Bambina

37

Luca nodded happily before looking back at the albums.

Sydney was playfully punching Pierre's arm while the man grumbled at him.

Gabriele looked at the pictures and then at his horror, he saw a himself as a baby.

An ugly baby.

"Oh, look... " Their father called affectionately. "It's little Gabriele turning two years old."

The said man sighed, narrowing his eyes down at the child in the picture.

Luca gasped and pointed it in excitement. "That's Gabi?"

Enzo nodded.

"He's got a sweet tooth before, Lu" Enzo informed. "He'd throw a tantrum if he doesn't get what he wants."

"In other words, he's an ungrateful little brat who throws the most nerve wracking tantrums." Achilles deadpanned.

Luca giggled. "Am I a brat, papa?"

Achilles' features softened. Of course she wasn't. Luca was a dear one when she was little. "No, little one. You were such a good little angel to everybody."

Yeah, she only cries when she's hungry, needs a diaper change or she's sleepy.

"Woah!" Sydney said when he looked at the kid. "Look out, big fat baby's here."

Gabriele gave him a withering glare that actually made Sydney cower away. "One more time and I will put a bullet into your head."

Achilles clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Boys. I said behave."

"You're talking to naughty children, sir. I believe that they won't listen well." Pierre exclaimed in amusement.

"My, my, my, Pierre." Sydney purred, moving closer to him. "D'you think that you have any rights to call me naughty? After what you did las—"

"Luca doesn't need to hear such things!" Enzo, mom made activated, said.

Gabriele rolled his eyes. "Move on to the next page, will ya?"

Luca blew him a raspberry and turned to the next page. The first thing she saw was a baby again with a cake in the middle of the table and a candle shaped as 1.

The little girl looked up at Achilles, expecting him to answer her but instead, Pierre did.

"Look, it's you, Luca!" Pierre exclaimed happily, remembering the time where Luca finally turned one.

He remembers it so clearly.

After all, he was the one who took care of her for a year. All by himself. And he was proud to be standing right next to her now.

The rest looked gloomy though. They remembered leaving her in the hands of a servant. They left her for a year. They didn't see all of her firsts too.

Luca noticed something in the picture and she frowned. "Where's everybody else?"

It was such an innocent question. It didn't mean to stab their hearts but it did. They were such idiots for leaving her alone.

At this, Pierre's smile had fallen. "Oh... "

He looked at the rest and he saw their faces hardened with regret and sorrows.

"They were in the background."

Luca tilted her head to the side. "Why?"

"B-Because... "

What should he tell her?

Because they didn't want to be a part in the picture?

They didn't want to be near her?

To be a part of that happy memory?

That will seriously break a six year old's heart!

"Because we didn't want to." Achilles answered sincerely. His hands were clenched in anger. "I'm sorry, Luca. That was taken at the time where we... "

"Where you guys hated me." Luca finishes with a knowing smile.

It was a time where they were still hurting by Maria's death. They haven't quite surpassed the five stages of grief.

Everyone, including Pierre, looked at her in shock.

How did she know?

As if reading their thoughts, Luca answered. "Papa, Enz, Gabi and Juli sometimes talk in the office and I hear it sometimes."

Pierre shook his head. "Didn't your brothers tell you not to eavesdrop?"

Luca pouted. "I told you that s' a gift!"

"And what do you think?" Gabriele asks, cutting in the brief happy moment. "Why aren't you angry?"

Luca leaned back at Enzo's embrace as she played with her eldest brother's hand. "D'you still hate Luca?"

They shook their heads.

And then she gave them her smile. A smile that just warms their hearts.

"There comes a time where papa and eve'ybody else gets hurt." Luca said lovingly, her tone was soft. It wraps them up in comfort when they hear it. "But we heal and we learn when to things go."

Actually, she learned that when she was tied down by Kale. Her thoughts back then were running wild because if it didn't then she'd cry and she wanted to be brave so badly.

Luca smiled sadly at them. "Doesn't matter if you hated Luca before. We're together now,  aren't we?"

And that's all it matters.

_____

Luca and Pierre laughing be like:

Lol XD

I hope that you guys enjoyed it!