This is a new story in the Hearts of Gold series featuring Abbacchio and my OC Carmen. If you haven't read any of the others, I would suggest at least reading Iron and Roses before this one for context.

Please note that there will be sensitive topics discussed in this fic as a part of the main storyline, but I will put specific warnings on chapters that need them. This is going to be a rough one, but I promise there will be a happy ending when all is said and done so please bear with me.


After the Rain

A JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Fanfic

(Hearts of Gold Verse) After finding out Carmen is pregnant, Abbacchio is both elated and nervous at the idea of having a child of his own blood, but sometimes tragedy strikes when you least expect it, and all you can do is pick up the pieces once the dust settles.

Chapter One

Carmen rolled over into the warm spot her husband had left in the bed, squinting at the clock on the bedside table. She groaned and tucked her face into the pillow when she saw it was already time to get up.

Footsteps padded across the carpeted floor and Leone leaned over the bed to press his lips softly to her forehead.

"How are you feeling today?" he asked.

Carmen looked up to see the tint of concern in his eyes and smiled. "Not any worse," she told him, trying to sound reassuring.

His brow furrowed but Carmen pushed herself up reluctantly and kissed the crease between his eyes to smooth it out. "Don't worry about me, it's just a little bug or something. It's not even that bad."

Leone hummed. "Still, I'll take care of Rose this morning. You just take it easy."

He headed to the closet to grab his clothes and Carmen sighed before slipping into the bathroom.

Truthfully, she hadn't been feeling her best recently, and it was more than that—she had a certain suspicion about why she was feeling this way that was honestly terrifying.

Unfortunately, just the act of moving upright seemed to set her stomach off that morning and soon enough she was bent over the toilet again.

"Carmen!" Leone hurried into the bathroom, holding her hair back and wrapping an arm around her for support. Carmen leaned against him miserably, getting her breath back as she tried to calm her stomach.

"Dammit," Leone murmured as he pressed his wrist to her cheek. "You still don't have a fever or anything, but…"

Carmen shook her head and pulled away from him slightly to stand on shaky legs, flushing the toilet. "Like I said, probably just ate something that disagreed with me. I just need to sleep it off."

She brushed her teeth quickly and crawled back into bed.

"Let me know if you need anything," Leone told her quietly as he tucked the blankets around her. "Just get some rest."

Tears pricked Carmen's eyes. Her husband was too good to her. Part of her still felt like she didn't deserve him in her life. But how would he feel if her suspicions were confirmed?

She lay curled in bed for a little while after Leone left, trying to quell the nausea that was welling inside of her, both from her own worries and otherwise.

She hadn't thought too much about it when her period was late last month, had honestly not even noticed at first, having been so busy helping Maria with the new baby, but as one week stretched into two, now entering the third, she couldn't exactly call it late anymore. And now this, the nausea and dizziness—which is how it had started with Rose too—had all but confirmed her suspicions.

After a while Carmen couldn't lay in bed any longer. She had to talk to someone. So, she got up and dressed in comfortable clothes and headed down to the living room where she found Maria folding a basket full of baby clothes as Mariolina cooed happily on a blanket nearby.

She looked up in surprise to see Carmen there. "Oh, Carmen, I thought you would be resting. Leone said you still weren't feeling well."

Carmen sank down on the couch next to her, clasping her hands in her lap. "Maria, can I talk to you?"

Maria looked up at her, green eyes pools of concern. "Of course, Is something wrong?"

Carmen wrung her hands in her lap, trying to find the strength to even say it out loud before she finally just ripped the band-aid off and blurted, "I think I'm pregnant."

Maria's eyebrows shot up with sudden recognition. "Oh? Well, that would probably account for how you've been feeling recently, of course..."

Carmen hugged herself, glancing out the large French doors off of the living room that led to the backyard where Leone and Bruno, along with Narancia and Trish, seemed to be taking a break to play with the kids out in the garden—a nice lazy Saturday that Giorno had insisted they start having for the sake of family time. Normally Carmen would be packing a picnic but she was just left in such a turmoil today.

She couldn't help it anymore and started crying.

"Oh, honey." Maria stopped her task of folding clothes and wrapped her arms around Carmen. "You don't have to worry."

"I know, I just…" Carmen sniffed and Maria hurriedly grabbed a tissue box. "Last time it was just such a horrible experience…"

"Carmen, it's not going to be like last time," Maria told her firmly, gripping her hands. "You have a support system now, we'll all be here for you, just like you've all been here for me while I was pregnant." She rose and picked Mariolina up from her blankets, placing her into her playpen. "Let me make you a cup of ginger tea for your stomach."

Carmen was soon curled into the corner of the couch, holding the warm mug as Maria patted her arm gently.

"If you want, I'll grab some pregnancy tests for you when I'm out today," Maria told her.

Carmen nodded gratefully, wiping her eyes again. "I don't…I don't know how to tell Leone."

Maria's brow furrowed. "Why not? Were the two of you waiting?"

Carmen shook her head. "No. Honestly, we haven't really talked about it, and I guess that's why I'm worried. He gets along with Rose so well and she adores him—I never could have hoped for a better father for her than Leone. But…what will adding another baby to the mix be like?"

Maria gave her a thoughtful look. "I worried about the same thing when I was pregnant with Mariolina—and then, of course, there was the whole her being a Stand user thing which I think threw me for enough of a loop that I didn't really have time to worry about the dynamic anymore. But Bruno and I always knew we wanted a big family."

