When We Love

Playlist for This Chapter: Didn't I by OneRepublic, Emerald City by gavn!

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A soft click echoes in the quiet hall as everyone waits with baited breath, tears streaming down my face as I placed our intertwined hands on my stomach.

"I promised... to keep you safe." I whispered, my eyes closed as fury ran through me until all I could see was red and I pulled the trigger.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

My eyes meet dark, blue ones glinting with unshed tears, his lips parted as my hand loosens from his but he clutches it harder, pulling me into him as I collapse onto the floor, his arms holding me to his body while bullets whizz past our heads.

"We're safe, my love." He whispers, kissing my tears away as I hold onto him like my life depends on him. And it quite literally does.

"Fuck you! Both of you!" Giovanni's raspy and hoarse voice reaches our ears as we glance at his body now slumped on the floor, lying in a pool of his own blood.

Asshole deserved worse.

Kissing my forehead, Nico stands up with both of us and lets Jake hold me steady as he walked towards Giovanni and looks at him disgust.

"You knew who killed my mother. Then you were involved in killing my sister. My father. And now, my wife and child." He said lowly, his voice thick with emotion as he aims his gun down at him.

"You make me sick." He sneered when Giovanni chuckles, clutching his chest as he struggles to breathe.

"See you in hell, brother." He sneered, pulling the trigger twice, the bullet hitting right in the middle of his eyes.

I looked away from the gruesome sight, burying my face in Jake's chest who wrapped his arm around me.

Our friends finish off the rest of Giovanni's allies and men as Jake pulled me to a side to keep me safe before Nico comes over to me with quick strides, his eyes holding worry as I lean into Jake, my breathing laboured.

"I have it." He gives Jake the small vial who cracks it open as Nico takes me into his arms, my eyes feeling heavy.

"My love, keep your eyes open, please, just a bit more." Nico pleads as he puts the liquid to my lips but I can't feel anything except a faint warmth from where he holds me.

He is quick to realise this and quickly puts the small glass bottle to his lips and takes the liquid in his mouth before lowering his lips to mine.

His lips press onto mine and after a second I feel something flowing into my mouth as I struggle to stay awake.

"It's going to be okay baby, it'll be alright." He says to me after pulling away when I look at the approaching man from behind him, my eyes widening.

"N-Nico..." I rasp and he immediately looks behind but Jake is quick to intercept the man.

"It's not safe here, get her to a hospital Ace." Jake said taking down another man. Nico gets up with me in his arms, making his way out carefully before someone shoots at us.

"Ace! Dove!" Matteo yells from behind us as a man points his gun towards us but Nico shield me with his body on instinct the moment the bullet is fired.

My eyes widen when he turns around with me in his arms, turning his back to the shooter before he flinches quite visibly, his face getting paler by the second as he looks down at me.

No.

He stumbled a step as Jake and Matteo come running towards us as Nico falls to the ground, but still makes sure I stay on top as his back hits the floor.

Tears stream down my cheeks as I grab onto his face that looks so pale, blood pooling out of his stomach.

"N-No, please, you promised! You promised, Nico!" I cry as his thumbs wipe my tears away and he winces as he attempts to smile at me.

"It's okay baby. I love you, yeah?" He says when I press my lips to his, pulling away after a few seconds while my hands pressing on his wound to stop the blood before I'm pulled away by Matteo.

"No! Please! You can't leave me Nico!" I feel the energy drain out of me as I start to lose consciousness while Matteo carries me towards a car.

"Shit, just stay awake Dove, stay awake for Ace or he'll kill us. Literally." Matteo says as my eyes close slowly.

Nico's voice fades out like a faint murmur in the background while I try to desperately clutch onto his voice like my lifeline, until all I see is black.

Guess they say dreams do come true. In my case, nightmares.

* * *

- J A K E - K N I G H T -

"Any news, doctor?" Stuart asks the doctor for the third time now when he sighs and looks at me.

"Mrs. King was heavily poisoned and drugged, which is why she is still unconscious. It may take a day or two for her to wake up, but otherwise, she took the antidote pretty quick so thankfully, it didn't spread much." He said and we all nodded, sighing in relief.

"What about the baby?" I asked when he nodded.

"The baby is fine and thankfully, safe. As for Mr. King, there was a lot of blood loss but since surgery has been performed, he is fine now, and out of danger." He said and I nodded.

"When will he wake up?" I asked when the doctor pursed his lips.

"It might take days, or even weeks, depending on how quickly his body heals. He's in a self induced coma, as of now. You can see both patients, but one person at a time, to avoid any infections." He told us.

"Alright, thank you doctor." Stuart said and the doctor nodded, pushing his glasses higher on his nose before walking away.

"Thank fuck." Matteo slumped down on a chair and I sat down beside him, briefly glancing at his wounded shoulder that was now bandaged.

"You okay?" I asked him and he nodded, wincing when he moved his arm.

