Chapter 92
After hearing from his son and having a moment to talk, though the moment was all too brief, Jacob turned back to normal and went right home where was just getting up for the day and making a quick breakfast for when Jacob came home. When he stepped inside, he went to the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Renesmee's waist.
"Our boys made it through," Jacob said, whispering in her ear.
"They did?" Renesmee said, feeling such relief. "They're all okay?"
"Not a scratch on a one of them," Jacob promised. Technically, a few had gotten starches and what not, but that wasn't important. What was important was that they were all alive. "Kevin and Nathan changed to vampires for the whole battle. Basically acted as shields for the others but they still needed to be faster than the bullets."
"Are they alright?" Renesmee asked, not referring to any physical ailment.
"They're really shook up," Jacob said. "At least most of them are. Kevin and Embry knew what to expect more or less from the Great War, so they were less shocked. The others are another story. None of them had ever seen those things first hand. It really bothered them."
"Not a sane man or woman alive that doesn't bother," Renesmee muttered, vivid memories entering her mind again. "To see it from the sidelines is hard enough. To see them when they're taken to the medical tents in gurneys. By then, they would stop screaming until the doctors started working on them. To be in the line of fire…watching it happen…" Renesmee trembled as flashes of the Civil War sprang in her head.
"They'll get through this, Renesmee," Jacob promised. "It'll be over soon. It's like Jae had told Natalie: now that we've invaded through France, it's just a matter of time before they fall. The Germans are being attacked on three different Fronts now. They can only fight for so long."
"I still hate this," Renesmee said. "I hate waking up every morning scared you'll tell me one of our sons is dead or someone from the army coming to inform us themselves or getting a letter in the mail telling us one of them died in the line of action."
"I know," Jacob said and started rocking Renesmee back at forth in a soothing motion. He kissed her head and kept rocking. "They'll be home soon, Renesmee. Those boys are some of the strongest of the pack. They'll get through this."
Renesmee didn't say anything. Rather, she turned in Jacob's arms and held him close desperately needing the comfort. Embry Sr. had much the same conversation with Caevia. The news that, evidently, there was a Thunderbird in their midst did nothing to sooth her nerves. Since the invasion, Ada María was not in greater spirits. She was relieved Nathan was alright. Yet now, they were in the snake pit. This was it. He was really off to fight now.
"Are you alright?" Tamara asked Ada María one morning while she was making coffee and Scarlet was playing with the baby with Ariel.
"Why do you ask?" Ada María said.
"You've seemed shook up since we heard about the invasion. Nathan made it through okay."
"I know he did," Ada María said. "I'm relieved."
"Then why are you forlorn?"
"Because one day he might not be," she answered and stopped grinding the coffee beans. She stayed composed, but couldn't fight the trembling. "I might never see him again."
"Don't say that, Ada María. Don't even think it," Tamara said.
"How can I not? The last thing he remembers before leaving was me with another man." Ada María held her head down as she mumbled. "I can't stand that I might never be able to tell him I'm sorry and how much I love him. I'm scared Ariel will never meet his father."
"Stop that," Tamara said sternly and moved closer placing a hand on Ada María's. "Nathan will get through this. You have to believe that. Don't let yourself assume the worst. Nathan will come back. They will ALL come back. We need to believe that." Ada María was silent and Tamara rubbed her back in comfort. From the other room, Scarlet saw the exchange, even overheard a lot of it, and sighed. She looked at Ariel who appeared somber. Apparently he'd overheard the whole thing too.
"Don't let your mother worry you," Scarlet was quick to say. "She's just speaking out of fear. Daddy will get home alive and you'll finally get to meet him."
"Really?" Ariel said, looking up at Scarlet with scared eyes.
"I know he will," Scarlet smiled and reached a free hand over to touch Ariel's cheek while holding Ivory. "You just wait and see, Ariel. When daddy gets home, You'll love him. He and I saw the world together after my mom died. I'll bet when daddy gets home, if you ask him really nice, he'll take us on that little adventure as a family."
Ariel finally smiled. "Do you really think so?"
"I know so," Scarlet smiled. "And you remember to be strong for your mom. She's scared, so you need to remind her that will get through this."
Ariel nodded, "I will." Scarlet smiled and hugged the boy. Ada María noticed the exchange and sighed without saying a word. Later that night, Ada María tucked Ariel into bed and was about to go to bed herself when she was stopped.
"Ada," Scarlet's voice came from down the hall. Ada María turned to face her. "Do you mind if we talk a moment?" Ada María nodded and waited as Scarlet approached her. She walked past into the bedroom to the balcony where Ada María followed her. Once they were outside breathing in the June air, there was a moment of silence.
"What did you want to speak about?" Ada María asked.
"It's about what you and Tamara were talking about earlier," Scarlet said. She didn't continue initially.
"Thank you for what you said to Ariel," Ada María spoke up. "I don't want him acting like a scared child the way I am."
"It's only natural to worry," Scarlet said. "Listen, Ada, I think it's about time you and I put our differences aside for good and just call it truce."
"Pardon?" Ada María said, a little surprised.
"I know you love daddy," Scarlet said. "And daddy loves you. I've been stubborn and even cruel at times because I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready for daddy to move on. I wasn't ready for someone else to step into the family that way."
"I would never try to be your mother, Scarlet," Ada María said.
"I know that," Scarlet said. "I wouldn't want you to. But us fighting has done nothing but upset daddy and put a wedge between us. The two of you will have enough to talk about when he gets home. Us being at odds is the last thing either of you need."
"I appreciate that, Scarlet," Ada María said. Scarlet reached out her hand to Ada María.
"Truce?"
With a light smile, Ada María accepted Scarlet's and they shook. "Truce."
After the invasion at Normandy, the men were given their new orders. The British had their own vantage point with the town of Caen while America set its sights at St. Lô after they'd liberated Cherbourg. However, there was a problem with getting there: the Hedgerows. It was like a maze. A maze the Nazi forces had trained in for months if not years. They knew the place in and out. The Americans did not and their attempts to fight were strained. Several men would end up running right into the line of fire. Companies would get separated in the confusion of the maze and the German forces took advantage of that weakness. June 18th, they had no choice but to retreat and regroup so they could think of a new plan of attack. The loss was felt with just a hint of a sting given British and Canadian forces had taken Caen within days. American forces were forced to retreat, regroup and come up with a better plan of attack. Back in Italy since the victory at D-Day and since the taking of Rome, Kyle was able to enjoy a semblance of calm again. It wouldn't last long he knew. It never did, but he would enjoy it while it lasted.
He could see, when he'd seen it for himself, why Evalina loved Rome so much. It was like stepping through time. The city appeared its age and managed to do so with grace. Within Rome sat Vatican City, seat of the Catholic church. When he was able, Kyle went to visit and paid his respects. He was joined by a few others of Catholic rearing. While he wandered Rome, he suddenly missed Evalina more than ever. He'd missed her every day since they parted and her letters had offered little more than a glimpse of her. He wanted desperately to see her again and in Rome. When he returned to the base to the doctor's quarters, as if he'd known, Karenin was perched on the bed with a little note. It wasn't a better, but a note. Kyle went over to the bird and accepted the note which read simply.
Meet me at the Coliseum Sunday at Noon.
Evalina
Kyle wore a broad smile when he saw the note. He glanced at his calendar. He had two days until Sunday. He'd make arrangements to have that day free. Kyle went to grab some paper and a pencil to write his response. Once written, he folded the tiny note and handed it to Karenin. He grabbed the note in his beak and flew away in the blink of an eye. Once the bird flew away, Kyle left the base again to set out on a little errand. Not an hour later, Karenin arrived back to Volterra and stayed in flight until he zeroed in on Evalina. She was alone outside the city walls basking in the sun near a fig tree. She had a big basket full of figs she planned to bring to Rome. She remembered Kyle mentioning he'd developed a taste for figs. She picked some slightly firmer ones that she knew would be perfectly ripe by Sunday. She heard the gentle flapping of wings and saw Karenin swoop down with a little note. She smiled and took it, petting Karenin's head.
