New York, USA
Oliver took his new life with a grain of salt, and it was harder for him to let it sink in then he thought.
For one, we had to steer clear of London for a while until things cooled down around his family and for them to fully believe he was dead. Copley had some things made up for his death certificate, making sure it looked certified while we flew out of New York two days after I officially met him. After our talk eating pizza, we spent the next day on the phone with Copley, tying up loose ends for us here in America before we had to find another destination that we could hide away at for at least a few months.
We had to make sure things were going to be in order and placed properly, for the sake of Oliver and this new normal for him. Oliver was just along for the ride, and we all could tell there were moments where it was going to be a bit too much for him. What really hit him hard with a dose of reality was seeing the new report of his death among the FBI, CIA and British Intelligence. Once he saw it in front of his face on Nile's laptop, I could tell there was a sense of dread behind his eyes and under his skin. For something like this to happen to him, he was handling it far better than I thought he would. But it was still there…at uncertainty and pondering the unknown that was now in front of him.
Because his death was blended into the Mafia and a well-secretive drug ring n New York, Copley was able to get his name down to a minimum when it came to the media coverage. Copley did have to tell Oliver's family about his death, and he made sure that they too were protected from any other counter-attack by the Mafia since they were spooked that they were going to be exposed. He promised that no one was going to hurt Oliver's family, which gave Oliver a small sliver of relief.
Oliver was still worried about his family, he was leaving behind both his mother and father, younger brothers and sisters, and his past life altogether. His siblings were the worst for him, being the eldest of 4 children and the youngest of them was barely 15. In his mind he was one of the main providers for his family, both of his parents were still healthy but were reaching the age of retirement.
It was a hard pill for him swallow, all of us giving him some space as we knew this was delicate. Andy, all being her chaotic self, couldn't give him some affection at a time like this but more small pearls fo wisdom. Both Joe and Nicky were a little more remorseful for him, sitting with him at times and giving their own sense of wisdom and kind words to help him get by. Nile was the only one amongst all of us to give him some insight and some specific comfort since she too is still going through the removal of her family in her own life. They could reply on each other with this, the rest of us couldn't.
As for me, I was still trying to give some space between Oliver and me, though I was also there to hear him out when he just needed to talk about his family. He told me of his mother being a nurse and his father being a mechanic, both of them living by the philosophy of pulling up the bootstraps and never giving into the fight. When he told me this, he sounded quite proud, having me smile at him as we were sitting together out in the living room of the hotel room while the others went to bed.
"Your family sounds lovely," I said to him as we both were drinking a bottle of wine between the both of us while he was still me about his family. He then gave me a curious look.
"Do you remember your family?" He asked me, having me think about it long and hard.
"It's harder for me since it's been roughly 600 years," I admitted to him, seeing him look at me in a bit of shock, "I barely remember specific things. My mother…she had long yellow hair. It reminded me of the sun. My father….I remember how his voice used to help me sleep when he would sing to me a lullaby," A small grin was on his face, no longer sad or in pain from what was going on with him. But it was still simmering underneath his skin and in his eyes, and maybe it hasn't hit him hard just yet. It's been merely a few days, and perhaps further down the road, it'll hit him just as hard.
"Do you miss them?" He asked, sounding genuine in his question to me as I shook my head, making me look at me in confusion.
"I did for a while at the very beginning, but I guess it changed when I was more accepting of how the world kept turning. It's a very hard pill to swallow, but I had Joe and Nicky to help me in those times, later on Andy did too. One thing you'll learn about this whole thing is that you're not alone," I explained to him as he took a drink from the wine, "They're good guys, all of them."
"I don't doubt that," He agreed, giving me a small smile, "I felt the same way with the blokes I served in the military, I trust my life with them all,"
"And you will with us," I said to him kindly, "Time, as ironic as it is for us in this life, is needed for something like this," I didn't mind talking to him like this in the late night, maying giving him some kind of wisdom on my end. I wished someone did that with me sooner, though Nicky and Joe made it up later on when it was almost fifty years later. As much as we all wanted to tell him and soothe him that he was lucky with us finding him so soon, it wasn't going to be enough.
