Gemma:

Daddy has us moving into our second home. Which is on to the water but further down the road by like maybe seventy minutes. We arrive at the house and it is even bigger than I remembered from when I was younger. Which isn't much to be honest. Just the small bits I remembered from my childhood.

Dad said my old childhood room is set up exactly how it was at the bullet riddled one. He said I would still have a piece of mom left because she had been the one whom designed my room. The whole house was designed by her actually. No one had changed their rooms. She only left them. Us. A few years ago. They never came back to this place because it reminded them of her.

I feel horrible that my brothers and dad have to come back to this place.

This home.

That's filled with more memories of mom than the one we were living in.

Our 'vacation' home we are heading to is actually our real home. That bullet fest house is really our vacation home.

Our second home.

We only stayed in that house when I was younger for every school breaks we had. That's why that house was so familiar to me when I first visited. I was taken on one of our many school breaks when we stayed at that house. Galileo moved into Luciano's house until Luke and Alex get older. Luciano left his house, his money, all his belongings to his boys. Dad has taken custody of them because Uncle Lileo didn't know how to raise children.

Dad did.

He has twelve of us. So, dad decided to take on two more. Making the total to fourteen children. We all are now in our respected cars exactly two days after Uncle Lu's death. Looking up at last place my brothers want to be. But, I can see where dad's coming from.

How can he stay in that house we're leaving behind?

That riddled house that's stained with blood.

With his brother's blood.

I don't blame him.

But, I can also see where my brothers are coming from. They don't want to be in the home that is where mother was always at most of our childhood before I was taken. The place where mother ended her life after I was taken. Where her ghost probably haunts those very walls.

Why can't dad just buy a whole new home. Where no one has to suffer. Dad doesn't have to worry about seeing his brother's blood that's no longer there, staining the floors. My brothers don't have to worry about be traumatized by coming to this house where mom died years ago. Why not buy a new house in general?

We all watch as my uncle spirals down hill.

Fast.

How our father crumbles like a cake falling off its top tier, onto the floor.

Soon after I start watch as all my brothers slowly change.

Their change was not for the better.

It is far much worse.

I watch as Renzo started to slowly go back to being stone faced. Never cracking a smile. Never laughing. He threw himself into work and if you wasn't part of his command chain, you rarely saw him.

Matteo started to go back to his old ways when I first got here. Where he always was working and did little communication. He would say 'hey' than run out the door or to his office. Like he distanced himself away from everyone. Everyone that truly cares for him. Like he's afraid to getting crushed again. And again.

I watched as Valentino slowly started to not speak again. He went back into his shell. He growls, snarls, and grunts. That's the reaction you get from him. I swear I could imitate his sounds. I haven't heard his voice in so long, I think I forgot what it sounds like. He doesn't do his chuckles. Nothing. Face looked like he had Botox while he was in a rest bitch face phase. I miss the talkative Valley. I don't like this version of himself. I miss his voice and his laughs. Or when we would have family night, how he always pulled me beside him. We would share our favorite snacks and laugh at everyone's pouty faces.

Nikolai quit being his smiley comical self and went back to staying in the gym. I swear his gym hates seeing his face everyday. I miss his jokes and his nonsense comments. Most of all I just miss the friendly atmosphere that surrounded him.

Julian went back to being an asshole who loved punching the punching bag. Even when Matteo told him not too. He was still healing from his gunshot wound. I miss his protective self. Or how he would try to teach me how to hit the punching bag. How he always picked on me. I miss his million dollar laugh. Julian laughing was the highlight of my day. But, he doesn't do that anymore either. I miss him peeking his head in my door at night when I have fallen asleep; just to make sure I'm fine, that I'm still here.

Maximus, Alonzo, and Gianni. They quit being their clown selfs and started to race more. Started to stay out later and later. Sometimes I don't even think they would come home until the sun starts to rise. I miss their pranks, their witty comments, their presence. I wish they would joke around like they use to.

Lucian, he just went to his closed off self. His anger came back tenfold. I watch as he too, crumbles. He doesn't open up to me anymore and we are no longer 'twins' as everyone keeps saying. He can't even be in the same room as any of us. Our father and brothers. Or me.

Especially me.

We don't bicker back and forth. We don't do our late night talks. Our late night adventures on the roof or to the tree swing. We don't talk about life. We don't talk about our dreams. When you finally get your bond back and it's just snatched away again. When you go from joking, teasing, laughing, to having your best friend one day to nothing. Like it never happened at all. All of it vanished because he just simple can't be around me. And that's what I believe hurts me the most.

Vincent and Leonardo don't joke and when they smile..... It isn't the ones that reaches their eyes. It's forced. Their computers are where their faces are at.

All the time.

They too have vanished before I could get ahold of them. It is like a stab to the heart. I mean we shared the same womb at the same time. How can someone just do that? Especially to their sister.

Luke and Alex cry. They miss their father. What small amount of time they did have with him. They truly loved him. Like he loved them. They didn't stay around me long. They actually left to go visit Uncle Galileo for a while. They only stayed with us for two weeks. That's all they could handle be around me. I guess. Do they think this is my fault? Honestly, I don't blame them if they did. Everything is always my fault.