"Is Kyle okay? Is he safe?" she asked and Karenin hopped twice to answer yes. "Good," she smiled. She finally unfolded the note and smiled at Kyle's graceful handwriting.
I look forward to seeing you again.
I love you.
Kyle
Evalina sighed and held the tiny note to her chest. She felt like a teenager fawning over her first crush, yet it was far more than that. She wished she could have a picture of him but she knew it wasn't possible. She'd have nowhere to put it and she didn't want to risk anyone finding it. She had to content herself remembering him. She wanted to do something else special for him. Her last attempts to cook for him had been an unfortunate failure despite his desperate reassurances that he'd loved it. He didn't know it, but she noticed him covering the ravioli with parmesan cheese. She'd not said anything because she knew she'd screwed it up. This time, she was determined to make something good! The question was what should she make? And she'd have to figure out where to make these foods. Sure, there was a house the Volturi owned in Rome, but she needed to leave the morning she was to meet Kyle and by the time she arrived in Rome, she wouldn't have time to bake before meeting him. She couldn't very well ask their receptionist either. She was a lovely lady and Evalina had no doubt the woman would gladly agree to help her, but it was too likely Aro would find out. She'd need to think of something else.
With the large basket of figs on her hip, Evalina returned into town with Karenin close by. She walked along the cobblestone streets of the city trying to think of something she could do. Her first thought was a bakery. Perhaps she could pay the baker to help her. She'd pay for the batch and just ask to be the one to make it with some guidance. Of course, there was a chance they'd say no if only because it was such an odd request. Eventually she happened upon a bakery in town that, as far as she knew, was famous for their wedding cookies and tiramisu. Figuring it was worth a shot, Evalina walked into the bakery and took in the smell. It was a sweet smell filling the room with fruits, sugar, coffee, chocolate, cream and nuts. There was a display of cannoli made fresh that morning and cookies on display that were decorated with a sugar glaze or some kind of sprinkles.
"How can I help you this morning, miss?" a voice came and Evalina looked up to see a young woman behind the counter. Behind that young woman on the shelf were two pictures. One of an older man, the other of a younger man, in their Italian Army uniforms.
"I hope so," Evalina said and smiled. "You see," she started as she was about to mention Kyle, but she needed to tread lightly. "I want to send something to my boyfriend. He's in the army you see and I miss him terribly."
The woman went slightly somber, but nodded and continued to smile. "I know the feeling. Just let me know what you'd like and I'll create a little care box for him."
"Actually, I was hoping to make it myself," Evalina said.
"I'm sorry miss, but we don't sell very many raw ingredients. Everything's already made."
"Oh, no, I know," Evalina said and walked over to a table to put down the basket of figs. "I'm embarrassed to admit I don't know how to bake and….I don't know a mother or family member that can teach me. Last I'd attempted to make him something, it was Ravioli and I used sugar instead of salt."
"How on earth did you mix up the two?" the woman asked. "Didn't you taste it?"
"I…" Evalina had to think. She couldn't very well tell the woman she didn't like the taste of food and never consumed it. "I followed the recipe exactly and hadn't felt a need. I didn't realize I'd used sugar until he tasted it and said it was sweet." The woman still looked in disbelief over the story.
"Just so I'm clear then," the woman said, "you're asking me to use my supplies and my kitchen to teach you how to bake?"
"I'll reimburse you for the trouble," Evalina said.
"It's not so much a matter of reimbursing me so much as wondering how you won the man in the first place if you can't cook," she said and Evalina's lip went into a thin line.
"Look, I can pay you for the supplies and I'll even pay you for the inconvenience. Can I please just have some assistance?"
"Alright, alright," the woman sighed and held up her hands a bit. "I close shop at four, so come back then and we'll whip something up. Okay?"
"Thank you Miss…"
"Margarita," she said. "Just call me Margarita. And you are?"
"You can call me Evie," Evalina smiled. "I look forward to seeing you after four."
Evalina grabbed her basket of figs and left the shop feeling relieved. She had time before the shop closed, so Evalina went back to the castle with the figs. She secreted them away in the kitchen and returned above ground to the upper floors. She wanted to pick an outfit. She was simply giddy. As she went up the stairs, Dimitri was coming down the stairs.
"I was wondering when you were getting back," Dimitri said. "You've been going outside a lot lately. You're not trying to avoid us are you?" he teased with a smile.
"Don't be silly, grandpa," Evalina smiled and hugged Dimitri. "I've just been enjoying the sunshine lately."
"I would prefer you not go so far outside the walls, though," Dimitri said. "I know we haven't had near as many problems as other parts of the country, but just for safety's sake you should stay within the walls."
"You worry too much, Grandpa," Evalina smiled. "I'll be just fine. By the way, where's mom and daddy?"
"The game room," Dimitri said. "Your mother is anyway. I assume Dante's with her."
"I'll poke in on them later then," Evalina said as she stepped away to go back up the stairs.
She reached her room towards the top of the tower where all the half breeds in the coven slept and went right to the little dresser she had. She looked through all her dresses and suddenly hated each and every one. She gently pushed aside the heaping stack of letters she'd amassed in her dresser drawer for safe keeping, trying to see if, perhaps, she'd accidently pushed a few dresses towards the back of the drawer. But all her dresses were so plain. Yet if she wore something too fancy, she'd look ridiculous. She closed her drawer and snuck over to her parents' room hoping that perhaps Amadora's clothing selection were of better quality.
"Evalina, what are you doing?" a voice came and made her jump and look at her mother standing in the doorway minutes after she'd started rummaging through the drawers.
"I….just wanted to burrow one of your dresses is all," Evalina said. "I'm sorry for not asking first, but grandpa said you and daddy were in the game room and I didn't want to bother you."
"What dress did you want to burrow? I'll help you look for it."
"The….." Evalina tried desperately to think of which dress she'd want to burrow, but she was drawing a blank. Upon going through Amadora's drawer, she found she wasn't in love with any of her mother's dresses either. "Isn't that terrible? I can't remember suddenly."
Amadora looked at Evalina strangely and started to approach. She took her dresses back and began folding them back up and getting them rearranged in their drawer. Then she opened the other drawer down with more dresses.
"Check in here. You'll remember once you see it I'm sure," Amadora said with a smile. "Just make sure to ask me first before burrowing something. You know I won't mind letting you wear one of my dresses."
"Okay, mom," Evalina smiled back and started looking through the second drawer.
She was having near the same luck as before until she found one dress that caught her attention. It wasn't red, but it was a burgundy color. It looked a lot like her grandma Heidi's hair. The dress was a sundress with thick straps over the shoulders with no additional sleeves on it. The top of the dress curved downward slightly only able to reveal a touch of skin from the clavicle and the dress would synch in at the waist. Having decided on the dress, Evalina closed the drawer and returned to her room with it and got the rose broach Kyle had given her to one of the shoulder straps of the dress. With her outfit picked, Evalina laid in bed and continued reading Anna Karenina. She'd made it to book eight at long last and, even after having read it so many times, it had her at the edge of her seat. Metaphorically speaking. She made sure to keep an eye on the clock and when it was approaching four, she saved her place in her book and started going down the stairs. She made sure to collect enough money to pay for the food and for Margarita's assistance in baking. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Dante was there.
"Where are you off to?"
"I'm just going out for a bit," Evalina said. "I spent the last few hours reading and I want to go out and stretch my legs a little."
"You've been going out and about a lot these days. I don't know if your grandpa spoke with you, but it really would be better if you stayed within city walls. Just for your safety."
"I will, daddy, don't worry," Evalina said. She walked passed Dante and gave him a kiss on the cheek before hurrying away. Evalina made the walk back to the bakery from earlier and let herself into the shop just as Margarita was flipping the sign in the window to show as closing.
"There you are," Margarita said. "So what is it specifically you wanted to make?"
"Well, he really likes those cookies coffee shops sell."
"The anginettes?"
"Yes," Evalina said. "And he really likes tiramisu."
