Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any of it's characters, Cornelia Funke does. I own Joy, Kat, Graziano, Rosalita, Katrina, Maura, Feliciano, and Carmelo.

"What are you writing?" Kat questioned to the government man, Carmelo Colombano. He was a short man with light olive color skin, dark brown eyes, and slicked back black hair. He wore a dark grey suit with white pin stripes and black dress shoes; despite the 'fancy' clothing (Kat figured he was a 1920's gangster wanna-be), and the look of tough and determined the man was going for...He was really...Well...Pathetic.

"UH..Ah...Uh..ah...n-nothing! Nothing a-at all, m-miss," stammered Carmelo, his eyes were wide with fear.

"You don't have to be afraid of me," Kat replied, "would you like something to drink?" She questioned, she was helping Rosalita, the cook, Joy, and a few maids cook dinner for Capricorn and his black jackets.

"Th-that would be nice," Carmelo replied with a shaky smile, he went back to writing.

Good gosh and I thought I was a wuss when it came to the fear department! Kat said to herself, she opened the white fridge that held the village's drinks: beer, water, sodas, fruit juice, juice, and Mortola's own personal concoction: a lemonade-sherry. She grabbed a Coca-Cola and handed it to the man, while he popped it open she glanced down to see it was her and Cockerell's marriage license. There is no way I can get that thing when he's sober! If I ever want a husband, well a real husband, I'm gonna need to do some quick thinking here... Kat watched the man put the soda can down.

Kat went to the fridge and acted like she was getting a drink for herself, she grabbed a half drunken beer. Rosalita, an African-American-Itilian woman glanced at her, an eyebrow rising. Kat shook her head and mouthed, 'not for me, for him!' The cook nodded, shrugged, and went back to dicing celery.

"Joy 'and me dat tomato paste," Rosalita exclaimed; Kat wondered with the woman had moved from Lousiana, in America, to Italy. She figured she had her own reasons and didn't ask.

"What the heck is that?" Kat asked, pointing out the window.

"What?" everyone in the kitchen, but herself, asked. Kat quickly poured a good fourth of the beer into the soda can and swirled it around a little. I hope beer and Coca-Cola won't make some kind of deadly toxin or something that will kill him.

"I d-d-d-d-d-" Stammered Carmelo.

"We don't see anything," commented a blonde haired maid, Kat glanced to her she didn't know the girls name but she was young, maybe fifteen, maybe.

"What did you see?" Joy questioned, "if it was Mr. Folchart..."

"Um..." Kat paused, "looked like a big rat or something..."

"Oh," Joy replied, though a small hint of recognition went through her eyes. Kat scolded herself, great, obviously something looked like a rat was something that Joy knew, and seemed to be hoping for. Just peachy-keen.

"Well, that's that," Carmelo sighed as he started packing up his brief case.

"No, no, I insist you finish drinking your drink," Kat replied, handing him the soda. The man looked to her, shrugged, and walked over to a window, he watched a few black jackets talking and doing some minor repairs on Capricorn's house as he drank his Coca-Cola.

"Th-this ta-tastes a b-b-bit different," Carmelo stammered, Joy had explained to Kat that Carmelo only stammered when he was terrified or worried, leading Kat to guess the man lived his life either being terrified or worried about one thing or another.

"It bounced around a little when I handed it to you," Kat shrugged, "maybe it lost a bit of its fizz?" She she started peeling an onion, then used a sink (that strangely worked) and let hot water heat the blade up. She diced the onion a moment later, the hot knife kept the onion from sending up its smell and making her cry.

"Did I ever...Tell you about the time..." Hiccuped Carmelo a few minutes later. are you drunk?" Joy asked, walking over to him she stopped when the man hiccuped looked at her and gave a large goofy smile.

"Hey there sexy," he slurred, "how 'bout goin' with me to my place, you look like a real wiiillld ccaaa-" he hiccuped, "ttt- let me take that offensive garment off you," he hiccuped as he reached for the buttons on Joy's jacket.

"I think not!" Joy replied, stepping back, Carmelo reached out for her again, she slapped him then jumped out of the way as he collapsed to the ground passed out.

That man really cannot hold his liquor... Kat thought to herself, shaking her head.

"What's with him?" A growling cat like voice asked, Kat jumped and looked over to see Basta standing in the door way. She watched as the maids shrunk back, even Rosalita got as far away from him as she could. He ignored the maids and Rosalita and went over to Joy, he pulled her into a hug and kissed her hard and forcefully.

"He somehow got drunk," Joy replied when Basta had finished his kiss. Kat glanced over and froze, Joy had her arms around her husband, what the hell? Kat wondered, she loves him? Gotta be an act, it's gotta be an act...

Basta looked to her, "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything, why do you always blame me since I first got here?"

"Because since we brought you here you've been nothing but trouble," sneered Basta.

"Basta, she's been cooking with us," Joy replied, "and might I add she's an excellent cook at that," she smiled, she reached into the large pot on the stove with a large plastic spoon and took a small amount of the first batch of soup they had made an hour ago, they were now making their fifth batch. Joy blew on it to cool it down then let Basta sip it off, "Kat made the first batch all on her own, with instructions from Rosalita."

