A few weeks later

"Okay Guiseppe you've wrapped all the toys right?" Valentino says as he passes him with a box full of balls (Get your head out of your arse not those balls)
"Yes! Everything packed and ready!" he exclaims.
"You know what kind of toys right? Not your kind of toys...." Ivo says as he passes him. Happy with the new renovation of the Motta house, the powder yellow and white really changed the whole house. And the restauration of the portraits mixed with portraits of the Alphabet family have helped a lot too.
"Of course I know what kind of toys! Teddy bears that will make all the children gay!" He says with an evil laugh

Valentino chuckles as he looks at Wren who is trying to put the star on top of the three metre tall tree. A clean slate is something strange, even though the presence of loss and grief is ever present in the family it has made life clearer for a lot of people. There's clarity in sadness you could say. Valentino walks into the banquet hall next to the ballroom and looks at Romeo, proudly as he arranges all the silverware and arranges all the glasses correctly. Gianna is making a fire in the fireplace in the banquet hall. Valentino walks into the kitchen and Ivo gives him a spoon to taste it while a lot of other people are working on food.
"It's perfect!" He exclaims.
"Valentino, the microphones are all ready to be used for toasts and more!" She says excitedly.

"Alright everyone! Assemble!" Valentino says as everyone rushes towards the hallway. Everyone is wearing their best smoking, or dress. They all look incredibly Christmas appropriate. "So, the first time hosting a Christmas party which includes members outside of the mafia. Remember we are raising money for people with aids too, so do not forget to mention that in casual conversations. And the ground rules are, no too crude jokes, I am looking at you Guiseppe, no arguments and no unwanted advice. Understood!" Valentino asks with a smile.
"Then now we will reveal the present for the mafia themselves!" Ivo says as he ushers everyone to the banquet hall.
Romeo pours everyone a glass of champagne.
"Even though today we are here to be happy and celebrate everything we do have. There is one person that is missing, a person who was very dear to all of us. And in honour of him we had this portrait made." Valentino says as Ivo opens the curtains in front of it.
Aurelio is smiling at them from his wheelchair, everything is the beautiful Jugendstil style of Klimt but he just captures everything Aurelio was. Everyone stares at it in awe. Romeo runs toward Valentino and Ivo and hugs them and Natan looks at them in awe, knowing they no longer need a house mother now that they have their own generation of children.

Ivo looks at his watch and nods.
"Okay everyone, get ready, the guests are arriving." He says as he ushers everyone to their places.

The first guest whom arrives is Aurelio's mother who is astounded by the portrait looking down on her. Her eyes fill with tears as a proud Valentino shows her the artwork. The band starts playing and as slowly the guests start arriving people are more and more surprised by who Aurelio's mother managed to convince to come. Parents of mafia members, siblings, grandparents, it is incredible. The whole house is filled with people they thought they would never see again.

"Valentino." A familiar voice says. Valentino turns around and Ernesto is standing in front of him. "Hey..." He says awkwardly.
"You know I was thinking about your little speech from the last time we met." Ernesto says as he sighs. Dusting off his velvet dinner jacket as he tries to fit in with the perfectly clothed others. But Valentino can only laugh at the adorable uncomfortableness. "You remember the time you said, you cannot deny part of yourself to make me more comfortable. That you cannot be somewhere in between like this. That you were choosing for yourself. It's all or nothing from now on. Come to me when you've decided..." He chuckles and looks at Valentino."
"Did you really learn that by heart?"
"No, it just made such an impression, anyway, I have come to you because I have decided." He takes a deep breath. "I do love you Valentino Lineadiretta, flair and all." He says as he grabs a box out of his jacket and opens it revealing and incredibly beautiful ring. But before he can sit down on his knee Valentino closes it. Looking at him sweetly smiling.
"Not yet, Ernesto. First prove to me you can love me whilst still loving yourself. You must never supersede one feeling above the other. We mustn't rush." He says and proceeds to kiss him.

Ivo looks at him and sighs... disappointed in himself he had not seen this tea sooner.
"Lovebirds, I do not want to interrupt this sweet sweet moment, but I have someone for you Valentino, all the way from Northern Italy." He says as he steps aside.
"Mum!" Valentino screams as he flies into her arms. She chuckles lightly as she pets him on her back.
"You've grown Val, and so has your house." She says with an amused smile.

"Everyone assemble in the hall!" Elisabetta yells. Everyone slowly walks to the hall.
"Okay, We are doing a group photo." Romeo announces as he puts the camera in place.
"So everyone stand somewhere on the stairs near your relatives or loved ones." Elisabetta says as she runs up the stairs and positions a lot of people accordingly. Eventually they manage to get all the hundreds of people somewhere on the staircase.
"Alright now look alive people!" Ivo yells as the picture is takes.

How peculiar, the most complete family picture ever. The people who have raised you with the people who first accepted you, a portrait of the person they are mourning in the background. And tens and tens of parents that after all these times really are much more understanding than anyone would have thought. A perfect picture, it's nothing short of it, a happy kissing couple. Both not ashamed, a smiling poet, A slut getting hugged to death by his mum.... A mother proudly grieving.
Oh and if you look closely you can see Romeo, his father's arm around his shoulder. And though he lives in Aurelio's house currently he does not have to learn how to cook himself anymore.