"I'd suggest sending the cookies," Margarita said. "How many to you want to make?"
"How many do you make for a standard batch?"
"I usually make 200 every morning."
"Alright, then that's how many we'll make." Evalina pulled out the money she'd brought and handed it over to Margarita who became rather stunned with the wad of cash. "Does that cover it?"
"Sure," she said muttered and then went to the back to put that money away. Evalina followed but waited at the entrance of the large stone kitchen. When Margarita returned, she waved for Evalina to come over. "Wash your hands first and we'll get started."
Evalina did as instructed and washed her hands before going to Margarita's side. She pulled out a recipe for a standard batch of cookies and explained they would be multiplying that recipe by two so they could get roughly 200 cookies. Given the story she'd been told of Evalina's previous experience, she practically ordered Evalina to touch and taste the salt and sugar so she could know the difference between the two. Evalina followed the recipe from there with little interference from Margarita expect, perhaps, if Evalina miss-measured. After making up the batter, Evalina felt rather proud of herself. Using two spoons, Margarita showed Evalina how to measure the right amount of batter and shape it using the two spoons and onto a pan getting ready to bake. The baking process took all of 2 ½ hours and she stayed another hour waiting for all the cookies to cool and t ice them with a lemon glaze. Margarita tasted a cookie and made Evalina taste one too. Sadly, she couldn't appreciate it but Margarita appeared pleased.
"They turned out very good," Margarita said. "I'm sure that brave soldier of yours will love to receive them as a reminder of home."
"Thank you for all your help," Evalina smiled. "And thank you for being so patient with me."
"You weren't a terrible cook," Margarita smiled. "You just need to start paying attention and tasting your food."
"Thanks all the same," Evalina said. "Kyle with love these."
"Is that is name?" Margarita said. Evalina was relieved she didn't seem to be bothered by the decidedly non-Italian name.
"Yes," Evalina answered.
"How long has it been since you two saw one another?" Margarita asked.
"It's been a long time," Evalina answered briefly. "We write each other all the time, so I have comfort knowing he's safe. He's a doctor."
"A noble profession," Margarita said. "My father owned this bakery when he was alive. After his death, my husband would have inherited the bakery and we would run it together." Margarita was quiet.
"Are they both…"
"Yes," Margarita said. "My father volunteered and my husband was drafted. My father was killed near the beginning of the war and my husband died in North Africa. When I heard, I'd feared I would have no choice but to hand over the shop, but I found out my husband had gotten a will and named me his beneficiary if anything happened to him. So the bakery will stay with me."
"I'm so sorry," Evalina said.
"I've cried my tears," Margarita said. "I just keep the bakery running like father would have wanted. I'll remarry one day. But not for a long time. Alejandro was….." she breathed in and appeared sorrowful. "No one will be him."
"I know the feeling," Evalina said, thinking of Kyle right away. Perhaps most would argue it couldn't be possible to love anyone so much after such a brief time, but she did. "Kyle's a wonderful man. I can't wait for the war to be over. I don't know what will happen after, but we'll figure something out."
"Has he promised to marry you?"
"No," Evalina said. "I would say yes if he asked, though."
"Do you think he will when he returns home?"
"If he will, I hope it'll be before the end of the war," Evalina said.
"How long have you two known one another?"
"Not very long," Evalina admitted. "We met over this past Christmas."
"I see," Margarita said. "So is he from Volterra?"
"No," Evalina said.
"Hmm," Margarita hummed. "Do you think he'd be willing to marry you? Where's he from specifically?"
"West of here," Evalina said. "I'd follow him anywhere, though."
"Well," Margarita said and started arranging the cookies in several boxes. "If you love him and you think he'll be good for you and to you, then that's a good answer." She pushed over the large box of cookies. "He'll love those. You let him know you made those and he'll send you a proposal as response."
Evalina grinned and accepted the box, "Thank you again, Margarita." Evalina carried the box with her about to leave, but then looked back at her. "I don't suppose…..I don't suppose you would mind teaching me a few more recipes? The cookies will likely butter him us, but knowing how to cook a home cooked meal for him after a hard day at work might seal the deal."
Margarita giggled, "Alright, I'll teach you a few recipes. I live in the apartment above this building, so just come over whenever you're in the mood to learn a new recipe."
"Thank you, Margarita." Evalina looked at her a moment. "I'll pop in again next week."
"I'll look forward to seeing you," Margarita said in response and Evalina left the shop and returned to the castle sneaking in closer to the kitchen to put the cookies with the figs.
She was relieved when no one questioned her about her 'afternoon stroll'. She'd just need to tell her Grandpa Dimitri she was planning to travel a bit again so he'd not say anything about going south. Of course, chances were Dimitri would be less than willing to cooperate given he and Dante had just lectured her about not leaving the walls of the city. She sighed heavily to herself when she remembered that, suddenly desperately wishing she had her father's gift. She'd have to think of an excuse. A reasonable excuse. But there really wasn't one. Rome was, technically, a warzone. But then, Naples had been and she'd gotten away with going there. Although it had been a holiday as her excuse. She had no excuse this time. She got up to her room, all the while frying her brain trying to think of any possible excuse. "I just want to go" wasn't going to be an accepted excuse. Though it might end up being the only excuse she had.
Saturday evening before her date with Kyle came and she'd still not thought of a reasonable excuse. She went to the game room still thinking about it when she saw the portrait in the game room of Vatican City. That's it! It was the perfect excuse and certainly a perfect explanation for the food in the kitchen. In truth, of the vampires of the Volturi guard, Afton was the only religious one. The others were of pagan cultures or, in the case of Jane and Alec, their memories of human life were too fuzzy to hold on to such devotions. But when Amadora was born, he'd insisted his daughter be baptized as Catholic. Amadora had done to same ensuring that Alphonse and Evalina were both baptized as Catholic. And every year, they all went to Rome as a family and they always attended Christmas Mass. It wasn't Christmas obviously, but she could easily say she just wanted to go to Vatican City. She'd reason with Grandpa Dimitri that she'd be safe when visiting there because it was a holy place. No army in the right mind would dare attack Vatican City, she'd explain. She just wanted to pay her respects and bring gifts to the priests.
With a plan of action in mind, Evalina returned to her room and got herself ready for bed ensuring she got a good night sleep. She put in her curlers to ensure her hair would be perfect and endured the discomfort of sleeping in the curlers. She woke up the next morning at the break of dawn getting her out of the curlers and fluffing the curls so they were perfect. She cleaned up, got dressed in the dress she'd burrowed from her mother with the broach Kyle had bought her on her shoulder and ran from her room to the kitchen to retrieve the cookies and figs. She'd feared she'd have to locate Dimitri, but as she came up the stairs from the kitchen, he was in the stairwell.
"Something special planned for today?" Dimitri asked.
"Yes, actually," Evalina smiled. "Now, grandpa, I want you to listen. I know you and daddy asked me to stay within the city, but I wanted to run to Vatican City today."
"Absolutely not," Dimitri said.
"But grandpa," Evalina said, starting to pout just a little, knowing how to get the man to bend to her will. "They've been under occupation so long. I haven't gone in so long and it's only dutiful to pay my respects to the Vatican and bring them some gifts."
"Gifts?"
"Yes," Evalina said and presented them. "I picked some figs the other day and I bought these little anginettes. I've heard wonderful things about them and I'm sure the Priests would greatly appreciate the kind gesture. I promise, I'll be back by tomorrow."
Dimitri looked at her a moment and finally groaned, "Fine."
"Thank you, grandpa," Evalina smiled and went back up the stairs but turned and bent down to give him a kiss on the cheek before running off.