"Damn," Basta brothe, "that's good." He looked to Kat with a wary look, "give that to some of your husband and he'll be singing your praises for days."

Kat wanted to shout, that egotistic limping pathetic excuse for a man is NOT my husband! Instead she nodded, "thanks."

"C'mon," Basta exclaimed to Joy, "Silvertounge's kid won't eat anything, the old man is chowing down. You seem to have a way with that kid, if she isn't in good health, Capricorn will be very, very angry."

"Will you all be okay here without me?" Joy asked, Kat glanced to see Joy looking right at her. She knew that it sounded like she was asking if there would be enough cooks if one left; really she was asking Kat if she would be alright.

"We'll be fine," replied Rosalita, "that's if Kat will focus on choppin' those onions an' stop gawkin at your husband! Lourdy-Lou, Kat, you would think you have it bad for Joy's husband." She froze when she realized what she had said, she looked to Kat wide eyed.

Basta looked at Kat then gave a shudder in disgust, "whatever fantasies you have of me," he growled, "you push out of your head now."

Kat watched him pull Joy out in a hurry.

"Wow," exclaimed the blonde maid, "usually he'd be estatic if a woman had a crush on him."

"Dere is somethin' about you," Rosalita smiled, waving her spoon in Kat's direction, "you are de only woman beside that Elinor woman he don't like."

"I think I'm flattered," Kat smiled as she diced onions.

"Ya should be thankin' the good Lord above," commented Rosalita, "it is not very often Basta dislikes young an' pretty girls such as yerself now don'cha know. My suggestion would be though, since de man dislikes you so, never to be in a room with him alone. Married to another high up black jacket or not, when he sees a person he does not like he has a tendency to make them dissapear!"

"He's...Done that...Before?" Kat asked, paling.

"Oooooh! Many times, I tell you, many, many times," Rosalita exclaimed, pouring small bits of stew beef, onions, celery, and different vegetables into a pot along with the tomato-paste and a few cups of water. "Dere was once a young man named Feliciano who came to de village after runnin' away from his parents, don'cha know. He ran away simply 'cause he did not like his mother telling him he could not date a girl 'cause he was too young, he was...fourteen I think. He would constantly challenge Basta, 'my knife be shinier than yours is!' , 'I'm more loyal to Capricorn than you will ever be!' , 'I never miss a shot with my pistal!' Feliciano even went as far as too ask Capricorn for a set of keys and promise he'd do better than Basta even though he was only thirteen! One night Basta came up to Feliciano and said it was time to put this silly fight behind them."

The blonde maid tensed, "I remember seeing that, that was when I first came here I was only nine. My dad didn't want to pay Capricorn so Basta and Cockerell took me here. Since then Rosalita's been caring for me."

"Yes," Rosalita nodded, "Feliciano and Basta were standin' right out that window there!" Rosalita pointed outside, "Feliciano, bein' young, but more arrogant than ever, believed Basta, he did! 'Come to apologize to me, old man?' He asks, Basta replied saying, 'men do not apologize...They make truces. Walk with me now, and we shall make a truce! They walked into that stretch of woods over there, just at the beginning of de woods, the entire village heard Feliciano's scream we did! Basta came back smiling and wiping blood off his knife's blade onto a clean dish rag of mine!"

Kat put a hand up to her throat, "he slit his throat."

"Yes," Rosalita nodded, "oooh then there was time with another young lady much like yourself."

"There..Was?"

"Yes," Rosalita nodded, "her name was Maura, her daddy was a big-time contractor. To make sure he did what Capricorn told him on making a certain building in de village he kept his daughter here against her will. She was sixteen, very pretty, olive skin, red hair, green eyes, her daddy was itilian, her mama was Irish. Basta wanted to have his way with her, and noone ever tried ta stop him-"

"Why didn't Joy-" Kat started.

"She was not here," Rosalita replied, "yet. Joy arrived here about five or six years ago. This was about seven years ago. Maura would constantly duck from Basta and would not stop shrieking or screaming unless another black jacket walked her back to de 'cages.' One night Basta must have gone to have his way with her and she ran off into de night, he chased her, she was never seen again. If the name Maura is heard in this village though, each an' every time, Basta gets this smile over his face and slicks back his hair. Her mama and papa, from what I hear, have long since made her a gravestone, buried an empty coffin."

"She could still be alive, just hiding," Kat replied.

"Dat is what some hoped," replied Rosalita, "t'ree years ago a maid named Katrina went into de woods to gather certain herbs for me. She found Maura's skeleton, it was obvious that it was Maura's since that girl always wore a silver locket with a M on de front of it."

"Did you all give it back to the parents?" Kat asked.

"No," replied the blonde, "I know because I am Katrina." She shuddered.

"It was de last time I sent this poor girl into de woods again, I now send black jackets since they seem...More accustomed to seeing death so close," Rosalita replied with a nod.

