Okay, know this: I didn't like what I did either. I'm terribly sorry! Go on at your own risk. Angst and Character death ahead!
"MALVA!"
…
Regina had woken up with delicate footsteps approaching her bed. She looked out and could see it was night, maybe after eight. It was Aibileen, maybe just to check on her or give her some more medication. But then she felt it. A drop of water, a tiny, glossy drop of water falling into her hand.
"Miss Mills…" Aibileen was calling her, her voice was trembling. When Regina faced the maid, she saw the big black sad eyes watery and red. She had never seen Aibileen cry before.
"What is it, Aibileen. Are you okay?" she asked, trying to sit up.
"We need you to come down the stairs."
Aibileen helped her get up, get the cane an put on her dressing gown. Every step she took became heavier and heavier as she walked. She dreaded every second before arriving to where Aibileen was taking her.
"What's going on, Aibileen? Why are you crying?", Regina asked as they reached the bottom of the stairs. It smelled of rain, it was windy inside as if the entrance door was still opened. The hall, she noticed, was full of people, all with heavy looks. She recognized most of them but was so confused she couldn't find the words to simply ask what was happening.
She recognized Carola DiAvolo hugging Callas, both sobbing in a corner. Father Tuck and John Little were whispering between themselves with worried frowns upon their faces. Aibileen took her through the door towards the living room Regina then noticed Jefferson, crying, his face red, his blue eyes even bluer than usual. He looked utterly lost, disheveled and soaking wet from the rain outside. Fear was slowly settling into her very bones.
"Jefferson? What is going on?"
"They came out of nowhere. They trapped her on the motorway toll as she drove to the factory. I couldn't do anything… I just had to bring her home!"
"Whatever do you mean, Jefferson? What happened? Who came out of nowhere?"
And then she saw her, laying on the floor, wrapped around a sheet, golden hair framing her face, the cerulean eyes Regina knew so well tightly shut, skin grey, blood marring her clothes. The matriarch knelt next to the corpse of her dear friend. With trembling hands took her from the floor, holding her tight in her arms. Malva felt so cold. Her tears spilled from her eyes upon looking at the face of the woman she once had loved as an equal, a partner and accomplice. She held her breath for a while to try and contain a sob but then, like thunder, her voice rose in an agonized and powerful scream that tore through the walls.
As the time passed, people started leaving. Soon there were as few as ten people in the room. Regina was still sobbing, weaving, pleading with Malva's corpse while lulling it in her arms as if she would a child, keeping her as close to her as she physically could. Jefferson was sitting on a chair, leaning forward, his hands on the nape of his head. Aibileen sniffed and sobbed towering above the pitiful pietà; the capo couple in the corner was still whispering between them. Father Tuck was now praying, his eyes closed and his rosary turning like a well-oiled chain between his fingers. John was still standing, not having the courage to move before the thick air in the room.
Eventually, Regina was separated from Malva, taken by Aibileen to get washed and dressed. Meanwhile, Malva's corpse was taken to her former room by John who left it with Tuck, Jefferson Hatter, Carola DiAvolo and Ursula Callas who discussed among them what to do next. John then headed upstairs to meet Regina.
The gentle giant climbed the stairs, crossed the corridor and went straight to the only door which was closed. He knocked softly on the door and was granted permission to enter by Aibileen.
He saw Regina sitting on the bed, wearing a black dress and black shoes, her face scrunched in utter misery and pain, tears running down like waterfalls. He walked carefully to her and sat beside her.
"I was so mad at her this morning."
"It's not your fault, Regina."
"I accused her of betraying me when she was just trying to ease my burden. I called her an opportunist. And she didn't even take it to heart! She was like that… she'd called me on my bullshit and forgive it every time. She just kissed me goodbye and went her merry way, telling herself that everything would be okay when she'd got home. That we'd talk about it later, maybe over dinner. She knew me so well, was so good to me and the last thing I said to her was – "
"Come here, you." John puller her into a hug that almost made her disappear into his arms. He let her sob and cry all she wanted while stroking her hair until she calmed down.
A few hours after the events here described, Regina appeared in Malva's room with John behind her. She was the very picture of dignity, coiffed to perfection, the dress hugging her curves had been pressed impeccably and her shoes were polished to look brand new. She was wearing her armor of power, as if she was trying to look like the Regina she usually was, the Regina they were used to. Swallowing in dry, she turned to her people and readied herself to speak.
"Jefferson"
"Yes, Regina?" Hatter jumped out of the chair he was currently sitting on.
"Call Bonasera. Remind him of his debt to us. Schedule a meeting for as soon as possible."
"Very well", the man said, getting out of the room. He ran to the nearest phone and took his address books from his coat's pocket. Composing the phone number on the phone's disk he waited for Bonasera to answer.
"Bonasera…"
"This is Jefferson Hatter, calling for Regina Mills at her request. Now, you owe your family a service. Miss Mills has no doubt…that you will repay it. Be at your funeral parlor to receive her in one hour."
Exactly one hour after, Bonasera opened his Funeral Parlor door after hearing his doorbell. Two man entered carrying what looked like a dead body in a gurney, then another he recognized as Jefferson Hatter. Then a huge man he had never seen and finally Regina Mills herself, ever the pretty face, dressed impeccably, an elegant black hat on her head and a black net covering her loss-stricken face.
"Bonasera…"
"Miss Mills"
The man kissed her hand.
"Ti ringrazio per avermi ricevuto a quest'ora tarda", her voice was unpretentious, calm and poised.
