Tied As One Eternally

Chapter 10: All Beauty Lies Within

A couple of weeks had passed since the benefit show and things were finally getting back to normal. Terzo had been spending most of his time with the ghouls preparing for the next album and impending subsequent tour. Alé spent her time with the siblings, whom with Sister's heeded consent were doing a lot more little things here and there out in the community. Trips into town were also becoming more commonplace, giving the Papas an excuse to have the siblings run the occasional errand.

Today was one such day, siblings were enjoying the day out, while picking up a few things for the clergy. The right seed for Primo's bird feeders, he only liked to give them a certain kind. Secondo's requested hand cream, as he was partial to Officina Profuma-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella–which thankfully a local shop agreed to bring in at his request. Terzo had simply requested that Alessandra bring him back some hair mousse. He told her it was because she was the only one who knew the kind he liked–but that wasn't the only thing that Alé knew that no one else did.

The past week for her had been truly awful. Alé only had more incidents of getting sick, some multiple times a day. It was getting hard to deny what was happening–and even harder to hide. She knew soon Terzo would get suspicious. She hadn't had her moon in the last few weeks...maybe he already knew. She was scared to know.

Knowing made it real. Her deepest fears, sprouting inside her at the thought of telling him. There would be no need anymore for them to be together if there was already a child on the way. She knew it was only a matter of time before she would be forced to confront it, so it might as well be now. Alessandra managed to sneak away into one of the bathrooms at the local cafe– Caffè dei fiori, as the siblings enjoyed their lunch. She wanted to be alone for this-absolutely no one could know. Not even Liz, not until she was ready.

She sat down in the stall, her hands shaking and her stomach in knots. She took a deep breath and managed to take the test out from her bag, which she smuggled back when the group was shopping in the general store. She followed the instructions to the letter. Wanting to make sure she didn't mess anything up. She had to be sure.She sneezed her eyes tightly, in part to hold back tears, but also from wanting not to look.

Just look already–nothing's gonna change just because you don't look Alé. She slowly opened them, the answer coming into focus. Alé stared at the test for several minutes, convinced it might change if she looked away. So many emotions swirling within her and all at once. It was hard to get herself back together, but she knew if she was away much longer someone would come looking.

Was she happy? Despite all that had happened leading up to this, both good and bad...now–now there was nothing she wanted more than to give her Papa a child. She asked herself how it came to this. How did she go from finding him a nuisance to where now the thought of being without him felt like her heart crushing in her chest? Was she devastated because this meant that she had fulfilled her promise to the church...to Terzo? Would he even want to be with her now? Or would he pull away–knowing that they had done what they'd set out to do and now there was no "reason" to continue? Alé shoved the test as deep into the trash as she could, wiped the tears from her eyes, and left the stall.

Now what do I do?

It was after sunset–Terzo, Primo, and Secondo were all sitting at the round table in the break room, just off the main office. It was their not so secret place to meet up and play cards. One of the only brotherly activities that all three of them participated in. Occasionally Secondo had brought one of his sisters in with him, but that had stopped since the time Primo caught them cheating. Now it was just the three of them, and they seemed to like it that way. It was a chance for them to shoot the breeze, to be themselves together–brothers, and honestly complain about Sister Imperator.