Me. Well, I try. I try to keep everyone from crumbling like stones. Like old building tumbling down. My attempts have failed.

Miserably.

I can't get anyone in the same room. Hell, half the time I don't even think anyone is even in this fucking house.

My laughter.

Their laughter.

Doesn't ring the walls, halls, or rooms.

It is like it never happened at all.

Like everything is a vague yet distant memory.

My smiles can't reach my eyes because I can't help any of my siblings. Because I feel like I have failed. Which, I know I have. I just want my family back to how it was before Uncle Lu was murdered. Before all this shit happened. Why can't my life be simple? Why is it so difficult? Was I not meant to have a decent life with my loving yet dysfunctional at times family? How much hurt can I take? Just simply why? Why me?

My Papa.

Like I mentioned earlier, at first he became closed off. He barely ate, he barely slept. Hell I don't even think he showered for days. I rarely honestly seen my dad. Slowly after the first week or so he started to come back round. He slowly started to make an appearance. He slowly started to talk to me again. I'm slowly getting my father back. Everyone else can ignore me without a problem but with dad; it's like he can't just ignore me. He's the only person who has acknowledges my existence. At least person is here for me when I need him the most. Dad just needed time to grieve which I reluctantly gave him. And with that action I'm slowly getting my father back which I'm truly grateful for. Because, I don't think I could have handled not having my dad around when my brothers clearly can't stand to be around me.

I sit back and slowly my family has become distant. Slowly I'm watching them crack like walls in a old Victorian home. There's nothing I can do to help them. Today is Uncle Lu's funeral. He's being buried in our family cemetery.

We all are dressed in our funeral attire. The sun is peeking from the clouds. Ironically it makes it a little gloomy for this occasion. I walk slowly, make my way down the hall towards the stairs. My heels clacking on the hardwood floor. Never thought I would wear heels. Uncle Lu, you succeeded in finally getting me in them.

Only for you Uncle Lu.

Only for you.

As I reach the bottom stair, I look up to see my family. My brothers all have blank expressions on their faces white dad has a soft smile. He gently grabs my hand and we walk gracefully out the front doors. Dad and I head towards his car while my brothers all go towards their own. Dad thought I would rather be around someone that acknowledges me then be in a car full of uncomfortable silent from brothers who don't utter a word from me. I can see the disappointment placing in Valley's eyes but, that doesn't stop me. I still walk with my arm linked with dad's and get into his car. When we arrive at the funeral that already is packed to the brim. During his funeral session I glance around and there isn't a dry eye in this place. Thousands of people have come to his funeral and every one of them has wet teared stained cheeks. When they finally lay his coffin into the ground. It's time for each of us place a flower on his lowered coffin. I pick out a black rose because in Ancient Rome it symbolized strength and power.

That's what Uncle Lu was.

And always will be.

Plus, it was his favorite anyways.

But strength and power.

That describes him to a tee.

I wonder if he knew the meaning of the black rose. Did he know that's what it symbolizes? If so, he picked the perfect flower. Because it goes well with who he is. I'll always remember him as my funny and loving uncle. The one who could make the stoniest person crack a smile. But I'll also remember him as a hero.

Because he truly is a hero in my eyes.

I gently toss the black rose on his coffin and move out of the way from the others. I stand a good distance away and can see his beautiful black headstone. It has a weeping Angel, which is the darkest grey color you could have before it becomes black. The weeping Angel rested her head on his headstone.

It read

"Luciano Dominic Rossi

A loving son, brother, uncle, father, and husband.

La famiglia è per sempre.

May he Rest In Peace."

In the end Pierre was right. The younger Rossi did take down the entire Rossi clan.

He succeeded. We were all reading into the hints thinking it was about the younger generation.

It wasn't.

Uncle Lu become cold and stone like when his sons were taken and wife was murdered. His favorite flower is... Was roses.

Like my mother.

Uncle Lileo was suicidal when he was younger.

Like Lucian.

Uncle Lu saved him numerous times when they were younger.

Just like Julian.

Uncle Lu has a beautiful ocean blue eye and a earthly green eye. Uncle Lu is the one who is the glue that holds him, my father, and Lileo together. However, the youngest Rossi of the newer generation will not rest until her family is whole again.

That's something Pierre never counted on. Because I'm the one who is the glue to my siblings. I will fight everyday for the rest of my life to get this family back to how it was before. Until my last breath leaves my body. Until my soul rests in peace.

I won't give up.

Uncle Lu wouldn't want this.

Madre wouldn't want this.

I don't want this.

Family is forever.

Even after death.

I will fix this.

I have to fix this.....

A/N:

Word Count: 2276

Sad chapter I know. I'm sorry. :(

I knew when plotting and scribbling notes down that I would kill off a family member. Originally I was going to do Lucian but decided against it. Than I thought about Valley but immediately said fuck no. Later on I was going to do Julian but I didn't have the heart to kill him either. Someone had to die I just couldn't just kill Julian, Valley, Renzo, Lucian, or their father. I picked Uncle Lu the moment I written the chapter about the notes. Don't kill me guys! I just didn't have the heart to kill one of the siblings off.

XoXo :)