The Devil Within 6 - (JoJo, Diavolo!SI)

The Una Family was a rich and founding merchant group within Tuscany. Once known as the 'Second Medici' due to their influence that failed short of acquiring them leadership over Florence, they were nowadays a great conglomerate that handled several farming-based businesses.

Their strawberries were known as the sweetest, and I have to admit the claim was not ill-placed from what I could test out myself back in my youth when Donatella tended to give me some on the weekends. And as I got invited by her to the heart of this stronghold of agricultural titans, I found myself mesmerized by the artistic outlook adopted by her manor. While it wasn't as bizarre as other locations in Jojo, the tasteful use of flamboyant-wearing butlers and maids combined with the house fairly eccentric aesthetics made me wonder how much effort had been put to render this place so surreal and yet so pleasant to the gaze.

Usually I disliked major fashion affairs due to how hurtful they were to the eye, but I found myself at ease in Donatella's home. I remember how many times she would lament the 'dull and old' style her manor had, and it appeared to me that she had gone out of her way to change this perspective the very moment she owed the house. Her parents were still alive as far as I knew, but her father had retired due to heart problems, and he had left the businesses to his daughter. Donatella was thus the head of the Una family legally-speaking, and I guess she saw this opportunity to invite me as a way to get another thing she loathed out of the way: getting me back in her life- no, intheirlife.

It all became even clearer to me as I found them both. Donatella was wearing a nice black dress with blue details. Not too revealing, but enough of an eye-catching dress to get many eyes on her. And, if it wasn't her, then her baby girl. The little toddler happily nuzzling against her mother's chest, the pinkette wearing a nice dark-pink onesie with a white little towel attached around her neck. She was chewing on a pacifier, looking aloof as she ignored all guests... until she found me approaching. It was only then that I noticed how green her eyes were. Like mine.

She fussed a bit, trying to get her mother to turn her so she could see me better. But all it did was to alert Donatella as I got close enough. She had been chatting with a few guests before taking notice of my presence. I saw her blue eyes shine with delight, yet she was irked that it all happened while she was distracted. Oh, I could already hear the many groans and facepalms unfolding over her mind as she finally freed herself of her distractions.

"Signor Vino."

She greeted me with such a humorous voice, that I felt entitled to play along.

"Signorina Una."

"I have heard you made quite the rise compared to your previous efforts. You visited Africa, and then Sicily, and now...?"

"I am a self-made man with a knack for construction," I assured confidently because, and this isn't a lie, I still worked as a builder. I wasn't making all of the money through that, but Palermo, Catania, Messina, and Trapani had not expanded in the last few years because some random deity dropped premade constructions around. It was a necessity meant to further push aside any legal attempt to look into my private accounting. "And I have heard you have shown your worth by doubling the family business' income in less than two months. Congratulations."

She smirked, yet it was so curt that it felt a bit forced. "I have also heard rumors. I wish to believe that someone like you wouldn't be involved with questionable people."

"Sometimes you have to. Not to satisfy their whims, but to go around and, ultimately take over to make things right."

I had suspected she knew what really made me powerful. After all, my company was still limited to Sicily and yet my name was sang all over the peninsula and politicians of all sorts looked for my support in potential elections or drafted legislation. That being said, she would have not invited me if she found it horrendous enough to push me aside.

"And you have cleaned the house. Have you heard the news? No more drugs."

"A victory for democracy," I remarked, my face a bit tight in trying to keep my composure. People were looking at us, not for what we were talking about but... the fact we were so close. And the fact I looked like the baby in her hold. "But let us not digress on those serious things... how about you introduce me to this adorable little angel?"

To my surprise, Donatella rolled her eyes at my words. I thought it was about the sudden shift of topic but-

"This little one is the furthest thing from an angel. Her name is Trish," The woman remarked quietly, looking down and patting the child's head. Little Trish hadn't stopped looking at me, her hands reaching for me as if she knew who I was, and Donatella took notice of this. Soon her blue eyes lifted to met mine. "Would you like to hold her?"

I felt tensing up, knowing how important that was. How big of a question it truly was. After all, how can I hold my daughter if Italy wasn't safe? If Passione wasn't on top? If I couldn't give her a life away from pain and fear?

And yet, despite feeling a bit nervous so suddenly, I felt myself... ready. And I nodded.

"I would like to."

She beamed, and soon, with utter caution, I was holding the toddler in my own arms. She was such a light thing, so fragile, and yet so active as she patted at my chest, a joyoys look on her face as I smiled back at her. One may think this was a moment that lasted briefly, for the party to go back to me waiting for us to be alone for good. But Donatella had still her cheeky humor to her, and she decided that 'her arms were tired', leaving me to hold little Trish for the entire party as she mingled with other guests. To be fair, this wasn't truly a punishment for me.