"Yeah, the bullet just grazed my arm, so I should be fine in a few days." He said and I nodded, looking at my own leg that had been stabbed.

My grey pants were covered in blood, a bandage wrapped around my leg and Stuart's hand was wrapped in a white bandage because he broke his hand when he got in a fight with someone.

"Where's Salvatore?" I asked Stuart.

"Home, with Addy. Stefano left a while ago." He said.

I nodded, my mind going back to the events of earlier when the image of Giovanni lying lifeless in a pool of his own blood flashed across my eyes.

"He's finally dead." I gritted out and Matteo nodded, sighing, before Stuart looked at me worried.

"How are you holding up?" Stuart asked when I shrugged, swallowing thickly when Matteo handed me his flask and I took a long swig, chuckling humourlessly and shook my head.

"I'm fine. Fucking dandy." I said looking way when Matteo placed his hand on my shoulder.

"You don't have to be strong. He was your brother." He said when I sneered.

"Half, brother." I corrected him.

"Still, he was your brother, half or not. You shared the same blood." Stuart added when I clenched my jaw.

"Can we not talk about this? I know he was my fucking brother." I said and none of them said a word when I sighed heavily.

"You know, I always thought he could come back to his senses, but life's a fucked up game. Really fucks you up until there's nothing left of you." I said, releasing a shaky breath.

"He was dead to me the day he admitted to helping his father in killing my mother." I gritted out, my fists clenching shut when both men nodded.

We sat there for a few hours, watching doctors go in and out of the rooms and checking on both Dove and Nico every now and then. I got up from my seat, pulling out my phone and dialling David, Dove's father.

"Dave." I said into the phone.

"Jake, where is my daughter, is she alright? Tell me she's okay." He asked worried when I walked over to her room, glancing at her through the window.

She had various I.V's attached to her along with many tubes while the heart monitor beeped steadily.

"She'll be okay, just unconscious because she was poisoned." I tell him the truth, no point in lying any way.

"She'll be okay?"

"Yes, she'll wake in a few hours." I confirmed and heard his breath of relief.

"And Nicholas?" He asked wen I pursed my lips, glancing at Dove lying there so peacefully, knowing how much it'd hurt her when she found out what happened to Ace.

"He got shot. Surgery ended a few hours ago, so he's still in a coma. It might take him a while to wake up." I told him and heard him sigh heavily.

"But he's okay now?" He asked when I answered with a 'yes'.

"Tell me when she wakes up, please." He said and I assured him I would before hanging up and checking on Adriana and the other men.

Finishing up with all the calls, I made my way into Ace's room, limping a bit because of my injured leg so the nurses gave me crutches to walk better.

On entering the room, I looked at the still body of my best friend and brother on the hospital bed, tubes and wires attached to his body while he struggled to breath properly, his chest bare and bandages wrapped around his stomach.

Dried blood could be seen to his arms and chest which moved slowly with every shallow breath he took. I sighed, sitting on the couch near his bed as I looked at him.

"Can you believe it, Ace?" I looked at the ceiling and chuckled.

"He's dead, You killed him, finally. You killed my brother." I said, swallowing thickly as my eyes burned.

"And it's finally over now, I guess. Seventeen fucking years of friendship drowned away like nothing." I sighed, looking at the dried blood on my hands.

"And seven years spent chasing the son of a bitch." I spat as a lone tear finally fell on my pants, making a wet spot.

"Guess I was wrong about him. People don't change. He'd never come to his senses. He was too fucked in the head anyway. I guess we all are. But what's life if not fucked up, right?" I said, glancing at the man I always looked up to.

The man who was always strong, never broke down, killed without remorse, tortured without second thought or hesitation. Strong like a God, weak like a lover.

But love only made him worse.

"But I did love him, I guess. He was in a way, if not, connected to me. To us. Too bad things didn't work our way. Well, most of them." I said with a sad smile.

"You actually knocked someone up, and I'm betting my life on it you did it on purpose so Dove could never leave you. Be bound to you in every way possible." I chuckled, knowing how possessive he was about her.

"You're so paranoid, and sometimes, I feel like smacking you but then I value my life, very much." I sighed, leaning back in the chair and closed my eyes.

"Can't believe you're actually going to become a father. But I know you'll be great at it. You're so good at everything it's unnerving sometimes." I muttered, smiling at the end as I stood up from the chair and glanced at him one last time.

"Let's see what happens when you wake up, yeah? Don't take too long. We love you too much to lose you and I'll personally come to hell to drag you back here." I grinned before leaving the hospital room and making my way out of the hospital.

"Secure the area." I told Val who nodded and got to work as I took in a deep breath, limping towards my car when the driver opened the door for me.

"Hotel, sir?" He asked and I nodded, looking at the passing scenery of Catania, Italy, pass by when I sighed heavily, my eyes watching the very familiar land before I looked at the driver.

