Amo Age 12 Greta Age 7
The Vitiello Christmas party had become the most anticipated event of the year. Greta had never been to a party outside of Las Vegas before. Her parents said it was really far and her dad kept trying to say she was better off staying home with her Uncle Savio and Aunt Gemma, but Greta didn't want to be stuck at home; even Aurora was going. Greta wanted to dance like the princesses in her favorite movies all got to do when they went to a ball. Her Aunt Kiara had purchased a brand new red gown for the grand event and it was beautiful, even if it wasn't pink. Greta wanted to wear her favorite tutu but at the wise age of seven, she knew that wasn't appropriate so she settled for a dress that had a full skirt. It wasn't as pretty as some of her ballet costumes, but it had tons of glitter which she loved.
"I'm just saying if his lips go near my little girl again..." her father's voice caught her attention as she was buckling her new dress shoes. Her parents were walking into the small living room of their hotel suite.
"Remo! She kissed him, it was innocent and years ago! You can't kill a boy for what a young infatuated child does. This is your own fault you know. If you weren't so affectionate in front of the kids she wouldn't have known how to do that, to begin with."
"Are you saying I shouldn't kiss you anymore?" Her father growled in a low voice. Neither seemed to realize Greta was in the room.
"Don't you dare!" Serafina pushed Remo's chest before giving him one of those looks and proceeding to passionately kiss him. Greta was considering sneaking out into the bathroom when her twin stormed into the room.
"Eww get a room!" Nevio yelled. He had appeared with nothing but underwear on. "I don't want another baby here." He strutted around the family room as if he owned it. Greta suppressed a giggle knowing her mother wouldn't be happy with her brother's lack of clothing.
Serafina gave Remo a 'this-is-your-fault-he-knows-this' look. Despite being seven, Nevio knew more about the making of a baby than he should, not to mention his first words had been all of the bad ones. And even though he started as an instigator against everything Savio did, he was beginning to act more and more like his uncle every day.
"Nevio! Where is your suit?" his mother asked. "I just put it on you ten minutes ago!"
"I took it off. I don't like clothes!" Nevio ripped off his underwear and looked like he was going to plop down onto the couch in the nude when his mother gave him the look that said he was in trouble. As fast as she reached for him he jumped to get away, he turned around towards the closest exit and ran butt-naked out of the room.
"We stop at two. I don't think I can handle another mini you." Serafina said before running after Nevio to catch him before he mooned someone again.
It was another hour before everyone was finally dressed and ready to leave. After their family had first received the invitation there had been arguments about who would and wouldn't go, it was ultimately decided that Adamo and Savio would stay home.
Fabiano and Kiara both had family at the event so it felt like they needed to go, and of course, their spouses and children would go. At the age of five Aurora was excited to see her Aunt Aria, and the boys Massimo and Alessio were equally excited to see their Aunt Guilia. Guilia had been spoiling the boys for years sending them the most fun gifts on each holiday. Greta didn't think her dad would allow her and her brother to go but he finally decided to let them attend only the week before. The plane ride to New York was long. The families had to eat lunch in their jet and both Massimo and Aurora had to take naps before they arrived. All the tiredness Greta felt on the plane ride evaporated when they pulled up to the Vitiello mansion.
If there ever was a more beautiful palace, Greta wouldn't know. This place was grand and beautiful, a place a princess would live in. When the doors of the car opened Greta imagined herself as Cinderella stepping out of the carriage, the most beautiful girl arriving at the ball. While she did not remember the "kiss" her father had been so upset about for days, Greta had a vague memory of being lifted by a boy who embodied prince charming in her mind. She had not seen Amo Vitiello since she was too young to even really remember what he looked like, but a part of her pictured that tonight he would tell her how pretty she looked and they would dance the night away. The moment was ruined by a push from Nevio and a "move". Greta fell fist first onto the walkway scraping up her knee and getting mud on her dress.
"Nevio!" Greta cried. "You ruined my dress!"
Greta was not one for sudden emotional outbursts, so this got the attention of the grown-ups around her. Quickly, Remo scooped the girl up into his arms, examining the bleeding knee, but Greta was far more concerned with the mud on her dress. She frantically wiped at it hoping to make it disappear but all it did was make it worse.
Nevio peeked up at his sister. A guilty look on his face. Despite Nevio being the instigator he was, he never felt regretful or bad, unless his actions hurt Greta. Greta scowled at him.
"There's nothing we can do about it now, we have to go inside," Serafina said brushing the dirt off Greta's face.
"No!" Greta protested. Her perfect princess moment was ruined because of Nevio and she wouldn't dare enter the palace with a ruined dress.