"It suits you," Carmen told her with a small smile. "Me, I don't know."

"I think you're a wonderful mother," Maria told her sincerely.

"But I don't know if I'm ready to be a wonderful mother to two children! What if I start to favor one over the other?" That was her real fear, she realized, that she would start to cherish the child her dear Leone had given her more than Rose. Thinking of the precious little girl like that even in theory made her nauseous all over again, but what if she started showing an unconscious bias?

Maria took her hand and squeezed it. "I promise you that when you hold your new baby that will never be a concern to you. Parenthood is not spreading the love you have between your children, it's growing new love every time another comes into your life."

Carmen's eyes got wet again as she looked out the window, hearing the muffled, joyful screams of the toddlers as they ran away from Leone who was playing the monster that day, catching Rose up in his arms and blowing a raspberry on her plump little cheek. She shrieked a giggle as Bruno grabbed Paolo and pointed toward them. "Quick! You have to save Princess Rose from the evil beast!"

The sight warmed Carmen's heart and allowed a little more courage to form inside of her.

Maria smiled fondly at the sight of their husbands actually getting some time to enjoy being fathers and not solely being mafiosi for the day. "Leone is a good man, and something tells me he'll be nothing but thrilled to hear your news."

Carmen wiped her eyes. "You're right. I'm stupid."

"You're not, it's a big change, and I can understand your hesitation," Maria said kindly. "But just remember it's not like last time. You don't have to feel guilty, you don't have to worry about the possibility of finding your new baby a home—they'll have one right here."

Carmen started crying again, this time in relief, and Maria hugged her tightly.

"God, I just wish I could stop crying," Carmen sniffed, rubbing her eyes again.

Maria laughed. "Oh, trust me, I know. I was such a blubbery mess at first with Paolo."

Carmen sighed. "You'll keep this a secret for now, won't you?"

Maria nodded. "Of course. Wait for the right time to tell Leone, and let me know if you need anything else."

"Thank you. Really. I don't know what I would do without all of you." And now she was getting overly sappy too.

Maria patted her hand. "We're all a family here; we take care of each other."

Carmen nodded, again, extremely grateful she had somehow been blessed to find herself part of this strange family.


Several days and several pregnancy tests later to make sure she wasn't mistaken and Carmen was working up the courage to tell her husband the news. Honestly, she didn't know why it terrified her so much. There was no way it would be worse than when she'd had to tell Lucien when she'd gotten pregnant with Rose. She knew Leone would be supportive, she was just afraid she would be able to see past whatever exterior he put up for her to—what? Doubt? Fear? Or, worse, disinterest. She didn't know why her mind had to be so cruel to her. Leone had been the one to insist he wanted equal partnership in Rose's upbringing, referred to her as his daughter. Carmen suspected she was just projecting her own doubts more than anything.

Nevertheless, she couldn't stand to be left with these fears up in the air any longer. No matter the outcome, she had to tell Leone before he inevitably came to suspect for himself and then would want to know why she hadn't told him before.

The opportunity presented itself as they lay in bed one rainy night, the sound of the heavy drops hitting the roof a soothing symphony in the dark. Carmen's head was on Leone's chest, listening to the familiar beat of his heart as he ran his hand soothingly across her lower back.

"Been feeling better the last couple days?" he asked.

Carmen froze slightly while tracing patterns across his toned stomach, soothing scars—some of which she still didn't know the origin one. "Yeah, a bit," she replied. Tell him her inner self insisted.

"Leone," she said quietly, distracting herself by running her fingernails through the trail of silver hair below his navel. "I—I need to tell you something."

Leone propped himself up on one elbow, turning toward her. He was beautiful in the dark, mussed silver hair illuminated by the scant moonlight from the window, his angular face softened without his usual dark makeup.

"What is it?" he asked, obvious trepidation in his voice, thumb still soothing circles against her ribs.

"I didn't catch a stomach bug," Carmen told him quickly. "I'm actually…" she exhaled, "…pregnant."

Leone's eyes widened in the dark, frozen. "What?"

"I'm pregnant, Leone," Carmen repeated, voice shaking.

"Pregnant," Leone repeated in a whisper as if in disbelief. "Our baby."

A strangled sob escaped Carmen's throat. "Yes, our baby, idiot! Why would you—"

But there was no judgement on Leone's face. Her husband's eyes were still wide as saucers as he seemed to be processing the news, but a smile was spreading across his lips even as he pulled her in, stopping her words with his mouth. Carmen sank against him and returned the kiss, relief flooding through her.

"Pregnant," Leone murmured as he pulled away briefly before kissing her face. "God, you terrified me. The way you were acting, I thought you had bad news."

Carmen gave a wet laugh, trapping his face between her hands. "You're excited?"

Leone gave her an incredulous look. "Of course, bella! I get to be here for this one!"

Carmen pulled him in for a kiss this time. "I love you so much," she said, tears dripping down her cheeks as she smiled.

Leone wiped the tears away, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he reached down to slip a hand under her shirt, settling his warm palm against her stomach. "You were worried I wouldn't be happy?" he asked with a furrowed brow.

Carmen reached up to scrub her eyes before threading her fingers through Leone's hair. "I'm an idiot."

"No, mi amore," Leone told her with another deep kiss. "You're beautiful, I love you. I love you so much. I can't wait to have a child with you."

Carmen flushed happily and basked under the attentions of her husband who made sure to thoroughly disperse her fears and insecurities that night in the moonlight.