It was a bright, sunny morning by the time Evalina left the castle and left the city. She took great care to avoid any form of military be they Axis or Allied. She managed to reach Rome just in time, running through the streets she knew so well yet hadn't seen in years. Upon entering Rome and taking it in, she nearly cried from missing it. She'd nearly forgotten how much she loved being in Rome. It reminded her of some of her favorite childhood memories. She especially remembered a time when Chelsea had taken Evalina and her brother into the walls of the Coliseum and told them about the Gladiator fights that were held there once upon a time. She talked of Romans lining out the doors betting on gladiators trying to determine who would win a match, stories of flooding the arena and seeing battles as though they were really at sea. She spoke fondly of the sport as a person today might speak of soccer. It was part of the reason she'd asked Kyle to meet her at the Coliseum. It was one of her favorite spots almost due entirely to Chelsea's stories. She reached the Coliseum, broken down and, yet, somehow standing as a titan stuck in time.
She was a little early, so she looked up at the structure and tried to picture what her Grandma Chelsea had remembered. She remembered the stories and how they'd all come here as a family on Christmas right after Mass. Eventually, she sensed someone approaching her and realized who it was before turning to face him. When she did, Kyle was there in his best uniform as always. He smiled at her and Evalina put down the basket and box so she could run to his side. They embraced one another under the shadow of the Coliseum and shared a passionate kiss for several minutes. Even after they weren't kissing any longer, they still held one another for several minutes.
"I missed you," Kyle said.
"I missed you too," Evalina said. "How are you? The taking of Rome went well I see."
"It was a hard fight, but we finally won," Kyle said and lifted his head so he could rest against Evalina's. "The battle, anyway. We've still got a lot more fighting ahead."
"Well, that's not what today is about," Evalina said and stepped away to grab the basket of figs and box of cookies. "I picked the figs for you just the other day. They should be nice and warm from the sun. And," after Kyle had accepted the basket, Evalina held the big box forward. "I made you Anginettes."
"You made me cookies?" Kyle asked.
"I had some help this time," Evalina said. "She promised they were very good when they were done. Oh, and she's agreed to help me get better at cooking too! So she'll teach me a few recipes."
"Who's 'she'?" Kyle asked as he accepted the box and opened it to see the little white cookies with the sugar glaze on top. They even had the pretty sprinkles.
"Her name's Margarita. She owns a bakery in Volterra and she was kind enough to agree to help me make cookies."
"You didn't tell her they were for an American, did you?" Kyle joked a little.
"No, I didn't specify. I told her you were a soldier and that we'd met in December and were sending letters to one another."
"Nothing unusual about that," Kyle said with a kind smile and balanced to box on one arm so he could take one of the cookies for a taste. "It tastes slightly different than the cookies the café sells."
"Do you not like them?" Evalina asked nervously.
"No, I love them," Kyle said with a smile and Evalina breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm so happy you like them. Margarita said the traditional recipe is to use almond extract and that's what she uses, but some shops might use vanilla instead."
"And you used almond?" Kyle asked and Evalina nodded. "I really like it with almond. It has more depth. Did you add more lemon?"
"I think for the recipe we used the zest of at least six or seven lemons," Evalina said.
"I can tell. It comes through really nice," Kyle said and ate another cookie.
"You really like them?" Evalina asked eagerly. Kyle grinned and walked over to her and kissed her.
"I love them," Kyle said. Then he chuckled a little. "You know, Kevin's fiancé makes these mushrooms tarts. He had told her before part of their marriage agreement would involve those being made frequently. I think I may have to suggest such an agreement with these cookies."
Evalina blushed and giggled, kissing him back, "So it's true. All a woman ever need do to win a husband is feed him."
Kyle chuckled, "I'd love you even without the cookies. These are just a nice treat." Her blush deepened at his loving words while he ate another cookie. "I'll have to guard these with my life once I get back."
"There are plenty in there, so if a few men want some, it couldn't hurt," Evalina said.
"They can't have any," Kyle answered stubbornly and kissed her again. She returned his kiss with a sigh and placed her hands on his chest. After their kiss, she looked up at him with a smile.
"I don't suppose we could go to Vatican City?" Evalina said. If she didn't go and Dimitri figured it out, she'd face a bit of trouble. Better to get in taken care of now. "It's been so long since I've gone."
"Mass is over by now, but I'm sure they'll welcome visitors," Kyle said and took her hand while holding the basket of figs and box of cookies in his other arm.
They arrived together at Vatican City and mostly just wandered around taking in the sites together. Evalina had seen the City State millions of times her life. She practically had the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel committed to memory. For Kyle, on the other hand, he was seeing it through fresh eyes and he found the expanse and richness of the holy place rather overwhelming. He'd not gotten to meet the Pope as a many other soldiers had following the Liberation of Rome, but he'd heard good things of the encounter with Pope Pius XII. Even during the entirety of the German occupation, Vatican City had remained neutral and untouched by the Germans while offering humanitarian work to those in need. In truth, Pope Pius had been an undeniably effective spiritual leader in these harsh times, standing up to what he'd considered unchristianly behaviors while managing neutrality. As a result, Vatican City was much the same as the rest of Rome: a journey into the past. Unashamed of its age. Rather, embracing it as a badge of honor.
"You used to come here every year for Christmas?" Kyle asked.
"Before the war," Evalina nodded. "It's been too long, but even after all this time, I still remember every detail of this place. It really broke Grandpa Afton's heart to not be able to come. He's a rather devout Catholic. Grandma Chelsea even converted to Catholicism and they married under a Catholic ceremony."
"I never realized a vampire would be so devout. My grandpa Edward is Catholic, yes, but he's certainly not devout. Insistent on baptisms perhaps, but that was the extent."
"Your grandpa's English is he not? I'd think him to be Protestant."
"His cousin Carlisle is," Kyle said. "His father was a Protestant Pastor and Carlisle, when he was human, used to hunt vampires. That's how he was changed in the first place. Once he'd changed and gotten control of his thirst, he made the decision to practice medicine."
"What about your grandpa? What was his profession during his human years?"
"A farmer," Kyle said. "I think it was Brighton where he was born and he'd been son to a farmer. He and Carlisle are rather distant cousins, but they are related. My grandpa and his family fell ill and this happened to be after Carlisle was changed. Both of my great grandparents were dead, so Carlisle saved my grandpa's life by making him a vampire."
"When was all this?"
"I think it was during King James's reign if my memory serves me right," Kyle said. "They didn't go to American right away. First they'd traveled Europe together."
"Carlisle had been with the Volturi for a time had he not?" Evalina said.
"I think so," Kyle said. "I just don't know when or really why. I'm sure Aro was upset to lose my grandpa seeing as he had a rather desirable gift, but he let them both go when they'd decided to leave."
"Aro can already read minds," Evalina said. "While your grandpa's gift would have certainly made things easier for him, it's a gift he could live without I suppose. As far as I'm aware, he has his heart set on a woman in your family's coven named Alice."
"Aunt Alice? Well, given her gift, I suppose that's understandable," Kyle said.
"She can tell the future right?"
"To an extent," Kyle said. "She's not able to tell your future if you're anything but human or a vampire. She can't tell my mother's future since she's half human and half vampire, she can't tell my father's future or any of our futures because of the wolf spirit and she can't tell mine or my siblings' futures because we're a little of all three."
"I suppose that makes it rather limited," Evalina said. "Though I'm sure he'd still love for her to join despite those. It's still invaluable."
"She'd never go, though," Kyle said. "None of my family would. There's a lot of bad blood there I'm afraid."
"I'd never ask you to stay with the Volturi," Evalina promised. "I know how it feels to be like a canary cooped up in a cage. Sure I can leave the castle and I can travel from time to time, though the war's put quite a damper on that freedom, but I'm never truly free. Grandpa Dimitri always knows where I can and could find me if I tried to run off and at any time Aro can take my hand and read every thought I've had. I feel like a prisoner most times."
"Would he ever let you leave?" Kyle asked. He looked at her while she stared up at the ceiling of the Sistine. Her eyes encountered a scene from Genesis in which Adam and Eve were tempted by the forbidden fruit and then cast from the Garden of Eden. Then she looked forward towards the altar and the large scale painting behind it depicting earth and up to heaven.
"I don't need his permission to leave," Evalina said in a determined voice and then looked up at Kyle smiling. "I can leave if I choose. Aro may put up an argument, but if I decide to leave, that's my choice. He's let others leave before. Why not me? It's not as though I have a gift he considers invaluable. I've nothing to offer." There was a brief silence between them.