I can believe that, Kat thought to herself with a shudder, "When did Joy arrive here?"

"Five or six years ago," replied Rosalita, "her papa is a famous geologist, Thomas Antoni, she thought he was dead, really he was taken by de black jackets. Joy's mama moved them into their new house a few miles from here, one night Basta, Flatnose, and Cockerell left to see what all de commotion was about down de road since there was a movin' van and a car and motorcycle seen. Too much life down this road," Rosalita exclaimed, shaking her head, she started getting out more vegetables for the last batch of soup. "They came back a few hours later, Basta was carryin' poor Joy in his arms, she was fast to sleep, against her own will. Flatnose was carryin' your husband, it seems someone knocked him out with a baseball bat!"

Katrina giggled, "since then he's always hated baseball bats!"

"That he has," smiled Rosalita, then frowned, "the poor girl was dressed in a long pajama shirt and short pajama shorts, in early summer those 'cages' are freezing! I had pity on the poor girl and made Basta bring him to my house and made him give me his extra set of clothes. Katrina and I changed her into Basta's clothes to keep her warm. Then de next day we learned that she was Mrs. Joy Basta, since then she has grown to be a good wife to Basta and a good friend to everyone. She will put her own neck at risk to help another, you yourself are proof of that."

"She's so brave," Kat said softly, "I wish I could be that brave..."

"You are, child!" Rosalita exclaimed, reaching across the square table she gave Kat's hand a light squeeze, "you handle these black jackets just as Joy does! You stay calm and do not cry or whine when Cockerell hugs or kisses you, and you have only been married to him a day!" Rosalita exclaimed, stepping over Carmelo.

An hour later everyone was eating, Carmelo was spending the night in an empty house he was too drunk to drive. Kat reached into her pocket and expected to find the marriage liscence she had hid in the dress pocket, she froze when she realized it was gone, she paled. She looked up and across the table Basta smirked at her and quickly held up the marriage liscence.

After dinner Cockerell wrapped his arm around Kat and led her outside, "you're stayin' with me until I'm good and ready to go to bed."

Kat nodded, "alright."

"Ever shot a cat before?" Cockerell questioned.

"No, and I have no desire to kill such an innocent creature either," replied Kat.

"Cats? Innocent!" Laughed Cockerell, "cats are not innocent, not even you, my little kitten, are innocent," he smiled looking into Kat's eyes, "Basta told me how you tried to steal our marriage liscence."

"I was ...uh..Going to frame it?"

"I think not," Cockerell frowned, he turned quickly and shot at a cat. Kat jumped and watched the cat run away unharmed.

"He's a horrible shot," laughed Flatnose as he passed Kat, "if he tried to shoot ya he'd miss even if you were standin' right in from of him!"

"Shut up or I'll shoot you!" Sneered Cockerell.

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"My men and I are going out to that village, Illene," Alexander exclaimed, holding Illene's hands in his own.

"You went out there already and your chief was there! He told you to leave!" Illene replied, her eyes shining in a mix of anger, worry, and sadness.

"My chief was there," replied Alexander, "because Murphy, that ass hole, tipped him off! Murphs been kicked off our little 'task force' here and there are no more snitches."

"How can you be so sure?"

"You just have to trust me," Alexander replied.

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Graziano walked through the lit square and snickered at seeing Kat standing beside Cockerell, Cockerell's arm was around Kat and holding her close. He knew Cockerell didn't love the wench, like Basta and the few other married black jackets, were very possessive of their wives. He had seen black jackets kill one another before just because one hit on the other's wife. He walked into his small home, "Sophia!" He called out to his daughter, his wife had died giving birth to her.

"Daddy!" Shouted Sophia as she ran into his arms and hugged him.

Graziano stood up and hugged her close, "hows my little girl? Have the maids been taking good care of you?"

"Yes," replied Sophia, "where did you go?"

"I had to go to work, like most daddys do," replied Graziano. Every black jacket was still floored by the fact such a sadistic, evil, and cruel man like Graziano could be a father, a loving one at that.

"But the other black jackets dont work," Sophia replied.

"They work, but they only work for Mr. Capricorn, I work for Mr. Capricorn and other people too, sweetie. Now have you had dinner?"

"A grilled cheese sandwich and french fries Mrs. Basta made for me," Sophia replied.

"Ah, does Joy - er - Mrs. Basta...Did she spend any time with you?"

"Yes, before Mr. Basta dragged her away again."

"Daddy will have to talk to Mr. Basta about that and about sharing his wife with you and his own son, Basta Jr.," Graziano replied, "now how about a bed time story, what story shall it be?"

"The Three Little Pigs!" Beamed Sophia.

"And in the Three Little Pigs, are you a pig or are you the wolf?"

"I'm the wolf, rooooarrrrrrrrrr!" Sophia replied.

"Yes, sweetie, you are the big, bad, wolf and one day you'll grow up to be the most beautiful girl in this village," Graziano replied, hugging her close, he grabbed the book from a shelf on the wall and sat down with Sophia in an old and battered brown chair and started reading to her.