North's POV

Once Corey had headed downstairs, I climbed into the bed next to Ris and Sean. He had his arm wrapped around her waist, his hand on her stomach, and was nuzzled into her neck. I know I was terrified when she collapsed, but seeing them now, I could only imagine his level of fear. Not only was he worried for her, but for his child as well. I'll be the first to admit, I'm jealous that it isn't mine. What Luke said that night was right. We know realistically that having kids with fourteen men is ridiculous, but you can't blame a man for dreaming. I put my hand on top of his, "How are you holding up?"

He gave me a weak smile, "Moment to moment." I nodded, not really sure what to say, and laid down facing them both. She was breathing evenly and looked almost peaceful, but I'd give anything to see those beautiful brown eyes.

We both must have nodded off because I suddenly jerked awake hearing soft crying. Marissa was curled in a tight ball, with her head buried in the pillow, quietly sobbing. Her cries must have woken Sean as well. He reached out to her, but she jerked away from him. She pulled away from me as well when I tried to touch her. I'm not even sure if she was awake. "Text Axel," Sean suggested. I sent the message and moments later he came in the door as we stepped out of the bed, letting him try to calm her. Looking at the door, I saw all of them standing there, including Dominic and his man Luca.

"Angel," Axel whispered. She lifted her head slowly and met his gaze, but it was almost like she wasn't really seeing him. "Angel, can you hear me?" he asked. She blinked and then fell forward into his arms, sobbing. "It's okay, baby, I've got you. We're here, Angel. You're safe." He stroked her hair as she cried, rocking her gently in his arms.

"I don't know if I can do this anymore," she whimpered. "I'm so tired of fighting."

He cupped her face, drawing in a sharp breath, "Marissa Elizabeth Ryland, you are not giving up - not now, not ever. Do you understand me?"

Her eyes were wide as she nodded, "Yes, Daddy." His eyes darkened in an instant and I think all of us had to readjust ourselves.

Axel groaned, "Fuck, Angel." She leaned forward into his embrace again. "I know you're tired, but we have a plan so hear us out before you say no." She nodded and everyone piled into the room as we told her of the events at the hospital. Her body shook when Sean explained Jackson's threat. Axel continued to hold her tightly, as I rubbed her back.

"Malen'kaya shalun'ya, both my father and Dominic's agree - we need to get you out of the country. Italy is safer than Russia right now," Raven told her. I guess Sean and I had missed a lot. I was surprised to hear Raven supported my idea.

"But what about the trial? What about Gabe, Luke, and Victor - we can't let them come here and be in danger," she replied.

"They can reroute since they're using the private jet. We can discuss the trial at a later time. For now, we'd prefer to get out as soon as possible," Kota said.

She looked around the room and sighed, "Okay, let's go."

We all let out a collective sigh of relief. "I'll call the plane," Luca said and headed downstairs.

"I'll help you pack sweetheart," Sean said, holding his hand out to her.

"I need to get my small bag first," she said. He nodded, understanding she needed her little things. Brandon stepped into her closet and grabbed a suitcase, then began pulling out some of her favorite outfits.

"I'll pack for you, love," Axel said, placing a kiss on Brandon's lips, then turning to Marissa, "Thank you, Angel." She murmured something soft and kissed him.

"I'll text Gabe," Owen said and left the room as the others followed.

Twelve hours later we stepped off the Giovanni jet in Florence, Italy. Gabe, Victor, and Luke were waiting for us along with Leonardo Giovanni and about forty armed mafia members. It was intimidating, to say the least.

"Principessa, mi sei mancata così tanto! (Princess, I've missed you so!)" Leonardo said as he pulled Marissa into a hug.

She hugged him back, tears streaking her face, "Papà Leo, mi sei mancato! (Papa Leo, I've missed you!)" She pulled back and looked over at Gabe, Luke and Victor, then headed into their arms. They covered her in kisses and hugs, with Luke kneeling down and kissing her belly.

Dominic rolled his eyes, "Come on Flower, let's get home." He walked ahead with his father and opened the door of a black SUV for her. "We can seat up to five in each vehicle along with a driver and one guard. All of them have bulletproof glass and we will travel in formation back to the compound." We nodded and slipped into vehicles. Marissa rode with Dominic, Gabe, Luke, and Victor, while his father rode with Owen, Sean, Axel, and Brandon. Another vehicle held Nate and Kota, Corey, and Raven, while Silas, Marc, and I rode in the last SUV.

"Holy shit," Marc muttered as we pulled through the gates of the Giovanni compound and stepped out of the vehicles. It was impressive. The long driveway wound through rows of trees and hedges to finally reveal a massive mansion with gardens and fountains surrounding it. Dozens of men lined the property heavily armed. It looked like they were expecting a war.