I was with... with my own daughter. And what a beautiful daughter at that! I was a bit nervous on the last words Donatella gave me before deserting us, but Trish behaved nicely through these few hours. She enjoyed tugging at my long hair or squeeze at my hand as I raised one so she could palm it back, her wide jubilant gaze fueling me through the entire evening. Although I had some frustration. It wasn't aimed at either Donatella or Trish, but the guests themselves. Most of those were rich entitled bastards that saw me as a rat that got lucky. It didn't help that Trish just looked like me, and I expected them to raise a fuss through the papers on I was the father...

And then I would have to hurt them for trying to make such a lovely fact a reason to annoy my family. I was fine with them keeping those as rumors, but I was going to skullfuck them for thinking they could use it to hurt either Donatella or Trish. Or both.

The party still left me fairly exhausted. Donatella was equally tired as she had to talk with lots of people before closing it all. As dinnertime approached, it was just me, her and little Trish. And I was invited to stay over. I had to make a call to let my security details I would spend the night over at the Una Manor, soon freed for a full day from my chores as a boss.

The dinner was homely. To my relief, Donatella had a small table which made us all feel quite close. I felt like she was further hinting to what she had yet to say, trying to convince us both of what was to come. And I was most calm around this place. Trish finally became a little devil by spilling her baby food around, and I got 'hired' to help her clean up. She was very stubborn, but ultimately Donatella blessed me with clues on how to handle such a fiery kid.

By the time the meal was over, the toddler was tired and ready to go to bed. And I felt like I had gone through a marathon. One would think that Donatella would have made me sleep in the guest room but-

"Are you truly that surprised we are sleeping together?"

We were both clothed, with Donatella cuddling up with me under some covers as the little crib holding a sleeping pinkette.

"I am not," I admitted. "Just surprised by how you are so... beautiful."

"Liar, you are confused by something, and guilty too, Davi," She hummed truthfully, eyes piercing through my mask. "Speak, please, I want to hear you."

I sighed. "I... I am happy. I just wasn't expect you to be so open to meet with me. All between me being what I am now and... the fact I left you to handle motherhood alone."

Her eyes softened, and she hummed while nuzzling onto my neck. "I admit that I was a bit... upset for a time. My parents were beyond reason when they learned I came back pregnant. They wanted the baby gone but, of course, I couldn't let her go. I fought with them, promised, bargained, and ultimately Trish was born. It was intense, and yet I loved what came out of me. Of us. My dad loves his granddaughter too, and soon the pain and fear was over... and I also had time to think about how you were not to blame. I told you that the pill would have kept me from pregnancies, and you left for your own decision without knowing. How could you have known?"

Meta-knowledge. And Epitaph. But I didn't tell her that. She didn't need to know that just yet. Not now that we were both so sore and tired.

"I just feel like I owe you. For all you went through for three years, if not earlier because I wasn't..." I felt drowning in some self-loathing I had kept away until now. "I wasn't there to hold your hands, to tell you that it would have been fine. That- that I could have been there and- and that I could have-"

Her fingers reached and closed my lips. And I paused as she didn't answer outright. No, Donatella looked at me, studying my face and then moving her digits to my hair.

"Do you intend to keep it long?"

"...I wouldn't mind that."

"Well, you need to take care of it better," She pointed out. "It's darker in color than how I remember it. You definitely need a professional to tend to this pink mane of yours."

A smile worked its way to my lips. "And here I hoped you would have volunteered."

"And ruin your already ruined hair?" Donatella shot back, her mirthful grin further mellowing me. "Still, I wanted to ask you a few questions. I don't hold it against you that you are... you are part of the Mafia. But I have to know the man I want to marry, I need to know who is Trish's daddy."

...

"Ask me anything you wish to know. And I will answer you without hesitation."

The night that came was long and full of interesting topics. Nothing ruined the suave mood as Donatella never once strayed from me, always keeping by my side with a fond look. It felt like it used to be back in Sardinia, that long dream that was ours to remember, was now back for us to nurture as a bright future for us three.

...

And then, as I should have expected, the Speedwagon Foundation took steps to investigate the presence of the Arrows in Italy. But where I thought my knowledge could have blessed me with the chance to handle that single Stardust Crusader-

I was truly shocked to find out that someone else had survived the Egypt mess itself.

AN

Well, what were you expecting? You removed some of the villains from DIO's henchmen, that is bound to make some ripples. And big ones at that.