"I like talking with you," he stated, having me give him a warm smile, "Talking to the others about it, especially Nile, helped me out a bit. But it feels a bit better to talk to you about it,"
"I'm glad you feel that way," I said kindly, "Sometimes just talking helps."
"But with you, it's kind of nice….it's not…I don't know…scary to think too much what is going to be in front of me," Oliver admitted, a small smile was on his lips. There was a sense of dread within me then, almost a shield of barrier instantly going up and around my heart and my intuition. I didn't know why I did that, maybe it was an unconscious thing for me to do. All I was doing was talking to the guys and the next thing I knew I was in defense mode. It made me think of how I was vulnerable, and that last time that happened…it was painful.
"Are you alright?" Oliver asked me, seeing that I went quiet for a few long moments. I finally nodded my head yes.
"I'm okay," I replied, though I could tell he was only buying half of that response, so I tried again, "it's been rough few weeks for me to be honest. I didn't want to show it in front of you during this time,"
"I don't mind," he replied in a shrug, not thinking about it all too much. I had to give him a soft smile since I could tell he was trying to make me feel better. But then I saw him give me an intense stare, almost like he was slowly figuring it out in his brain.
"Nile explained how I saw all of you when I…came back to life," Oliver explained before he kindly pointed at me, "I remember you were somewhere…..in a chair….and you were in pain,"
"Bern," I answered for him, "Switzerland."
"You were all there," Oliver said as he was trying to piece it together in his brain and figure it out on his own, "But you were in some kind of lab…what happened?"
Did I want to dive in with the entire story of what happened? I would take all night and then some, not to mention me having to go back to the very beginning when this whole mess was created back in the 1940s. It was still raw, the precise details to it all, and what it did to me internally. I felt like for Oliver, since he was still too new as an Immortal and his brain was already trying to wrap around all of this, I had to give him some kind of response and insider story. But not all of it, not yet.
"I was hunted by Nazis," I explained calmly, my hand that wasn't holing thawing was resining on my thigh and was about to shake, "They wanted to take my Immortality and use it for themselves,"
I felt bad for already telling him the darkness that I was trying to overcome, how it was so recent, and still very raw within myself. And yet, I also had no real understanding as to why I was telling him this and it sounded so natural coming from me. Was it that there was a sense of familiarity and safety with Oliver? I barely knew him, but in all the time I did get to know him, it felt beyond natural with him close by me.
"Fucking hell!"
I looked at Oliver in shock, seeing how he was reacting in such a violent manner. I saw the hate in his eyes as to how it affected him so much.
"Excuse me?" I asked, not offendedly but in a bit of shock. Oliver shook his head at me and sighed as he rubbed his face.
"Sorry, not at you! So sorry…it's just….that's…I don't even know what that is," He tried to explain, though I could tell he wasn't riding the right words. It was almost bothering him so much as he was thinking too hard.
"It's monsters," I replied simply, seeing him now look over at me from his spot on the couch, "Even as Immortals we have to deal with monsters in this world. Andy's dealt with them, as well as Joe and Nicky. Hell, even Nile right after she came to us,"
"And now you?" He asked, the bitterness was still in his voice but not as violent as his outburst. I nodded my head.
"Yes," I answered breaking in shakily before I looked at him fully, "So…I take things very slow when meeting someone new and become friends with them…anyone of course. It's nothing against that person.." Having me pause and clear my throat, "And right now specifically, nothing against you. But…It's an obstacle I'm going through,"
I felt bad, already thinking that he was going to look at me as if I was crazy. Telling someone I barely met that I would need some time and space to get closer to him as someone who I was going to spend my Immorality with. I wouldn't really think twice if he got up now and just walked away, which was sickening of me to think like that because it wasn't healthy.