"Sweetheart, It's going to be okay." Serafina tried to soothe her.
"NO!" Greta shouted, catching everyone off guard. She never was one to yell or talk back.
"Greta," Remo said warningly. "Watch your tone."
Greta couldn't handle it anymore, she started crying. Wiggling out of her father's hold she ran toward Nevio and pushed with all her might. Despite being twins, Nevio was slightly taller and could withstand a push from Greta.
"Greta Falcone, that is enough. If you don't stop it right now you are going home." Remo said in a tone that scared even Nevio.
As they made their way up to the steps of the Vitiello Mansion, Greta hung her head in shame. The doors of the mansion opened and Luca and Aria stood there greeting everyone, Marcella and Amo standing off to the side. The men shook hands and the ladies hugged.
As they all filed in Marcella looked around and asked "Is Adamo here?"
"Marcella." chastised her mother softly.
"No, but I am," Nevio said with a cocky grin. Marcella made an uncomfortable sound and turned away, but that didn't stop Nevio as he followed right after her. Loosening the tie that his mother had forced upon him as he went.
"She is going through a phase." Aria apologized to Serafina and Remo as Luca welcomed the rest of the group. Greta's attention was on Prince Charming though. He was not as tall as she remembered, but she had been much younger the last time she saw him. He still looked like he could lift her into the air though, and if Disney taught her anything, it was that all a prince needed was to be strong enough to lift her when they were dancing; and Greta loved to dance.
When he gave her a strange look, she remembered the mud on her dress, she wished the floor would swallow her whole because she looked more like a pauper than a princess.
"Oh no, what happened" Aria bent down to Greta. She was regarding her bleeding knee but Greta thought she meant her dress.
"I pushed her" Nevio popped up beside Greta. His tie was nowhere in sight. When Aria looked at him with an odd look he added "She doesn't like to talk to people. She's shy."
As if to emphasize his point, Greta didn't even make eye contact with the hostess of the party. Despite her disastrous appearance Greta's eyes kept sneaking glances towards Amo. While she had no interest in kissing boys she almost wished she could remember the moment that had her dad so angry towards the boy she was mentally calling the prince.
"Well Greta, if you're okay with it, I think I might have something to fix that." That caught her attention, a smile grew on Greta's face and she nodded hesitantly, while still not quite making eye contact. Aria stretched out her hand and Greta took it after her brother placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"We will be right back," Aria said to her husband, "this is a fashion emergency."
Remo started to protest, but Serafina stopped him by patting his chest.
As Aria led her up the stairs, Greta took in the huge staircase. She could imagine herself walking down it like a true princess. Her prince would wait for her at the bottom, ready to lead the way into the ballroom and dance all night. That fantasy was ruined by Nevio stomping up the stairs behind them. "HEY!" he shouted, "Wait for me!"
The room Aria led her to was beyond beautiful. It was for sure a princess room. She led Greta into a bathroom and took out a washcloth and bandage. She cleaned her scrape and bandaged it right up. "I know it's not great, but every princess has battle wounds," she said with a wink.
"Now onto the really important part." Aria walked over to a wardrobe, she seemed to dig towards the very back before she pulled out a bag. When she unzipped it, Greta saw the most beautiful pink dress, and it looked like it was just her size.
Meanwhile, Nevio had climbed onto the bed and discarded his socks and shoes, "Finally, my feet can breathe." His words were followed by him falling back onto the bed and waving his feet in the air.
Greta didn't care about Nevio's antics though. She was focused on Aria, the sweet kind woman who was helping her. This, she decided, was her fairy godmother, Aria had poofed the practically perfect pink princess dress out of nowhere, just for her. Greta could now really live out her fairy tale.
Aria helped her out of her muddy clothes and into the clean dress. Greta twirled around and felt beautiful.
"You look lovely Greta," Aria said.
Greta smiled up at her fairy Godmother, twirling around once again.
"Eh she looks alright," Nevio said, glancing towards Greta as he walked towards the door while waving his hand as if to say hurry up. "Can we get to the party now?" Greta gave Aria one last smile and squeaked out a small "thank you" before hurrying along to rejoin her twin. The duo made their way towards the stairs, but as Nevio started down them Greta paused. She really wanted her princess moment and this was her second chance. Noticing she wasn't with him, Nevio stopped to make sure she was okay. "What's wrong?"
"I.." Greta hesitated, biting her lip. Nevio, always knowing what his twin wanted, saw how she looked at the stairs. "Girls," he huffed out before grabbing the banister and sliding down in true Falcone form. Unfortunately, his mother saw him so as soon as he hit the floor with his bare feet he took off at a run. Greta could just hear the word shoes coming from her mother as she placed one hand upon the banister and slowly made her way down the staircase.