"Evalina?"
"Yes, Kyle?" she asked.
"This war will end soon," Kyle said. "Now that the we've invaded through France, Germany won't be able to fight much longer."
"I hope that's true," Evalina said.
"The reason I bring it up is…." Kyle started, but stopped. This wasn't the place. "Is there a place you're staying? Might we go there?"
"We have a home here," Evalina nodded. "I don't have the key, though. Aro keeps all the keys to the properties, so if you ever want to use one, you need to ask him first for the key."
"So you're only staying for the day?" Kyle asked, forlorn.
"I'm afraid so," Evalina said just as sad. "I'll come back next I can, but daddy and my grandpa were rather adamant I not leave in the first place. And if I tried to ask Aro for the keys to the estate here in Rome, he'd demand to read my thoughts."
"I see," Kyle said. "Do you think he'll be less likely to let you leave if he knew about me?"
"Probably," Evalina said. "Like you said, the Cullens and Volturi have bad blood between them."
A brief moment of silence passed between them. "We'll go somewhere else, then," Kyle determined and the two left Vatican City and returned to Rome proper.
They walked around the city for a while looking for somewhere more private. Evalina suggested they return to the coliseum and sneak in and go to one of the higher seats. So they went back to the Coliseum and snuck in until they reached the near top of the theatre overlooking the ancient ruins. When they found a place where Kyle felt sure they were alone, he put down the basket and box of food and sat on the stone seating. Evalina sat beside him and took his arm in hers affectionately. He pulled his arm up so he could take her hand in his and lace his fingers through hers.
"Now what was it you wanted to discuss?" Evalina asked.
"It's about what happens after the war," Kyle said. Evalina stayed silent while Kyle seemed to try to collect his thoughts. "It was my hope that, once this is all over, you might come back to America with me."
"You want me to go back to America with you?" Evalina asked.
"Yeah," Kyle said with a timid smile. "I know it hasn't been very long but…I explained to you that I belong to a tribe in which some of us can become wolves but I never explained what that entails with regards to us."
"And what does that entail?" Evalina asked.
"There's something we do that's called 'imprinting'. Chief Taha Aki was the first to imprint and even now we know so little about it. What it means is the wolf has found its life mate. It a love that's felt instantly. How that love is expressed depends entirely on the woman imprinted upon. There have been wolves in our tribe that have imprinted on very young children for example. In those cases, the love is purely platonic. It doesn't become romantic until the imprint is ready. Although, regardless of the imprint's age, the wolf is what she needs him to be. It's an unconditional love."
"So you loved me from the beginning?" Evalina asked.
"Yes," Kyle said. "I loved you the moment I saw you staring out at sea and I'd looked into your eyes. My only fear since our meeting has been the fear that we'd part ways after the war was ended and I'd never see you again. That's why I'm hoping you'll come back to American with me."
"What would we do after returning to America?" Evalina asked tentatively.
"We'd get married," Kyle said with a smile. "Assuming you'll have me." Then, Kyle reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a box. He'd worked on this tirelessly, but when it was finished, he knew she'd love it. "In my tribe, a marriage proposal is made with a bracelet," he continued and then opened the box.
He'd managed to get some materials from a jeweler and from a church. He'd obtained another rose brooch, this one having an onyx backing with the rose carved and made red. There had been two others that were smaller with green vines that he'd attached to the main piece using clasps. Then he'd used the smallest prayer beads he could get and made the band of the bracelet with them, all tight and close together into about an inch worth of prayer beads with the green vines atop them in the center of the rows, but the former brooch was the center piece, the sharp needle having been removed from the back and covered up with a locket cover for comfort.
"Oh, Kyle," Evalina muttered in shock when she saw the bracelet. She felt tears beginning to form in her eyes as he took the bracelet from the box and placed it on her wrist, but did not fasten it.
"Evalina, when this war is finally over, will you come back to America with me? And Marry me?"
It all felt so fast. Perhaps too fast for most. She felt like Juliette, madly in love with Romeo, a man she'd met such a short time ago after he'd serenaded her outside her windowsill. Yet despite the void of logic of the situation the two of them were faced with, she had not other answer than the one she gave.
"Yes," Evalina said as a lone tear fell. Kyle's smile warmed her heart all the more as he clasped the bracelet and took her in his arms to hug and kiss her.
Kyle lifted Evalina into his arms so she was sitting on his lap while they kissed. It was so quiet in the Coliseum save for the two of them and perhaps a bird or two in the background. After kissing for several minutes, they finally parted and just hugged one another. Kyle rocked them back and forth with Evalina in his arms and looked at her.
"In my people's tradition," Kyle said, "we hold weddings on the beach and our marriage officially starts when we light the bonfire together. My mother, as Healer of the tribe, tells us what night we need to marry on to ensure greatest prosperity and happiness. That'll be our Quileute wedding."
"Are you open to a Catholic wedding as well?" Evalina asked and Kyle grinned.
"I was about to suggest it," Kyle said and kissed her. "We'll make those arrangements once we know what moon we need to marry under. Or," Kyle began but knew this might not be as welcomed a suggestion, "we can have a Catholic wedding sooner. Perhaps while we're here in Italy. That way you'll be an American citizen." Evalina seemed slightly hesitant. "If you don't want to do that, we don't have to."
"It's not that," Evalina said in a low tone. She was contemplating. If she married without the family, they'd be furious. More appropriately, they'd be heartbroken. But if she asked their blessing to marry Kyle, they'd face a whole other can of worms. Kyle waited patiently, not letting himself read her thoughts. "I want to marry as soon as possible," she said. "But we won't have a ceremony just yet. If we did…..daddy would be so upset. He'd want to be there to give me away. My grandparents and my mother and brother would want to be there."
"I can always obtain a marriage license for us to sign. It makes our marriage official and we can have our ceremonies at a later date."
Evalina thought about it a moment longer. "Do…..do you suppose I can have time to think about it? I want to marry you. Really I do. But marrying so soon?"
"Evie," Kyle said softly so she would look up at him again. "If you're worried about ensuring your family is there, then we'd have to tell them of course. That would mean Aro finds out. I don't know the man except in hearsay. So I won't attempt to contemplate what he might say. Normally, in my tribe, when a man asks to marry a woman, he must win the father's approval. I will gladly meet your parents if that will put your mind at ease. In fact, we should probably all meet before we entertain any wedding plans."
"What if they don't approve?" Evalina asked.
"Then I try to prove I'm worthy until they say yes," Kyle said with a gentle smile. Evalina smiled back and rested her head against his shoulder. "Take all the time you need, Evie. If you want me to get a marriage license, I'll get one right away. If you want to wait until after the war, then we'll go to America together like we plan and have a big Catholic wedding and Quileute wedding with everyone there. We'll light a unity candle at the church and the bonfire at the beach."
Evalina sighed, "I want my family there," she finally said. "I want daddy to walk me down the aisle to you in a big beautiful church. Oh, Kyle, if only we could have our Catholic ceremony here in Rome. Oh, Kyle, we could get married at Vatican City!"
"Sounds extravagant," Kyle chuckled.
"Oh, it is," Evalina sighed just a little, but it didn't damper her spirit. "Or perhaps we could have a ceremony here in the Coliseum."
"Perhaps the church would be more appropriate," Kyle laughed a little more. "Might I suggest something?"
"Of course," Evalina said.
"I'm going to go out on a limb and guess arranging a wedding at Vatican City requires booking well in advance. So what do you saw we find out when we're having our Quileute ceremony and we'll plan accordingly. We'll have the wedding back home first and then we'll get married at Vatican City shortly after. That can be family only. Afterwards, you and I will spend a few weeks here in Rome. Just the two of us."
"That sounds wonderful," Evalina smiled and gave Kyle a kiss. "Oh, Kyle, I'm so excited! When we marry, I want you in your uniform. And while we're here for our honeymoon, we need to go to Naples. It's where we met after all." Kyle smiled back down at her and then glanced at her bracelet he'd made her. "Maybe we could even have a wedding in December."