However, he was doing just the opposite of what I thought he was going to do. He sat there, drinking in all that I told him, and I finally heard him respond to what I told him.
"I understand. I get it, actually," he said to me, sounding so kind about it, "It's horrible that it happened to you, and I don't know all that happened, I don't need to right now. But I do get it,"
"And I sound morbid—" I was about to explain but he cut me off as he placed his wine down on the coffee table.
"You don't, honestly! Not at all," he reasoned with me urgently as I was silent and he rubbed his hands on his jeans, "If there's one thing that my Granddad taught me, is that trust is earned, just as respect is earned. The way you've helped me out with all of this…it makes me want to earn your trust, and now that I'm an Immortal like you guys….it'll take some time for me to earn it, but I don't mind,"
I had to smile, that swelling feeling I was getting from hearing his words was enough to drive those inner feelings of guilt and uneasiness away like a rush of wind. He made it sound so easy and casual in how he worded it, and yet it also sounded like a declaration at the same time. It was all insane, and yet easy at the same time.
"You sound so sure of yourself," I said to him, then seeping him look a bit shy and sheepish.
"I'm a bit cocky at times," he confessed, a light chuckle on his lips as I just grinned.
"It's not cocky," I said in a counter-statement, "Sounding sure of yourself is a wonderful trait. it's both confident and assertive, you don't get those traits these days," For a split second, I could have sworn I saw him blush briefly along his cheeks as I just smiled widely at him. I just took a good drink from my wine and then gave him a curious eye.
"So, since we're leaving tomorrow and head over to France, do you know French?" I asked, changing the subject as Oliver leaned back in his chair and cracked a grin.
"À peine," he replied smoothly, having my smile get a bit bigger as I then pointed at him.
"Votre français est bien parlé," I replied smoothly, although now he looked like a deer caught in the headlights. I had to smirk at him since it felt like he was trying to figure out what to say back to me, but he was stumped. He took a good chug from his wine and he groaned.
"Okay," He said in an amused tone, "I'm gonna confess, I'm not that good."
We both laughed. For me, it was a good start.
Pigna, France
Going back to my house that was hidden away in France, for now, was out of the question. I understood, and thankfully Nicky and Joe had a small villa of a home in the outskirts of Pigna France. It was one of their get-away homes they would flock to for months at a time when there weren't any mercenary missions to go on, and I haven't been yet. The last time they were there together was in the early 200's, but they had anonymously paid a housekeeper under the table for the past twenty years for upkeep and maintenance.
We were on a winding road that took us along the coast, seeing the piercing blue waves hitting the French beaches and seeing locals and tourists already going into the waters. The smells of the local orchids and wineries were filling the car we rented while Joe was driving this time. Nicky was in the passenger seat, Oliver and I were in the back.
Andy and Nile were in their own rental car right behind us, which left the fours of us in the first car looking at the scenery around us. We got into some light summer clothes, apart from the dreary black attire we wore in New York. Thankfully, Nicky had some spare summer clothes for Oliver to wear, so now in the car he was sporting a light blue shirt, bright blue jeans, and gray sneakers along with a gray dress shirt that was open and loose on him. I could tell it was making himself feel a bit more at home with us in a new set of clothes.
I was amazed at the high cliffs that were next to us as we were winding through the countryside. The scattered orchids and emerald green trees that roamed the hills made me smiled as I then looked over at Oliver, seeing him peer out the window in wonder at the scenery with his sunglasses on and the wind blowing through his brown hair,
"You've never been to France before?" I asked him, moving my Ray-Ban sunglasses up my nose a bit.
"Only Paris, nowhere else sadly. I never got the chance to do a lot of traveling before I enlisted," Oliver answered, Nicky looking over his shoulder at Oliver as Joe was making a turn.
"The town we're going to now is nice and small, the perfect French town for us to lay low in for a while. You'll like it, it's very quiet and peaceful," Nicky said from the passenger's seat, "We'll have to take you to one of our favorite restaurants tonight once we're settled."