"Of course, I'm grateful for the friendship you have shown me and my own family. I'm ready to repay the favor. Tell me, what can I do for you, good lady?" the man answered in Italian.
She looked him straight in the eye.
"Dear Bonasera, I need you to use all your powers, all your skills… I don't want to remember her like this. I don't want anyone to remember her like this!" And thusly Regina revealed Malva's body to the man without removing her eyes from the man; Malva's body was naked, looked frail and small, her fatal wounds on her chest were blood-red against the grey of her dead cold skin, like roses laid on white marble. He was shocked to see the violence with which the woman had died. He looked at the matriarch again and saw her blood-red lips trembling with emotion and her eyes watering with misery. "I want her to look beautiful, Bonasera. Can you do that for me?"
"Of course, Miss Mills. Everything you ask. Anything else?"
"Lilies"
"Sorry?"
"I want white lilies"
And so it was done. A beautiful service was held at a local church. Bonasera did as he was told, he prepared Malva at the best of his abilities, cleaned her and dressed her as if she were made of glass. She was put into one of the best caskets he had. His wife helped him with the flowers. It was difficult to find them in such short notice, but they managed. Many people had been invited to come, including the representatives of other families. Although enemies, respect was key.
Malva was buried under a tree in Roslyn Cemetery with a simple marble slab as shelter. Regina sat in front of it for a while, saying goodbye to her friend and ex-lover, receiving condolences and thanking people for coming. There were newspaper people all over the place, she felt their harsh camera flashes more than once on her eyes. At a certain point she asked John to take care of them.
She held a wake for people close to the family at her house. They only left at the end of the afternoon, it was then when Regina chose to ask Jefferson to gather DiAvolo and Callas, John and others of Robin's merry band of men in her house's office.
"Regina, what should we do?"
The matriarch took a deep breath, her mind set in her next move.
"I want to have a meeting with all the leaders of the other clans. Whoever retaliated and took Malva's life, needs to be properly warned before they make a new faux pas. My caporegimes are to give the following orders to their subordinates and so on: absolutely no bloodshed. No retaliation. No act that could be considered as provocation is to be committed."
"What? What about Malva?!" Carola asked.
"Whatever quarrel there is, is to be handled by me and me only in the council. I trust Jefferson will make the necessary arrangements."
"Regina, they tried to kill you; they killed Malva and now you are going to put yourself in front of them at gun point? What are you? Bloody target practice?!"
"As much as I appreciate your concern, Carola, these are my orders. I trust you had already learned not to question them. You asked what it was to be done. You have my orders, now you execute them."
"And Neil Tremotino? What are we to do with him?" Callas asked.
"We can't prove it was Roberto the person responsible for Malva's death as much as I am sure of his involvement. Neil is to be kept alive for the sake of Henry."
"Fine!" Carola exclaimed in a vexed way.
"What about Mal's people? Who's is to lead them?"
"I've decided John will, that is until Robin returns."
"Regina, no! I don't know the first thing about this business. I'm sure others will be more adequate than I."
"Dear John, this won't be much different from what you do already. The job gives you more freedom but requires from you a firmer grip. You'll run a tight ship. I had a dragon, now I need a Titan. Are you my Titan, John Little?"
"Of course! If you deem me worthy, then as I promised to Robin before he left, I will do as you asked."
"Then, it's settled. Of course, this no-retaliation policy doesn't mean our normal activities are to be stopped. It's business as usual, the only difference will be that we'll retreat at any sign of violence. At the council I will propose a truce, we'll make concessions, open our hands from certain things we kept for ourselves. We'll create the perfect environment to give the other families and clans a sense of stability… all of this in order to bring Robin and the children back from where they currently are. That's is all for now."
"And afterwards?" Ursula dared to ask.
"Simple: we crush them and all they hold dear!"
The next day, in the other side of the ocean, in that heavenly and forgotten corner of Sicily, Robin woke up yet another day but two rambunctious children. Roland was already outside playing with Enrico's newly acquired sheep to which he proceeded to attribute cute little names. Henry, on the other hand busied himself with picking up oranges from the orange tree tops by climbing onto them. He was sure they already had breakfast provided by Regina's father and would run to ask him to go to the beach as soon as they would see him. They would often go to swim or simply pick up a few pretty shells. They already had quite the collection.
Robin would allow the boys as much freedom as they wanted, provided they did their chores first. There was always work to be done at the farm. Enrico would try to spare them, but Robin found it was good to them to also lend a hand; it was the least they could do to thank the old man's hospitality. The farm was now alive, with greens, vegetables and fruit sprouting from every corner. A toolshed and a small barn had been added recently.
Another thing that had improved was Robin's Italian. He was becoming more fluent by the minute. He certainly had no lack of vocabulary with Enrico making him name every single object in the house on daily basis.
Regina had made sure they would have a good life. He took a moment from every morning to look at her picture and silently hoped she had fully recovered. It had been almost a year already. He missed her, but as they say "absence makes the heart grow fonder". The boys missed her too, specially Henry. He'd look on to the mailbox every single day, waiting for a sign that his mother was going to come and fetch him and Robin along with Roland, even Nono. No such luck for almost a year.
Robin would try to distract him, organizing fishing trips, camping weekends in the middle of the Molina property, under the starry night sky, sometimes accompanied by a few animals and they even held their own baseball matches, with improvised equipment and field, but Regina's absence would still hurt the boy deeply.
And yet, the day they all would see her again was closer than they thought…
So sorry!