Raven scoffed, "Flashy as always. Our compounds are discrete, and not easily spotted. Here they scream mafia."

"Raven, be nice," Corey chided him. "They're helping Marissa, hell, they're helping all of us. Don't start shit." He gave him a harsh look and Raven sighed, hanging his head. Their dynamic still surprised me. Just to look at them, you would assume that the formidable Russian would be naturally dominant, but he was actually a switch. Marc caught my eye and smiled at me - yeah, looks can be deceiving, I grinned to myself. We followed Dominic and his father as they led us up the steps to the stunning mansion. The inside was just as lavish with high ceilings, marble floors, and columns and a winding staircase at the edge of the foyer.

"Vieni vieni, let Dominic show you to your rooms," Leonardo said. "Aleski arrives tomorrow, along with the Irish, Americans, and Cubans. We have not received an answer from the Asian leaders yet." He motioned to the stairs and we followed him up. I grabbed Marissa's bag, tossed it over my shoulder, then took her hand in mine.

"How are you feeling?" I asked softly.

She gave me a small smile and squeezed my hand, "Overwhelmed, but loved." Room by room, Dominic let us choose how to pair up. In the middle of the hall, he paused and grinned at her. "Really?" she asked with a surprised expression.

"Just the way you left it, Flower," he said, opening the door inward to reveal a large room with a king-size canopy bed sitting in the middle. The walls were a light lavender color with plush ivory carpets and a large window overlooking the gardens. She walked to the vanity and let out a soft gasp as she peered down at the picture frames. There were dozens of pictures. I recognized Winston from the one in her room at our house. Several others had pictures of the three of them, others with combinations of them. She picked one up that was in front of a fountain. In the photo, she was wearing a small sundress and Winston had his arms around her waist as Dominic lifted her feet. It looked like they were about to toss her in. The joy on her face was evident, and both men looked completely enthralled in her presence. Marissa traced the images with her fingertips, looking at Dominic with teary eyes.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He came up and hugged her tightly, "I knew you'd come back someday, even if it's just for a visit." She nodded and let out a wistful sigh. "Let me get everyone sorted, and then we can have some lunch. I'm sure Sean agrees that you need to eat."

"Definitely," Sean said with a smile from the doorway.

****

By the time we met downstairs, everyone had showered and changed. Marissa came down the stairs holding Sean's hand. They were talking in hushed tones, heads close together. When they reached the table, Sean cleared his throat, "Dominic, is there any way to contact an OB while we are here?"

His head popped up quickly from his phone, "Yeah, I can have one here in an hour. Is everything okay?"

Sean held up his hand, "Everything's fine. Marissa would like to have an ultrasound. We were supposed to have one on the thirty-first but..." he trailed off and she tilted her head against his shoulder.

"I'm nineteen weeks and we, um, wanted to know the gender," she said quietly. Every face in the room broke out into grins.

Tapping away on his phone, Dominic chuckled, "I'll have him here soon." He looked at Raven, "You can give your old man a belated Christmas present."

"Da," Raven snorted with a laugh, "Then he can start planning gifts."

"We don't need any gifts," Marissa groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Then you tell my father no," Raven smirked, "I'm sure Dominic's father will be just as bad."

She stepped up to Kota, "Will your mom and sister be okay? You don't think the Academy would go after them do you?"

Kota gave a surprised look and then turned to Dominic, but he just waved his hand, "We already thought of it. I just need you to call them and send them a photo of Kristoff Vinzetti. He's one of Arthur's men. They'll fly in with the Americans tomorrow if that's okay. If not, Luca can leave now on the jet and get them."

I saw Kota tense, but he held his tongue. "Luca, would you come and call Jess with me? I think she should decide and if you explain who this Kristoff is she may feel more comfortable." Luca nodded and followed him with a small hopeful smile.

Marissa let out a wistful sigh as she looked around the room. "Thank you," she said softly. "I know my situation has disrupted all your lives, but I really do appreciate all of this."

Wrapping my arms around her, I placed a kiss on top of her head, "We love you and our little coffee bean. There isn't anything in this world we wouldn't do for you both." She smiled and leaned against my chest. "Let's get you something to eat, and then you and Dominic can show all of us around."

"Chef made your favorites," Dominic grinned.

She clapped her hands together, "Eggplant parmesan?" He nodded and she squealed, wriggling out of my arms and running toward the kitchen.

"No running!" several of us yelled as she giggled and slowed just a bit. I rolled my eyes and followed Dominic as he led us to the kitchen.

Author's Notes:  Well, they're at it again...    Darn characters are changing the direction of the story.  So hold on lovelies - it's about to get bumpy!

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