"A December wedding outside in Washington would be nothing short of miserable I'm sorry to say," Kyle chuckled a little. "One year you and I will come here for Christmas."
"At least once we have children," Evalina said. She looked up at Kyle not expecting his smile to have depleted. "Is everything alright?"
"Everything's fine," Kyle said. "I guess now's the time I admit I'm not ready for kids yet."
"Do you not want children at all?"
"Not now," Kyle said. "I still have so many things I want to do. Truthfully, had I not met you, I'd have remained unmarried for another forty years I imagine," he attempted to joke. "We can have children someday. Just….not yet."
"When's 'someday'?" Evalina asked.
Kyle was silent momentarily until he smiled an awkward, crooked smile and said, "After I've gotten a hospital opened on Tribal Grounds?"
"And how long will that take?" Evalina asked.
"I'm not sure," Kyle said. "It'll take as long as it takes I guess." Evalina's look of mild irritation was not lost on Kyle. "It's a bit of a life goal of mine."
"And you think if we start a family right away that you'll never accomplish that goal?"
"It's not that I don't think I'll accomplish it," Kyle said. "I just know if we have children, it'll hinder us financially and it'll slow things down. I've taken too long to do this enough as it is."
Evalina sighed after a moment of silence and eventually smiled, "Alright. If you want to wait, we'll wait."
Kyle smiled back, "Thank you, Evie."
"We have time. It's not as though we're aging. But," she said firmly, "the moment that hospital is open and operational, we start trying. I think that's more than fair."
"Thank you for understanding," Kyle said and gave her a kiss.
"And I name our children," Evalina said.
"Only if it's a boy," Kyle said. "If we have a girl, I want to name her after you."
"Evalina?" she asked, seemed less than impressed.
"I was thinking Evalynn," Kyle said. That name seemed to appeal far more so to Evalina.
"Evalynn," she repeated the name and smiled wider. "That's beautiful. I think I'll be rather jealous of our daughter."
"Did you have something in mind for a boy?"
"Caleb," Evalina said without hesitation. "I've always been very fond of that name."
Kyle grinned and kissed her. "Well, it may be a while before we have kids, but at least they have names."
"That's the important thing, right?" Evalina joked and the two of them laughed before sharing another kiss.
"So it's settled," Kyle said. "After the war, we'll start planning that wedding at Vatican City and try to make sure it coincides more or less with our Quileute wedding."
"Can I make one more request?" Evalina asked and Kyle nodded. "When we get married, I want you in your uniform. I like you in your uniform."
"Alright," Kyle chuckled. "I'll make sure I'm in my uniform."
"And I'll wear a beautiful dress. I want Ivory."
"I have a niece named Ivory," Kyle said.
"How many nieces do you have?"
"I have three nieces. One is at least sixteen by now. One is….shit, how old is Nesia?" Kyle asked himself and tried to think. "I think she's five or six now."
"You don't know how old your niece is? For shame, Kyle," Evalina teased.
"They grow like weeds anyway. It's hard to keep up," Kyle said. "My youngest niece is a going to be three this year. She's the one named Ivory."
"She can be our flower girl," Evalina smiled.
"It might a tall order getting her here to Rome," Kyle said. "She lives in Las Vegas with her mother."
"I thought you all lived in Washington."
"We do," Kyle said. "Tamara doesn't. That's Ivory's mother. Long story short, Nathan and Tamara slept together on his way home to join the army and he got her pregnant."
"Oh," Evalina said. "Perhaps Nesia won't be too old to be our flower girl when the time comes."
"Unless this war continues longer than another year, I'm sure she'll still be the right age," Kyle said. "It'll be far easier to get her here too."
"Then we'll ask her first," Evalina smiled and rested her head against Kyle's shoulder. "What's Washington like?"
"It rains a lot," Kyle said. "It's very green with lots of mountains. The tribe is situated right on the coast. I'll send my family word that we're engaged and they'll build a house for us."
"Really?"
"Yeah," Kyle said. "Any style in particular I should request?"
"Hmm," Evalina thought. "Stone to be sure," she said. "Something with a warm color, like brick."
"I'm sure they could arrange that," Kyle said.
"And I want a variety of colors in the house too," Evalina said. "And a fireplace! In the same room as the piano."
"You want a piano?" Kyle chuckled. "I'm not very good at playing."
"Oh, stop, yes you are," Evalina said. "We'll have a big bookcase in there too. I want that to open up to a patio. One looking out on the ocean."
"Alright," Kyle said.
"And three bedrooms. A master suite for us and two rooms for our children."
"You want two?"
"I think that's a reasonable number," Evalina smiled. "And a big kitchen and dining room so we can host family gatherings."
"You certainly dream big," Kyle teased.
"Isn't that what the American Dream's all about?"
Kyle laughed and kissed her head. "Yeah, I guess it is."
"And I want pictures of Italy around the house," she said. "I'll be happy wherever so long as I'm with you, but I'll miss it here. Especially Rome. Truthfully, I don't know why the Volturi don't have their base here in Rome. It just seems so much more suitable. I'll want our wedding pictures everywhere too. Family pictures, a big family portrait in the drawing room right above the fireplace."
"Would you like a title with that mansion?" Kyle said with a hint of flippancy but in good humor.
"Just Mrs. Black," Evalina smiled up at him. Kyle softened and smiled genuinely at her.
"I can make that happen," Kyle said and kissed her. He was content to kiss her the remainder of their time together, but she pulled away as she appeared to have a brainstorm.
"Oh, Kyle, and a big staircase! We can hang all our wedding pictures there and we'll do it in order of the year. Our wedding pictures will be at the bottom of the stairs and then family pictures, our children's pictures. And wood! What kind of wood is native to your region? We can make all our furniture from that!"
Kyle sat patiently and let her talk, imagining their dream home and trying his best to make note of everything. The more she talked, the more she seemed to be replicating the Volturi house in Naples. While she talked, Kyle nibbled away at the figs and cookies. He needed the food to keep his head from spinning. Oh yes, Alice would adore Evalina and neither Kyle nor Jasper would know a moment's piece once the two met. By the time she was done, Kyle was surprised he didn't have physical blueprints.
"Does that cover everything?" Kyle said when she was quiet a full minute.
"Unless there's something I missed."
"No, no, you didn't miss anything," Kyle hurried to say. He glanced at his watch to check the time. It was three in the morning back home, so Kyle would be able to catch his father while all this was fresh in his mind. "I'll change to a wolf and tell everyone back home we're engaged."
"Oh, good, I've been wanting to see you turn into a wolf," Evalina said and got off his lap so she could sit beside him. Kyle looked around to ensure they were alone and when he was sure, he stood up and began to remove his uniform. He noticed Evalina start to blush a little and it made him chuckle. He folded his clothes and changed before her eyes to a wolf and she yelped just a little. While she stared at Kyle, Jacob and any other pack members that were out filled his head and his thoughts filled theirs.
Jesus Christ. Would she like marble walls and everything lined in gold? Grae said.
Quiet Grae, Jacob said. Your mother will be happy to hear you're engaged.
I bet she will be,Kyle said. Can you let Grandpa Edward know everything she talked about while it's still fresh in my mind?
Are you sure you haven't forgotten about the horse drawn princess carriage?Henry heckled.
That's enough,Jacob muttered. I'll leave out the part about you two waiting a while to have kids when I talk to your mother.
Dad, I'm getting married. One checked box on mom's list at a time,Kyle said. Jacob ran for the Cullen house while Kyle remained a wolf and Evalina started petting him.
Well, Taraq said, If she must be so high maintenance at least she's pretty to make up for it. Jacob growled on Kyle's behalf. He made it to the Cullen house so Edward could read their thoughts and hear the rundown.
"You're right, Kyle," Edward said to Jacob and, by virtue, Kyle. "She and Alice will get along infuriatingly."
"What are you talking about?" Alice asked.
"Your nephew's engaged to that Italian woman he met in Naples."