"Do you like French food, Oliver?" Joe as he was driving.
"I've never had it before," He sheepishly answered. I gave him a shocked look, though I meant well as Nicky and Joe chuckled. Oliver looked lost like he wasn't catching onto the joke.
"I think you just offended Eleanor," Joe said in a smirk as Oliver looked over at me, having me just grin and shake my head while Joe kept talking, "No worries, Oliver. You'll love the French food here. There's another great restaurant, not our favorite but it's second in line to it of course, but it sits on a rather large cliff looking out into the peninsula. We'll take you there another night if you like,"
"Sure, that does sound lovely," Oliver said with a small smile, "It's bad enough I don't have a full range of eating different kinds of food,"
"That'll come in time," I reassured him, "With the traveling comes trying all kinds of food. I think my favorite though is Italian,"
"Good girl," Nicky said in an amused tone as Joe laced their fingers together in the middle of the armrest.
"How about Italian?" I asked Oliver, "Please tell me you like Italian, If you don't, then you'll break poor Nicky's heart," Oliver grinned and shook his head as he sat towards me a
"Oh no, I love it, especially pasta. I love pasta," He said in a grin, "We used to make it from scratch from home,"
"Really?" Nicky asked, perking up a bit as he turned to look at Oliver with interest. I had to smile from how Nicky's face was looking right at Oliver in fascination.
"My mom learned from a neighbor. I loved it when she made pasta from scratch for dinner," Oliver explained, then he suddenly went quiet and cleared his throat. He looked out the window, and from I could see next to him, he was trying not to cry in front of us from thinking of his mother. Carefully I placed a hand on his arm, not knowing what else to do.
Nicky looked from him over to me, giving me a somber look. It was slowly sinking in for Oliver now since we left America, this new world and life we were thrusting him into. I was glad that most of the people in our group were compassionate for him, wanting him to go at his own pace. Andy was good about it too, though I could tell her patience was less than the others. None the less, we were all trying to help Oliver in this transition as best we could.
"You know what," Nicky said, seeing that we both were watching Oliver go quiet in the car, "We're gonna eat in tonight at the house," Joe cocked his head over in Nicky's direction as I saw the wheels turning in Nicky's head, "I don't know if Eleanor ever told you yet, Oliver, but I am exceptionally good at making pasta from scratch,"
Oliver perked up a bit, looking over a Nicky with a small glimpse of hope in his bright eyes.
"You can make pasta yourself?" he asked, almost sheepishly and trying to get back into the familiar conversation. Nicky grinned.
"I should hope so since I've been around for a millennium," He said in a chuckle, Oliver finally giving him a small smile, "I went to culinary school at least 5 times in my lifetime, and every time I learned how to make homemade pasta, homemade sauce, everything Italian you can think of."
"Nicky's our residential cook in the group," Joe said in agreement as we were making another wide turn, "He knows how to make everything divine…..just not sushi."
I snorted as Nicky gave Joe a death glare and Joe just laughed. Oliver was chuckling too from the look Nicky was giving him.
"It was one time, and I didn't think I was going to have that kind of food allergic reaction," Nicky said to him calmly, but I saw the agitation on his face. I had to lean over to Oliver.
"It was back in the 1900s and we were in Japan. After he took the bite, he was so green in the face we thought he was going to completely vomit," I whispered to him since now Nicky giving me an incriminating look.
"Sois gentil." He warned me, but I winked at him.
"Je suis toujours," I replied fluently as he looked back at Oliver with a grin.
"We'll make one of my favorite dishes tonight, and we'll have it with pesto, homemade pesto. You like pesto, yes?" he asked.
"Yea, I love it," he replied, pausing for a moment before he cleared his throat, "You don't have to do all that for me, you know."
