Summer, 1983 (I'll call you by mine)

My funny Valentine...

No one moved except for tears running down cheeks. Oliver had brought Chapman down and laid him in front of the fire. Bach sniffed and nudge Chapman's lifeless form, he began to whine. He was trying to wake his companion, the one who calmly put up with him. Elio finally sat down next to Bach and began to pet him, trying to calm the heartbroken dog. Chris got down on the floor and did what he and his old friend always had done. He wrapped his arm around the old dog and whispered to him.

"You were such a good boy. My protector, I will miss you." Tears ran down his cheeks even faster. Soon everyone was on the floor comforting each other.

"I remember when I used to be afraid of the dark and he would sleep under the covers with me. But he also ate my goldfish so he had his flaws." Jona stifled back more tears as he wiped away the tears running off his nose. "He cheated death so many times that I think we all thought he was going to live forever."

All the children laid their heads on him, patting Chapman like they had done when he would have his chemo treatments. This family had never mourned a loss like this. When the vet came to take him away to be cremated they all held onto him afraid to let him go.

Chapman was bought as a gift, but he was a member of this family. Oliver had picked up a puppy and was almost out the door until he saw this little golden ball of fluff that was laying on his back in the corner of the display snoring away. He walked over and made a little kissing noise and the little dog shot up. There was something about his face that Oliver couldn't let go of. He looked at the dog that he held in his arms and this dog didn't have that look, even now Oliver didn't know what kind of dog it was. But he walked out of there with the little golden fluff ball and today he carried Chapman for the last time.

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The drive was silent other than the gravel and snowmaking way for the tires. Elio came to a creeping halt in front of Marzia's home. She heard him pull up, Marzia watched as Elio prepared himself, he had already been through so much today. She walked toward the car, he gave her his unsure smile as he opened the door getting out.

"We can do this another day Elio." Marzia's soothing french lilt had always made him smile as it had faded over the years.

"I'm fine Marzia, if we don't do this now we will never get the courage again to do it." Elio said kissing her cheek. He could see she was terrified, just as he was but he hid it better. "Does she suspect anything, do you think?"

"No, I don't think she does. Valentina knows that we always have dinners together, so when she said she had found this amazing recipe I told her to come over and make it for us. It would give her something to do while Aurora was with her dad for the weekend."

"How is that still going? When I asked her the other day when she was over she just shrugged and said she was ok." Elio asked as he leaned against the car.

"I honestly think she's better than what we give her credit for. He was holding her back and she knew it, you know she can't hide what she's feeling."

"Yeah, I wonder where she gets that from?" Elio's smug smile made Marzia lightly swat him with her phone.

"Shall we?" Marzia asked as she gave Elio her arm.

"We shall."

As they walked into the house Elio noticed even more changes. Since Luca's death, Marzia had changed everything in the house, all the way down the light fixtures. The house smelled amazing, he made his way to the kitchen and there stood Valentina. She had her dark curly hair pulled on top of her head, flour was covering her apron as she looked up to see Elio he could see she had a bit on her cheek and nose. Her green eyes lite up when she sees him, dropping her spoon she envelopes him with a hug. He always cherished these, never really wanting her to let go. When she was a teenager, he saw himself a little more in her but as an adult, it was a little more pronounced. She was laid back but driven.