anne was dumbfounded now, she couldn't tell him his own mother called her bad things and told her to stay away from him, so she had to make things sound a little more polite.

"She only talked about you, that you were her only child, that's all."

Still Nero hadn't bought it.

"So, unh did you enjoy our afternoon yesterday…I know it wasn't the perfect…", he thought about the word date, but found it rather unpleasant so he decided to say "meeting.", yes meeting would do just fine."(…) but still it was nice."

"Yes, thanks for the invitation.", she noticed he wouldn't give up.

Nero had to do something to get to know that girl better, he just had to do something, and do something fast. So he said the first thing that came to his mind.

"So could I have lunch at your place today? Your mother invited me and all, so I thought today is a pretty day to accept."

Anne just couldn't believe it, he surely was persistent.

"But, today..un I have to take my small siblings at thei school.", it was the first excuse her mind managed to create. "And I'm..on foot."

"No problem I'll go there with you, so after we can go to your place. If it's no bother..of course.", he gave a small smirk.

Anne knew it was a lost fight.

---

As the bell rang Nero was already at Anne's foot.

"Let's?"

"Sure, just give me a minute.", as the class went by Anne thought about her friendship with Nero and since his mom wasn't there to see them, she judged it and saw no problem about him going to her place have some lunch ' Mom was the one who invited him, well more likely…he invited himself'.

As Nero guided her to his Mustang, many kept looking at them, some thought he wanted to have some fun with her, since they judged her affected by the little incident that happened to her, others thought he only felt pity towards her, so he wanted to help and all.

Then both dropped by the kindergarten so they could take the kids. Anne then entered the school so she could find her three little sweeties.

"Anne!!", Nicolle came happily.

"Yes. let's go."

Anne then held her In her arms and her other brothers were hand in hand holding to her right hand.

"Who's that Ann?", asked Anthony.

"He's a friend, he'll give us a ride and have some lunch at home. Be nice to him."

Anne and the kids headed towards Nero's car. Nicolle found him nice to say the least, she just wouldn't stop asking things, she even told him he was 'handsomie'; she was the one to say and Anne was the one to blush. Both boys were too engrossed on their own minds, thinking about all things their older brothers taught them about women, and since they were old enough to know about the birds and the bees, Anthony just couldn't wait to crack one of his questions.

"Anne, is he gonna bed you?", he asked using the terms he so often heard his brother use.

Nero only coughed nervously, and Anne got as red as a tomato and replied angrily.

"NO. You'd better behave, and stop listening to all that garbage your brothers tell you. Mom will be informed young man!"

Anthony just didn't understand, since his brothers always told him, if a boy was a girl's 'friend' , they would bed…He didn't understand why it was so bad. Then he just pouted as Anne excused for his misbehavior.

---

Arriving at their house Anne brought her small siblings till her mom could have a great look at them. Johanna counted..one, two..three babies…then Anne..then Nero..Nero!

"Nero, it's a pleasure to have you here!"

"Thanks miss. I came to have lunch.", he said a little awkwardly. Just some time later he saw the big impolite thing he had just said, think of it; you go to a girl's house only to have lunch, that's lame.

"That's great. Anne why don't you show him around as I prepare lunch?"

"Ok."

Then Anne went to show her house to Nero, and since it was a little big it would take a great deal of time to end all of the rooms. As Anne walked Nero couldn't take his eyes off of her, he felt too attracted to the girl; not because he saw her naked nor anything like that, he just felt like he needed to feel her, to touch her skin, her hair, taste her lips…

'STOP IT! Dude you're going crazy…stop thinking things like that.', Nero couldn't deny that since he met the girl he wouldn't get her outta his head; he even caught himself lusting over her at a random night, even knowing what she went through bad stuff concerning males, he wanted to have her, not in a fully sexual way, but he wanted to feel what was like cuddle or kiss someone he wanted. She turned him on, he felt things never once he felt before, surely he was a hot blooded male and he knew what sex was like even without those porn stuff he so often saw his cousins watching, still he wanted to protect her not use her as some toy as his cousins would do with females.

"Anne, would you like to..", he decided not to ask her, so he decided to aske her mother in order to make her accept.

"What?", she questioned him lightly.

"Nothing really.", he said nonchalantly.

Then she showed him her computer, some of her cd's, Dante's swords, a thing Nero liked very, very much, then as they were looking at Dante's stuff Johanna called them, so they could have some lunch as well.

Arriving at the table Nero was fitted by three pairs of eyes; the eyes of Anne's sweet brothers. They made him feel very, very uncomfortable.

"unh..Excuse me.", he said as he sat beside Anne and across the other three males

"I hope you like meatballs and some chicken Nero."

"Yes, it's pretty good.", he said.

"Come here , feel free. No need to be ashamed."

"Go there dude, we want to eat too, ya know.", one of Dante's boys said irritated.

'I forgot about her brothers…DAMMIT', now he surely would feel ashamed.

So he stood up and went take some food directly from Johanna's stove. He took some random enormous meatballs, a couple of chicken legs as well as some rice and beans.

Then he waited until everybody had filled their plates so he could start as well. He decided to start with the delicious looking homemade meatballs, soon he found out the taste as good as they looked. Then he looked at the chicken legs and remembered just how he was supposed to eat them, it surely was going to traumatize him. He didn't need others calling him a chicken. So he decided to cut the chicken legs using a knife. Johanna saw his attempt on cutting the chicken, and saw he just didn't want to seem a pig at the table.

"Honey you can take it with your hands, no need to be embarrassed. It's easier."

Nero blushed and mouthed a thanks. Then he decided it was time to make the invitation.

"Miss Johanna, would you allow Anne to travel together with me and my family to the beach this following weekend. We have a house there, so we could receive her and , I don't know walk a little, see the place."

Anne got white, and only looked at her mom trying to send her messages for her to say no, but Johanna was impossible, and she wouldn't say no to that nice lad.

"Of course she can Nero, as long as she would like to go. Would you Anne ?"

"Umn do you really, unh think it would be wise for me to go along?"

"Sure honey, you need to have some fun. Just go."

Her strange answer only proved Nero's theory about his mother's nice words to Anne.

"It's ok then, I'll go with you Nero."

"That's nice. I'll pick you up early on Saturday and I'll bring you back Sunday's afternoon. Is that ok miss Sparda?"

"Sure. Just be careful."

"Ok. Where could I put this plate miss?", he asked.

"Put inside the sink please.",

As Nero raised to put his silverware on the sink, Mark one of Anne's brothers raised as well and managed to whisper at Nero's ear, silently so no one would hear their little conversation.

"If you touch her or try anything funny I'll personally rip your balls off, richie.",Mark said before shouldering Nero in advise.

Nero had more people to overcome now; boy this relationship wouldn't be easy to work on.