Sorry for the delay! Here it is! I think you all have been waiting for this.
Enjoy!
The Five Families held a meeting in a hotel not far from New York downtown. It was one of the LeFay family's hotels, one of the preferred spots for meetings this kind. It reeked of luxury and discrete sophistication. Regina wished she could count with Fiona's impartial wisdom on the issue that would be brought forth into the table that evening. The Green family represented by Zelena arrived with Hades Herald, a man with bluish grey hair and menacing eyes, behind her and another man Regina wouldn't remember, probably replacing Sallozzo. Tremotino was already there, limping around the refreshment table, closely watched by a man by the name Jones and another by the name French. Gothel was sitting having her tea, sitting down on a lobby's couch, scrunching her nose at the smoke from Tremotino's cigar and commenting on it with two women she could not identify. The Queen, as tradition commanded, was the last to arrive. Regina appeared accompanied by Jefferson and John, all of them elegantly dressed in mourning for Malva's death. Fiona LeFay came to great the most recent arrival.
"Regina, darling; so good to see you!"
"Thank you for helping me put this all together, you're the most gracious host, Fiona."
"It was the least I could do, I'm sorry for Mal, a true tragedy. I could hardly sit idle and watch what all of us worked for just simply…vanish."
Regina kept a guarded smile and nodded in thanks. Fiona walked in front of her and exchanged a few words with a hotel clerk.
"We are ready for you! Please, join me in the conference room" she declared, giving passage to everyone before entering the room herself with two of her own men.
Each family took a sit around the table in the its center. John moved the chair for Regina to sit and then moved two steps behind her, standing. This would be his position during the whole meeting. He would not move. Jefferson, on the other hand, sat at Regina's right side but would not move or talk, just observed and listened.
"Now that we are all here, Regina from the clan Mills would like to say a few words", Fiona declared in her saccharine voice.
The Mills matriarch lift her body from the chair and began her speech.
"Firstly, I'd like to thank each and every one of you for coming today, most of you from the remotest parts of the country who invested resources and time to be with us this evening" Most of the listeners nodded their heads in respect. "Thank you." Regina sat down again and corrected her posture, her head held high in regal composure. Then she continued. "I guess, since time is money, I shall spare you the niceties that come with this sort of thing and will go straight to business… I'm not quite sure what you expect of me, but for what has been done to my family has left me quite reticent as to our dealings. Miss Green has been rather forceful and provocatively, tried to take me to her side in her business endeavor when I politely declined her invitation and has suffered retaliation for it and I have felt the pain of her revenge personally in many forms and shapes. I would say we can call quits. And if Miss Green agrees, I'm prepared to offer a truce."
"We all are grateful towards Miss Mills for calling this meeting. We all know her as a woman of her word. A modest, reasonable woman…
"Yes, too modest, LeFay. She had all the judges and politicians in the palm of her hands and refused to share them over a simple sudden flash of consciousness…", Zelena Green seethed.
"May I remind you, Zelena, that I had never refused an accommodation inside my territory not even to you, except once!" Regina deadpanned. "And you know why. I gave you my reasons. This drug business of yours is going to destroy us in the long run…", she sneered, "It's nothing like what we had established before. Gambling, contraband, corruption… people don't care about those. People are used to that, it's part of their reality. They seem to barely notice it if we keep it under control. The same can't be said about drugs. It's messy! The people who used to help us, they will refuse their favors when it comes to narcotics. I believed that then and I still do."
"Times have changed, Regina! It's not like the old days anymore. We can do whatever we want now." Fiona smiled, discrediting Regina's argument, something that didn't quite agree with Regina. "A refusal is not an act of a friend. As I understand, dear; and certainly, all merit is due, you have accumulated all those judges and politicians, you must share them. Not all people have talent to find water, you must let the others draw the water from the well. Of course, if you want to put a price tag on it, who are we to pass judgement on you? After all, we are not communists!"
Laughter was heard in the room.
Eloise Gothel stood up.
"It appears that Regina and I share an opinion. I too don't believe in that drug business, but who am I to refuse my subordinates a side amount? For years I've paid my people extra so they would not come close to it, but there's always temptation. I've been told that if you put up three, four-thousand-dollar investment you'll get almost fifty thousand dollars profit distributing. No one is enough foolish to refuse that kind of money. Of course, I have enforced a few rules. To keep it civilized" she said.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I was hoping that we could find a reasonable solution together –"
"Then we all agree! The traffic will be permitted but controlled, our dearest Regina Mills will provide the back-up in the East and we'll remain at peace among families."
"Wait a minute, what about me?"
"Be more specific, my dear" Fiona asked growing bored.
"I must have strict assurance from Regina, that as time goes by and her position becomes stronger that she won't seek revenge for what was done against her in the past. Will you attempt any individual vendetta?"
"That a very interesting question, Regina. Will you?" Tremotino asked, opening his mouth for the first time in the whole meeting.