When she reached the last step Remo appeared at the bottom. "Well, don't you just look beautiful, Principessa." Greta smiled up at her father. "If I'm not mistaken, that's mistletoe above us." He pointed to the little green leaves hanging above them. "And I believe that deserves a kiss." Remo bent down and kissed his daughter on the cheek. "Would you do me the honor of walking with me to the ballroom? Every princess needs an escort." Remo stuck out his arm and Greta took it. She was going to have such a grand entrance, she just knew she would be the most beautiful girl at the ball.
The ballroom was even more fantastic than in any movie she had ever seen. She looked in awe at all the beautiful dresses. Greta looked around the room watching all the people dance when her eyes landed on her prince charming. He was talking to a group of boys around his age. Her mind started to wander and she could almost see him walking towards her, bowing and asking her for this dance. They would dance all night.
Greta was sure it was really happening until Nevio ran by, grabbing her hand and pulling her with him. He had now lost his jacket. The only things that remained were his vest, shirt, and pants.
"Come on Greta!" Nevio pulled her with him "I see the cake!"
"Nevio." Greta pulled on his arm.
Nevio turned to look at his twin. "Can you please dance with me?" A new song had just started and all Greta wanted to do was dance in her new dress. Nevio huffed, but turned around and dragged Greta to the dance floor. Greta had prepared for this moment. She insisted Nevio learn how to dance properly so that she would be able to dance at the party. This was her moment to shine.
As they started to waltz, Greta felt the world around her falling into place, even if Nevio stepped on her feet a couple of times, and tried to run away once. She had mastered her mother's disapproving look though and had not hesitated on using it. Her smile grew with each spin as she began to take in the scene around her. Nothing would take this moment away from her.
Well, it wouldn't have if Amo wasn't dancing with another girl! This made Greta stop in the middle of her dance causing Nevio to ram right into her. "Greta!" he threw his hands in the air. "I thought you wanted me to dance with you! Greta?" Nevio touched his twin's shoulder. "Greta, what's wrong?"
Greta just stared as her prince charming danced with another girl. No, not a girl, a woman who made Greta feel like a child again instead of a princess. Then she saw that he smiled, and laughed and the mystery girl smiled and laughed and they danced together like the true prince and princess. Greta spun around and ran to her father. He was currently talking to Uncle Nino and a very large man with a scar on his neck that Greta didn't recognize. They always said she should come to them if she ever got hurt by someone and she couldn't imagine feeling any more hurt than she did at that moment.
Meanwhile, Nevio had found Marcella out in the hallway. He had taken off his vest and started unbuttoning his shirt. When she gave him a disgusted look he looked at her, cocked an eyebrow, and said "If you like where this is going just stick around, more clothes will be coming off soon." then he winked. Marcella rolled her eyes and walked away, grabbing the arm of one of her friends as she went.
"Ohh playing hard to get?" Nevio started after her. "I love the thrill of a chase."
"Nevio!" Serafina's voice could be heard coming his way with a vest clenched in her hand. Smartly, the boy didn't stick around. After quickly making sure his sister was in good hands he headed towards the kitchens. Greta could just make out what looked like the arm of his button-down shirt in the doorway when he completely disappeared.
Remo picked up his daughter but Greta was just in too much agony to get words out. Soon, Serafina appeared dragging Nevio by the wrist. "That's it," She said, "He's your problem for the rest of the night." She pushed a pile of the discarded clothes into Remo's empty arm and handed him over, taking Greta in the process.
"Come on sweetheart, there's nothing chocolate can't fix." With that, mother and daughter made their way towards a giant dessert table while the guys tried to wrestle the shirt back onto Nevio. Knowing her twin, Greta predicted the clothes wouldn't stay on him for long.
Greta should have known her mother would be right. The chocolate did lift her spirits and soon she was back on the dance floor, this time with Aurora. Unfortunately, Aurora wasn't as skilled as she was at dancing. Aunt Leona had let her quit the first time Aurora cried after her failed ball change. Greta knew better, she loved to dance. Her mom always said that love is worth the pain when Greta asked about the scar on her wrist. She danced all night only stopping for dinner, and then when she needed to exchange one dance partner for another.
Her cousin Alessio was little and didn't understand how to dance, so Greta was very excited when she heard someone ask if they could swap partners. Greta looked up to see Marcella and Amo. Amo looked upset with his sister, but all Greta could think was that she was finally going to get her dance with prince charming. Greta let go of her cousin's hands, and he took off after his brother, not at all concerned about dancing. Marcella shrugged and with a smirk looked pointedly at her brother. "I'll leave you two alone."