"Actually." I said as the driver glanced at me through the rear view mirror.

"Take me home." I said and the driver nodded, taking a turn as he drove down a familiar road until the red brick house came into view in another twenty minutes.

Getting out of the car I walked towards the house, a heavy weight on my chest as I took out the keys from under the pot near the front door, turning them in the lock and pushing the door open.

"Jake! You're home!" She came out from the kitchen , her bright grey eyes shining at me with happiness when a smile of my own grew.

"Are you hungry? I made your favourite." She beamed as I walked into the kitchen, empty and so bare until suddenly, it wasn't.

"Where's Ace? And your brother?" She asked before frowning.

"Don't tell me they're playing games again. I swear, those boys will drive me crazy one day." She said before smiling warmly at me.

"Get them for me, will you? And call Lia and Viv as well, they're in the back yard." She turned her back to me.

I sighed, glancing at the stairs and went to them, the wooden stairs creaking under my feet as I made my way to the room at the end of the hall.

"Oh hey Jake." Gio's grey eyes beamed at me with happiness, hiding the darkness that actually lay there before he turned to our other friend.

"Come on, Jake." Ace looked at me, gesturing to the seat next to him before Gio slapped his shoulder.

"Fuck man! We lost because of you!" He shouted at Ace who looked at him shocked.

"Me? I was doing all the work! You're the one messing everything up!" He defended himself when I chuckled at the two of them as they lunged at each other, laughing and screaming at the same time.

Going back down and into the back yard, I saw the little girl running around and a beautiful woman with dark brown hair reading a book.

"Hello Jake, when'd you return?" She asked when I shrugged.

"Just now Mrs. King." I answered when she smiled at me, glancing at the girl who fell to the ground chasing butterflies.

"Would you check on her, please?" She asked and I nodded, heading over to the young six year old who beamed at me, her hazel eyes shining like dying suns when I approached her, a toothy grin on her face.

"Hi Jakey!" She giggled as helped her to her feet and tucked her hair behind her ear as a tar fell down my eyes.

"Why are you crying Jakey? Big boys don't cry." She pouted when I chuckled.

"Why not, darling? Big boys can cry, and so can big girls." The familiar woman beamed at me once again before she wiped my tears away and pecked my cheek.

"Look how big and strong you've grown." She ran her hands down my shoulders, looking at me with glossy eyes while my own tears fell.

"Did you call the boys down?" She asked when I nodded and saw her warm smile just as both boys stepped into the garden with Gio's father behind, along with Ace's.

"Papa!" Amelia squealed, running to the man who caught her effortlessly, picking his daughter up in his arms and kissing her forehead.

"Lia, what are you doing bambina?" (Baby) He asked ruffling Ace's hair who scowled but I knew him well enough to notice the smile he hid.

"Jakey's crying, papa!" She exclaimed when said man looked over at me and frowned.

"Tutto bene, figlio?" (Everything alright, son?) He patted my shoulder when my eyes drifted over to Gio and his father, my step-father, when he sighed.

"Sometimes, son, life takes unexpected turns. You expect something, you hope for something, but something completely different happens. But know this, it's always a circle. If there's bad, good will be right around the corner, si?" He asked and I nodded.

"Bene. Its what your papa always told me. He would be proud of the man you are today. Keep my son safe, will you?" He leaned closer to me, as if he knew what had happened over the years.

"E tieni al sicuro anche la sua famiglia." (And keep his family safe too) He looked at me with a knowing glint in his eye before going inside.

"Venite tutti, pranziamo!" (Come everyone, let's have lunch!) The grey eyed woman clapped her hands before going in with Giorgio and Giovanni.

"Mamma, smettila! Non sono più un bambino!" (Mama, stop it! I'm not a baby anymore!) Ace swatted his mother's hand away from his hair while she tried to fix the unruly mess and laughed at him, pecking his forehead.

"Sarai sempre il mio bambino, vero?" (You'll always be my baby, right?) She asked, ending her question on a stern note when he sighed and his father chuckled.

"Sì, mamma." (Yes, mama) He grumbled as his father pecked his wife's cheek, making little Lia laugh before they went inside.

My eyes drifted off to the large glass window that gave a perfect view of the dining from the back yard, all of them sitting there and laughing, enjoying, so blissfully unaware.

My eyes finally trailed towards the two old graves in the back yard, rose bushes surrounding it as I walked over to them.

I ran my hand over the white stone of my father's grave before looking at the other one as I slumped on the ground and smiled sadly, my eyes burning and heart heavy.

"You know, son, when we love, everything in the universe tests you. To see if you deserve it. If you're worthy of that love." She spoke, rubbing my back softly.

"When we love, we always go back to the people who were always there for us." She continued as I stared at the faded writing on the stone.

Veni. Vidi. Amavi.

We came, we saw, we loved.

I sighed, looking up at the clouds that loomed over me.

"I came back, mamma, just like I promised."