"Will revenge bring back your boytoy to you, Zelena? Or Malva to me? No! I promise you I'll forget all the vengeance I craved for the death of Malva Augurio and the attempt against my own life. But I have very selfish reasons: my son. He was forced to leave this country because of this Sallozzo business. I will have to arrangements for him to be brought back safely with the people I sent with him. People I care very much about." Regina's eyes darkened and the ambiance shifted to a much darker one that was before. "However I am a very superstitious woman. If any misfortune should befall them; should their boat sink, their plane fall down from the sky, should they fall victims of a car accident or be struck by lightning on their way from the sidewalk to my porch, then I'm going to blame some people In this room." Regina said, her voice low and charges with danger, looking in the eyes of every person present so they would remember her promise and keep it fresh in their memories "And I will not forgive." She paused for effect. "That aside, I swear on the life of my son, the most sacred thing I have in my life, that I won't be the one to break the peace established between us tonight."
With that, both Zelena and Regina got up from their respective chairs and joined at the top of the table, next to Fiona LeFay and greeted each other like old friends do. But Regina knew, there was the stench of fear in the air, she could smell it on Zelena's skin. She knew then, she had won by giving in a little. She would be able to fetch Henry, Robin and Roland from their hiding place. Everything would be back to normal.
The meeting was over, and the Mills clan got in the car and drove home. Jefferson insisted they went over some details regarding their new arrangement with the other families.
"Should I insist that these new middlemen have clean records?"
"Mention it – don't insist. Fiona can take a hint."
"Fiona? You mean Zelena – "
"Zelena is an idiot, she would never be able to outfight Malva. But I didn't know it until today. For now, make the necessary arrangements so I can go personally fetch Robin, Henry and Roland."
Two months later…
Henry had just come from the orchard to find Robin cutting wood. Winter was almost there, and Enrico's lemons were ripe enough to begin the Limoncello production of that year. The young man had just collected two buckets of them. Transporting all of that towards the house was proving to be quite the difficult task. As well as being heavy with juice, the fruits were also enormous. Upon seeing Henry's selection, Enrico rejoiced and smiled proudly.
"Perfetto! Bravo, Henry! Dov'è Roland?"
"He's coming with more lemons, Nonno Enrico!" Henry informed after checking how far Roland was. He was a bit behind but steadily carrying a bucketful of lemons.
"Ah, va bene! Ho un regalo per voi due."
"What is it, Nonno?"
Enrico showed Henry the palm of his hand filled with candy of various sorts.
"Non mangiate tutto in una volta!" Enrico warned, playfully.
"I promise I won't, Nonno. I'll eat one, give one to Roland and save the others for later! Grazie!"
The boy ran away to help Roland but also give him his treat. Enrico observed the two boys. He saw Roland struggling to choose one of the sweets. The little boy finally chose a milk caramel and was promised another for after lunch. Robin also stopped what he was doing and observed them, his blue sapphire eyes smiling. He was happy to see the two boys getting along so well. Roland was not a difficult child and Henry acted like an old brother around him, being the voice a reason as well as a partner in crime for all the mischief they caused.
"You shouldn't give them so many sweets! It will rotten their teeth!" he said to Enrico.
"They are good boys; they won't eat everything today."
"Oh, believe me, they are tempted!"
"They are boys, after all. Don't worry about it!"
"Oh, I do! I'm worried about Regina having my head over rotten teeth…"
"You know, my little girl received many candies from her own grandfather too. She'll understand" Enrico said, smiling at the memory of a little brunette, no bigger than a small pumpkin, running to her grandfather's arms, asking him if he had brough candy from the local market. Saverio Molina would laugh at his granddaughter's antics, tenderly pinch and kiss her rosy cheeks and give her a handful of sweets that she promptly devoured much to her mother's dismay. Saverio's chair was now empty, still under the porch of the house of the farm he had passed on to his son Enrico, untouched. And little Regina was not a little girl of four anymore.
Robin went to the bathroom to wash before eating, he felt tired but there was still so much to do…
The autumnal sun was high when they all sat at the table to eat some fish Robin had caught the day before with vegetables. For dessert they had cheese and bread. Robin and Enrico ended the meal with a small glass of Amaro Siciliano.
The boys promptly asked to go and play among the animals in the farm and Robin let them go, warning them to stay close to the farm and not wander off somewhere he wouldn't be able to find them.
Then he started to help Enrico with his limoncello, washing the yellow fruits first and giving them to the old man so he could peal them, mix the peals into jars filled with alcohol where they would soak for a few days in order to make the sweet liquor. After everything was ongoing, Robin sat under the porch with Enrico, commenting what he was reading on the newspaper, taking a well-deserved rest. They both noticed a pickup truck stopping at the top of the hill and someone descending. Robin reached for the lupara he kept near in case of a surprise attack and Enrico Molina did the same, his eyes filled with suspicion. It was then when they saw her, a woman, her hair covered by a scarf, descending the hill towards the house, her dress and coat dancing around her legs with the soft afternoon breeze. She was carrying an old traveling bag and an umbrella. He let her do her descent until she was halfway to the porch where he was sitting. Maybe she was lost; maybe she needed help.