"The one belonging to the Volturi guard?" Jasper asked hesitantly. "Is this really a good idea?"
"Doesn't matter," Edward said. "She's his imprint. You know the drill where that's concerned. Kyle promised as a wedding present we would make them a house and she has some rather, let's say, detailed requests."
"We should start planning right away, then," Esme smiled.
"She'll want a Catholic ceremony and she really wants it in Vatican City."
"I think we'd have an easier time arranging a wedding at Versailles," Carlisle said.
"We'll just have to look into it," Edward said. "I'm sure we can make it happen."
Having overheard and told everything he'd needed to, Kyle said goodnight to Jacob and changed back while Evalina had been touching his furry face. She was surprised when he'd changed back and even jumped just a bit when it happened. Kyle smiled at her and took Evalina into his arms with one knee up so she could sit.
"They're happy to hear about you and they'll work on that house," Kyle said.
"When we finally meet, do you think they'll like me?"
"They'll love you," Kyle promised and kissed her. He let go of her so he could put back on his uniform. As he did so, he looked out at the sun and saw it was starting to get low in the sky. They still had a few hours before nightfall, but it was getting to be the end of the day. "How long before you have to get back?"
"I need to return to Volterra before nightfall," Evalina said sorrowfully. "I should probably leave about now." She stood up from the stone seat and went to Kyle for a hug that he reciprocated.
"When do you think I can see you again?"
"As soon as I can get away," Evalina said. "I'll send you word through Karenin when I'm able. Until then, will you still write?"
"You know I will," Kyle said and kissed her head. "Write me as soon as you get back?"
"I will," Evalina returned his smile and the two shared a loving kiss before pulling away to just hug. "And there are more than enough cookies in there so it wouldn't kill you to share," she teased.
"I'll consider it," Kyle chuckled and kissed her again.
Kyle and Evalina held onto each other for as long as they could just kissing one another. Unwilling to let go until Evalina begrudgingly said she really needed to leave. They left the Coliseum together hand in hand, Kyle kissed the hand that wore the bracelet on its wrist before they kissed each other one last time and parted ways. Later in the morning that day, Renesmee was overjoyed with the news. She agreed with Edward that trying to arrange a Catholic ceremony at Vatican City was doomed to be a nightmare, but there would be time to think about that later. After they had parted ways, Kyle returned to Vatican City before going back to the base to see if he couldn't find out what was required to arrange a wedding at Vatican City. While he'd known it would be difficult, he'd not known it would be quite so strict. Weddings were only on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 10:30 – no exceptions. And to have even a hope of getting a spot, they needed a recommendation from a Bishop from their church. That was just getting to have the wedding at all. That was to say nothing of the cost. It was enough to make his head spin and he walked away from Vatican City feeling rather dejected and certain he'd have to come up with some kind of plan B. Maybe there was another church in Rome that Evalina would like just as much?
Evalina managed to return to Volterra before sunset with apparently minutes to spare. She whistled for Karenin and, once he was in her hands, told him to wait at her windowsill so she could write her letter to Kyle for Karenin to send. She let herself into the Castle through the lowest floor and was in a bit of a daze the whole way up the stairs. She reached the library and was surprised to see everyone in there: Grandpa Dimitri and Afton, Grandma Chelsea and Heidi, her mother and father and Alphonse.
"So how was Rome?" Alphonse asked.
"Just as I remembered," Evalina smiled. "Vatican City was untouched."
"I take it they took those cookies and figs you brought them?" Afton asked.
"Yes," Evalina nodded. "And thank you for letting me go, Grandpa. Everything went fine," she said to Dimitri.
"Just don't make a habit of leaving the city limits," Dimitri said. "We're still in the middle of a war."
"You shouldn't have let her go at all," Afton grumbled. "She's not like us. She could've been hurt."
"Grandpa, don't be such a worry wart," Evalina pouted.
"I'm inclined to agree with him," Dante said. "As I recall, I'd asked you not to leave the city too."
"I know, but I really wanted to go to Rome," Evalina said. "And I got home before nightfall just like I promised."
"What did you want to go to Rome so badly for?" Dante asked. "To go to Vatican City?"
"Yes, daddy, I wanted to go to Vatican City and pay my respects. I'd like to go again sometime soon."
"No," Dimitri, Afton and Dante all said.
"And don't try smooth talking your grandpa again," Dante said. Rather irritated, Evalina looked at her mother and grandmothers, but they didn't look like they'd help.
"I'm sorry, Evalina, but I really would rather you not leave the city for the time being," Amadora said.
Evalina sighed, "Honestly, you guys, I'm not a child."
"Maybe next time she wants to go, I can go with her," Alphonse suggested in an effort to help, though it was far from ideal in Evalina's mind. "That way she at least has someone with her."
"Let me be clearer," Dante spoke up. "Until further notice, neither of you are to leave the city limits. I know you both hate being stuck here but it's for the best. I don't like it any more than either of you, but until the war's over, we need to stay here."
"Thank you, Dante," Afton said in an exasperated tone. Then he glanced at Evalina's wrist and noticed the bracelet. "Where'd you get that?"
"I bought it," Evalina was quick to say. "There was a lady selling homemade bracelets and I just fell in love with this one, so I bought it."
"And you didn't get us any?" Chelsea teased. "It's lovely if that woman made it herself."
"It is," Evalina said and sighed while looking at it. Chelsea rose a brow at the affectionate attention given. She also felt that affection.
"Any reason in particular you like it?" Chelsea asked.
"It has a rose on it," Evalina was quick to say. "I'd say that's reason enough. And the band is made out of prayer beads."
"She used prayer beads?" Afton asked, slightly put off by the prospect.
"I'd say that makes it special," Evalina defended. "Anyway, I think I'll go to bed for the night. And thank you for letting me borrow your dress, mom."
"You're welcome," Amadora said before Evalina left the library to walk upstairs. Chelsea's eyes followed her and Afton noticed but said nothing.
"Chelsea," Afton said, "Come hunting with me." The two left the castle hand in hand and went into the city with the intent of hunting, but when they'd left the walls of the city, Afton stopped Chelsea with a firm hold of her hand. "What did you look at Evalina that way for?"
"You noticed that?"
"Of course I did," Afton said. "I'd rather have this discussion away from the Castle."
"It was the way she looked at that bracelet," Chelsea said, slightly suspicious. "It was love."
"Can you elaborate?" Afton asked.
"She didn't buy it," Chelsea said. "I'm rather certain of that. Someone must have given it to her. What I felt from her was love…..it's a bond I feel with you or Dimitri with Heidi or Dante with Amadora. She's in love."
"With who?" Afton asked, feeling irritable.
"I don't know, Afton. I'm not the mind reader of the coven. Although…..I have a theory."
"And that is?"
"Naples was the first she'd left Volterra since the war broke out…it was around the time the Americans and the British had invaded Italy. Now they're in Rome. I'll bet you anything she's seeing a British or American soldier. It would certainly explain the bird. She can't very well send letters to an American or a Brit through the postal service now can she?"
"No," Afton said hesitantly. "She'd have told us."
"I wouldn't," Chelsea said and Afton returned to looking irritable. "Afton, think about it. She's a young woman in love with a member of the enemy forces during a time of war. Of course she wouldn't say anything. I certainly wouldn't."
"So….what should we do?"
"I don't know," Chelsea said with a sigh. "She's right about not being a child, Afton. She's a grown woman. She can make her own decisions."
"That's not exactly comforting," Afton said. "Should we tell Aro?"
"What would that solve?" Chelsea asked. "Honestly. What would that solve? I doubt he'd care regardless. She's not in love with a vampire. That's for sure. It's some kid from the army."
"Okay, so what do we do?" Afton asked his question again.
"Truthfully?" Chelsea asked and Afton nodded. "She's already not allowed to leave the city limits anymore. You all made that clear. So leave her be. Let her have her whirlwind romance and write her letters to this kid. There's no harm in letters. If it becomes serious, we'll all meet the kid and decide what to do from there. If not, he'll go back home and he'll be a fond memory. That's how love usually works."