"I think we do," Joe replied with a smile on his face, "You can never go wrong with a home-cooked meal out here in the country, filling your lungs with the ocean air and having a full stomach. It'll be a good night, Oliver. Count on it. Besides, if we're gonna be Immortal together we're gonna be enjoying it together, just as a family would do,"
"Which reminds me," Nicky said to Joe as he looked away from us over to Joe, "We need to re-stock our wine supply. We're low on red wine, that won't do."
"God forbid you are low on wine general," I joked, which Joe grinned widely.
"If I remember correctly, we have at least twenty bottles in our wine cellar," Joe explained, crackling his knuckles with his fingers as we were still deriving along the road, "But you're right, Habibi. We'll get at least ten more."
"At this rate, we're all going to be alcoholics!" I lightly scolded them, but we were grinning. We were going inland sightly during on the main road for another five minutes before Joe took us to the left along a long dirt road that was picking up dust behind us. I found us moving and weaving through some olive trees that were of a decent height. I breathed in the distinct smell, having me sigh and smiled in bliss.
"The trees are growing in nicely," Joe hummed as I watched row after row of olive trees, then seeing lemon trees right after with the small burst of citrus hitting our noses, "Tomorrow I'll have to go harvest some of the lemons and olives."
"I'll join you," I said to him, leaving back in my chair as I rearranged my sunglass I was wearing, "It'll be nice to breathe them all in at the break of dawn."
"We'll have to give some extra money to the caretakers," Nile said to Joe with a smile, "They've taken such good care of our home since we've been gone for this long."
"I'll wire them some money tonight when we get the chance, after dinner," Joe said as he squeezed Nicky's shoulder, then breaking into a wide smile. "Here we are, kids."
Both Oliver and I peered out the window, seeing how Joe pulled us to a stunning villa that took my breath away. it was hidden in some willow trees that were swaying in the summer wind, the shadows not hiding the beauty of the single-story but a rather large villa. It looked in every way French, stone walls, and pale blue window shutters. There was a small herb garden around the corner and a row of lavender underneath some of the windows, moving with the wind and swaying like it was in a dance. It was small and cozy, yet grand and complex.
Of course, it was definitely Joe and Nicky.
I was in utter shock as we pulled up to the front of the house, Joe turning the car off and hopping out as Nicky was opening the trunk of the car. I was amazed at the house itself, almost lost in my own thought as Oliver too looked shocked by the sheer house itself.
I had to give out a snort of a laugh from how insane this place looked, and yet how it was perfect for both Joe and Nicky, "Of course you would have a fucking villa like this out on the coast of France," I grumbled as Nicky chuckled with a couple of the bags in his hand. Joe was texting on the phone as he walked over to grab one of the bags from Nicky,
"You two have a lot fo explaining to do," I warned them both. Nicky raised his eyebrow at me.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said in a shrug, then looking over at Oliver and how he was drinking it all in, "And before you ask, we don't own houses all over the world."
Oliver gulped, opening and closing his mouth like a fish as he then shook his head, "I wasn't going to say that. But this is a great house, Nicky."
"I'm sure you wouldn't have said a word, you're a true gentleman. And thank you," he said as he patted Oliver on the arm, "Joe and I only have this house and a house in Malta with our old aliases,"
"Don't start talking to him about Malta. You'll scar him," I warned Nicky as we were all walking together up to the front doors. Joe placing his phone in his pocket as he was now fishing out the key.
"Where's Nile and Andy?" Nicky asked.
"They're on a quick supply run back in town," Joe replied as he finally got his key out, "I told them to grab some alcohol while they're out and about. Nile told me too that Andy was going to show her one of the watering holes that we showed her when we bought the place,"
"Okay, first of all, not fair," I said in a huff, Joe and Nicky chuckled as Joe was unlocking the front door, "Second of all, and I will say it again: you two have a lot of explaining to do about this place. This is literally heaven on earth and you have yet to tell me!"
"Oh, Sorella…we'll have time for that," Joe said to me as he pushed the doors wide open for us.