Greta looked up at Amo with a smile waiting for him to extend his hand for their dance, but he seemed to have turned into a statue. He wasn't looking at her and when she tried to see what he was looking at, all she saw was a group of boys laughing. After letting out a frustrated sound he finally extended a hand towards her. He didn't say a single word as they began to move around the dance floor but Greta had been right, he was a wonderful dancer.
"You're Amo, right?" Greta asked even though she knew the answer.
"Yes, and you're Greta, the girl twin." He replied and she was annoyed at being referred to as that.
"I am a dancer." She said back, with slight annoyance. Before he could say anything else they were interrupted, her Uncle Nino cut in with a tap on Amo's shoulder. Greta was a little sad her prince left so fast and was even sadder when she saw him instantly start dancing with yet another girl.
"Tesoro, unless you want to see war break out, perhaps it's better if you only dance with family." Nino's words confused her until she saw her dad glaring daggers towards Amo on their next rotation.
When the music faded Greta followed her uncle off the dance floor so that they could rejoin her family at the dinner table. Nevio slid a half-eaten slice of cake to his sister before ripping his button-down shirt apart, "Wow, I can breathe better now, but my pants are too tight."
"Perhaps it's time for us to retire," Nino said as Kiara walked over carrying a very sleepy looking Massimo. She handed the drowsy boy over to Nino and sat down at a table looking exhausted herself. Nevio struggled against Remo's hold as his father tried to button his shirt back up for what must have been the tenth time.
"NO!" Nevio squirmed. "She wants me naked!" He looked longingly at Marcella.
"Give it a rest son, she's too old for you," Remo said and ruffled Nevio's already messy hair. Nevio let out a defeated sigh and let Remo finish buttoning his shirt.
"One day." Nevio gritted out.
Greta sat with her Aunt Kiara at the table. "How was your night Greta?"
"She's just sad because she likes that one guy and he was dancing with some other chick," Nevio said plopping down on the other side of Greta. Greta's cheeks turned pink and she looked down at her hands.
"You don't call girls chicks." His mother scolded.
Kiara smiled and leaned into Greta. "Just wait, one day when you're older so many boys will want to dance with you. And you will be so tired from all the dancing you'll be the one trying to get away. One day you'll get married and move away and then you can dance with your husband whenever you want."
Greta smiled at the thought. She could picture her prince now if only he would realize she was the princess.
"NO!" Nevio shouted, "Greta can never leave, she has to stay with me!"
When it was time for them to go, the adults began to gather the children and their jackets together.
"Nevio, where are your shoes?" Serafina asked.
"I can get them," Greta said softly, remembering where her twin had taken them off. With her mother's approving nod, Greta headed up the staircase. It only took a moment for her to grab the shoes and socks and soon she was heading back down the stairs. Her head was heavy. She was tired. She didn't know how Cinderella could stay up so late. With her eyes focused on each step, she didn't realize there was someone in front of her. When she was on the last step she bumped heads with Amo. Her height almost matching his with the tall stair she was still on.
"Sorry," he mumbled, but before he could move to go around her, Greta heard her fairy Godmother's voice.
"Amo, you know better. There's mistletoe. You can't ruin a Christmas tradition."
Behind her prince, was his mother who had been in conversation with her mom and dad. Greta looked up once again seeing the mistletoe that meant she was supposed to get a kiss, and before she could even utter a single word Amo pressed a fast kiss to her cheek, the opposite one her father had kissed, and then quickly moved around her and headed up the stairs.
They finally said their goodbyes with her uncles dragging her father out the door and headed to the car. Soon they were on their private jet taking them back to Vegas. Greta and Nevio fell asleep on the way home, tired from all the dancing and running, Greta being the former and Nevio being the latter. Later that night Greta laid in her bed asleep when Nevio cracked her door open. Their parents had decided it was time for them to both have their own rooms away from each other. Nevio had a hard time with this so he snuck into Greta's bed under the covers and laid down with her. Greta stirred, "Nevio?" she whispered.
"Yeah it's me, I couldn't sleep. Can I sleep here with you?" he whispered back.
"Are you wearing pajamas?" Greta asked with a worried tone.
"Only cause I knew you'd ask." He replied.
Reassured, Greta took Nevio's arm and cuddled up next to him, she loved to cuddle, and even though Nevio didn't, he would always make an exception for Greta.
"Greta?" Nevio whispered.
"Yeah?" She whispered back.
"Promise you won't ever leave me."
"I promise."