Robin got up from the chair ready to welcome her. The woman who was now standing just a few meters from him removed the scarf from her head and let her black hair wave around her face. There was no doubt now.
"Regina…"
"Ladrone di mele…"
Her eyes were filled with happy tears, her smile was bright as all the stars in the universe combined and it was all for him. His legs started running on their own and only stopped when his body collided with hers, when his arms encircled her waist and his lips came together with hers for a long-waited, love-filled, earth-shattering kiss.
Their lips parted, he looked into her eyes his smile never faulting, his hands now on each side of her face, fingers buried in her hair. Taking a good look at her, she looked thinner, but healthier than the last time he had seen her, prettier than ever. To her, he looked a bit stronger, his skin was now sun-kissed something that made his blue eyes stand out and there were silver wisps of hair around his ears mixing with his blond ones.
"What are you doing here?" he asked taking her in his arms for a long and tight embrace that she welcomed.
"I missed you"
"You mad, mad woman!" he whispered in her ear, softly swaying them both and burring his nose in the crown of her head, his arms still around her as if to protect her from the world. His eyes closed as if trying to carve each detail of that moment into his memory.
"Mom!"
Regina's head turned immediately to the sound of Henry's voice calling for her.
"Henry!" The young boy ran towards his mother colliding with her and throwing her off balance and her arms came around him for a much waited and wanted motherly embrace. Regina couldn't contain the tears of pure, unbridled joy running through her cheeks at the scent of her child reaching her nostrils and the feel of his soft cheek against hers and the shine of his golden-brown hair blinding her. "Thank God almighty, you're safe!
"I thought I was never going to see you again…"
"I'm here, my little prince! Mommy's here! Mamma è qui." she said, keeping him close to her.
"I missed you, Mom."
"I missed you too, sweetheart, so much!", she smiled, her eyes still looking to the skies above, his childish warmth filling her heart with peace.
"Regina!"
She turned and saw little Roland running towards her, his mop of curls wilder than ever, his eyes shining with excitement.
"Roland! You've grown so much, dear! Let me look at you!"
"I lost a tooth!" the child exclaimed, displaying the empty tooth space in his smile.
"You lost a t-! My, I'm getting old!"
"Regina, can I hug you too?"
"Of course, dear; there's room for you too. I missed you."
"I missed you too, Regina", he said, laying his head on her left shoulder.
Henry continued to cling to his mother who was now kneeling on dirt and filling both children's faces with tender kisses. Robin watched the interaction closely and eventually, joined their embrace. But the sound of sound of someone approaching told the little family, it was time to part. Enrico was standing right in front of them, watching his daughter who he had not seen for years, holding her family tight against her breast.
"Papa…"
"Regina"
Hearing her name said with such affection in the voice of the father she had not seen for years, Regina couldn't help the flood of tears falling for her eyes and guilt crushing her heart. She got up bowing her head in reverence and respect for the man standing before her and she began sobbing.
"Me dispiace, me dispiace tanto…"
Enrico's arms came to embrace his child strongly against his chest. He let her rest her cheek on his shoulder and caressed her soft dark hair, taking on her sweet perfume. His little girl was home, she was finally there.
"Va bene, cara! Va bene, va bene! Va bene…" he whispered as he his fingers ran through her tresses and put small kisses on the crown of her head. He too had tears in his eyes. How happy he was to see her again. He did not expect her to come all the way from America to Italy.
"You're not disappointed or ashamed?" she asked, her voice filled with emotion.
"Of course not! You're here. I'm so happy to see you, my darling girl. I thought I would die before seeing you again. Look at you all grown up; beautiful as I remembered. I'm so proud of you, of the family you made for yourself. I'm proud of seeing you rising from the ashes."
"I forgot who I was for a moment, where I came from… I forgot what it meant."
"There's still time to remember. I'm here. You have the children and Robin. We'll help you if you let us."
"Poor Daniel…"
"He understood."
"I thought Tremotino would keep his promise. We had a deal…"
"My darling, when dealing with dishonorable men, being honorable is foolish. We were foolish. Your mother and I, we thought we were giving you your best chance. Turns out, America was not the golden dream we thought it was. There was more damage than healing."
"Indeed…"
"You're staying?"
"For now, I will. I had planned to come and fetch Robin and the children, but… the land is calling for me, telling me to rest my crown a while. I think I must stay, at least for a little while. That is if you'll have me."
"Nothing would make me happier, dear. Robin is staying in the attic, with the children. I'll find comfortable spot where you can stay."
"Papa, I think I can stay with Robin and the children…"
"No, no, no…absolutely not. It's not proper for a lady to be sharing her bed with a man without being married."
"Don't be silly, are you afraid he'll steal my honor away? He'll steal apples occasionally but that's it. Anyway, you forgot I already have been married." she chuckled, amused at her father's antics.
"That is final, my daughter."
Robin came forth and surprised them all. In the best Italian he could muster he offered the most logical compromise.
"What if we get married?"