"Do you think we should tell Dante and Amadora?"
"I say leave it alone," Chelsea said. "If we fight her, she'll just fight back. Nothing deludes someone into thinking they're more in love than they really are like facing opposition. This kid will become more the forbidden fruit than I'm sure she already sees him as. I can break relationships, Afton, but I can't break stubbornness. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, my love, but that stubborn streak is mostly your fault."
"I beg to differ," Afton said while Chelsea giggled.
"Don't think so much about it, Afton," Chelsea said. "Let her have her romance. If it really is just a passing fancy, it'll go away on its own. Faster if we don't interfere. If this kid's really worth something, then and only then will we deal with it. So let's just keep this to ourselves, okay?"
"Alright," Afton sighed and begrudgingly agreed.
Evalina went right to her room and found Karenin in the window just as she'd asked of him. She retrieved some paper and began writing her letter to Kyle, being sure to use the paper she'd bought that didn't have the Volturi insignia on it. When she finished her letter, she put on some lipstick and, perhaps in a moment of girlishness, applied the paint to her lips so she could kiss a corner of the letter. She secured the letter in an envelope and tied it to Karenin's back before sending him off to send her letter to Kyle. Perhaps she wouldn't be able to see him for a while, but they would have their letters at least. As she said she would, she remained within the walls of Volterra and wrote her letters in private. That did not, however, stop her from her periodic visits to Margarita's bakery. She'd be a wife soon, after all, she reasoned. She need to learn to cook.
Were it that things were so peaceful as they were within the walls of Volterra. The British and Canadian forces were keeping the Nazis occupied with the invasion of Caen which gave American forces the opportunity to plan for and go through with Operation Cobra in order to make another attempt on St. Lô. It would be an operation that would last several days with air force assistance. German forces did what they could with their limited manpower, but it was for naught. Their airstrikes in August proved costly for them and a failure, leading to Allied Forces taking Northern France. Their next goal would be Paris.
"How long before we get into Germany do you think?" Peta asked Embry when they had a moment. Kevin was questioning some German soldiers that had been taken prisoner with some help from Jae. His mood had not improved in the slightest. On the contrary, he'd started to become downright ruthless.
"I don't know," Embry said. "It'd better be soon, though. At this rate, Kevin might actually set Europe on fire."
"Germany at the very least," Peta sighed. "I actually feel bad for those sacks o' shit right about now. I wouldn't wish Kevin's recent temper on the Hitler himself."
"I would," Embry said. "Serves the bastard right. They won't last much longer. Let's just hope we find Amber sooner rather than later. Kevin's nightmares aren't improving. I guess if nothing else, they're staying rather consistent."
"It hasn't improved his mood, that's certain," Peta said.
"Just stay on Kevin's good side," Embry warned. "He's not one to be trifled with right now." There was a silence between them before Peta spoke.
"I think we may end up needing to accept we won't make it in time," Peta said.
"Hold your tongue," Embry said firmly. "We'll find her and we'll save her. We have to. I'll make sure of it."
"But what if we don't?" Peta asked.
"We're not going to entertain that as a possibility," Embry said firmly again. "Stop trying to."
"I'm just being realistic," Peta said. "I mean, how long has he been having nightmares of her just being thirsty? What if she's already–"
"Quiet," Embry said. "If she were dead, we'd know by now. So we'll keep looking. Am I clear?" Eventually, Peta nodded. "Good. No more 'trying to be realistic'. We keep looking for her until we find her. Understood?"
"Understood," Peta agreed. In the meantime, Kevin and Jae continued to question the men that had been taken prisoner, but none of them seemed any more knowledgeable about the Dymeks or their whereabouts. They did, however, get the names of a few more camps which they'd ordered them to help locate on a map.
"We have the names of a few more camps," Jae said after they'd spoken with the POWs and were rummaging through their bags for necessities. "With any luck, we can start checking them once we enter Germany."
"I hope so," Kevin said. "Keep looking through their stuff. Maybe we'll find something useful."
Just as Kevin said that, Jae opened one of the backpacks of the captured men and found a small wooden box. It didn't strike him as terribly odd until he opened the box, and what he say left him speechless and pale. Amber's bracelets. Both of them. The seashell, cuttlebone bracelet encased with white gold and orchid carved from garnet with jade leaves in yellow gold.
"Kevin," Jae barely managed to verbalize the name.
"You find–" he began but the remainder of the sentence caught in his throat when he'd seen the bracelets in that little wooden box. He closed the remaining distance and grabbed the box from Jae's hands and looked at the bracelets in horror. He felt himself go pale, he felt his heart stop, his stomach turn. Anything one could feel and he was shaking violently as though he might shift. "Find who's bag this is," Kevin finally said in a low, terrifying tone and made Jae shiver in terror. "I want to talk to him."
Frightened by the tone in Kevin's voice, let alone the violent shaking, Jae left to return to the POWs to find the source of the scent on the backpack. He walked down the group of men taking deep breaths hoping to find the source until, finally, he found it. He was a kid. A very young man that couldn't be older than 18 at best. And he looked terrified despite trying to mask it. This was him. Jae knew for sure. So he ordered the man, in German, to get to his feet and led him back to where the POWs things were being kept where Kevin waited. By the time they returned, he was still shaking and Jae had to force himself to stand his ground and not cower away in fear.
"I found him," Jae finally said and Kevin turned to face him.
The look in Kevin's eyes shook Jae to his core and he actually feared for the life of the man he held prisoner at the moment. He feared a death in the line of action would be nothing compared to what Kevin might do. Without a word, Kevin began to approach the boy and Jae felt him shake under his hand. The blood seemed to drain from his face when he saw that look on Kevin's face. Jae couldn't blame the poor kid. It had done the same to him.
"Wie hast du das bekommen?" (How did you get this?) Kevin asked the boy in a tone that made Jae's blood run cold as he showed him the bracelets.
"Was ist mit den Armbändern?" (What about the bracelets?) the boy replied. It turned out to be the wrong thing to say. He learned that the hard way when Kevin's fist made contact with the boy's nose. They both heard the resounding crack of cartilage and bone and they could smell the blood starting to flow.
"Ich wiederhole," (I repeat) Kevin hissed. "Wie hast du das bekommen?" Jae helped the boy back to his feet while he tried with his bound hands to stop the bleeding in his nose. "Es sei denn, du hast etwas anderes, du würdest mich gerne brechen, Junge, ich schlage vor, du antwortest meine feuchten
Frage." (Unless you have something else you would like me to break, boy, I suggest you answer my fucking question.)
"Mein Bruder hat sie mir geschickt," (My brother sent them to me) the boy finally said.
"Wann?" (When) Kevin asked.
"Ich weiß es nicht. Vor zwei oder drei Jahren?" (I don't know. Two or three years ago?) he answered.
"Wie hat dein Bruder diese Armbänder bekommen?" (How did your brother obtain these bracelets?)
"Ich weiß es nicht," he repeated. "Ich weiß nur, dass er sie erhalten hat, während er in Auschwitz stationiert war." (I only know he got them while he was a guard stationed at Auschwitz.)
"Auschwitz?" Kevin said.
"So she's in Poland?" Jae asked.
"I already told you," the boy protested in a thick accent. "I don't know anything about this bitch you were asking about." The ill-founded sentence was met with another punch to the boy's face, worsening the already broken state of his nose, the pain of which made the boy pass out this time and fall to the ground with a thud.
"Get that little bastard out of my face," Kevin hissed. Jae did as Kevin asked and dragged the POW back to the others to be held while Kevin stared down at Amber's bracelets. A few minutes later, Jae returned and approached hesitantly.
"If she's in Poland," Jae finally said, "It's likely the Soviets will get to her first. Do you think she'll be safe with them until we can get her?"
"We need to find her," Kevin said. "She's dangerous right now. I know she's been in the same place for a long time, but that's all I know."
"If she's in Poland, what hope do we have of getting to her first?" Jae asked and Kevin realized he didn't have an answer for that question.