Scorpia picks up the empty baskets from the table, carries them into the kitchen, and finds Logan pouring soup in a bowl. He turns around and looks very guilty. "Why are you looking like I caught you being naughty, mister?"

"Um... Cause I wanted to eat another bowl of minestrone."

Scorpia laughs and says: "Enjoy handsome!" She feels her phone vibrate and pulls him from her pocket. It's a message from Ciro.

Movie starts in 30 minutes.
If you could join me, you'd make me very happy.
Like old times.

She smiles at the message, before looking up at Logan. "What is it, Bonnie?"

"They are watching movies in the movie theater at the hotel."

"Go and have fun, Bonnie. As long as you leave the soup here."

She chuckles and opens the closet closest to the back door. She pulls her outfit to ride Ombra with out of there and gets changed. Logan stares at her while leaning against the counter and eating his soup. She sends Ciro a message to let him know she'll be coming over on her Harley. She sends one to Bart too. To say that he might want to go outside for a bit.

She walks up to Logan, who immediately puts his bowl away, wraps his arms around her, and slides his hands into her back pockets. She plays with his hair and kisses him deep and slow. He moans and squeezes her ass. He rests his forehead against hers and asks: "Will Dino be there too?"

"Dino? I don't know. Ciro will be. He invited me over. We're going to watch The Godfather together. We used to do that when he came home from college for the weekend."

Logan sounds a bit insecure when he says: "Okay. Have fun, Bonnie."

"Logan? Shouldn't I have told you about the stolen kiss with Dino?"

"No, that's not it Bonnie. You're mine, right?"

"Yes, Logan. Forever." She kisses him again, before putting her gloves on and walking out with her helmet in her hand. Logan looks out of the window and watches her swing her leg over the bike. She puts her helmet on and fastens the chin strap. She starts the motor and drives off smoothly. He can see her glorious smile in his head.

She sees the hotel in the distance and accelerates. She drives up at high speed and stops right in front of the hotel after a sharp turn. Bart and Ciro are outside and she opens the vizor, before unclasping the chin band and taking the helmet off. She grins at Ciro's happy face and Bart's slightly shocked expression. She swings her leg over and takes her gloves off. "Good afternoon gentlemen."

Ciro hugs a tiny bit too tight and says: "I'm so happy you're here. We haven't done this in such a long time."

"I think it's been more than ten years." Bart has walked up to Ombra to take a good look at her and Scorpia asks: "And Bart? Pretty bike?"

"Shit yeah! It also looks very um pretty, a woman on such a big bike."

Ciro whispers: "Poor Logan. So much competition."

Scorpia laughs and says: "There's no such thing Ciro, you know that. That Scot's the one, forever."

They walk in with their arms wrapped around each other, making their way over to the elevator. Scorpia opens the zipper of her leather jacket and takes it off. They get out of the elevator and make their way over to the movie theater. Loud cheers sound through the room as soon as they enter it. Scorpia laughs and Ciro says: I don't think they believed me when I told them you were coming."

They sit next to each other in the last row and are handed some popcorn. Bart walks up to her and hands her a bag of M&M's. "In case he says any dialogues out loud. Ciro shoots him a dirty look and Scorpia chuckles. Bart raises his voice and says: "Have you all found a place to sit? And got some snacks? If not, do it quickly. The movie starts in five minutes."

Scorpia stands up to get a bottle of water and a can of coke. She notices a few employees curiously staring at her leather pants. She smiles at them and sits back down next to Ciro. She hands him the coke and he thanks her.

The movie starts and Ciro wraps his arm around her. She cuddles up to him and thinks of the past. She never had a very good bond with Ciro. But it did get better when he went to college. When he came home for the weekend they would watch a movie every Friday and Saturday night. And he always let her snuggle up to him.

She usually fell asleep halfway and always woke up in her own bed the next morning. She feels a bit emotional and is glad that it's dark. But Ciro kisses the top of her head and says: "I've missed this too sorellina. Ti amo." She whispers an emotional 'ti amo' back at him and he sighs happily.

They enjoy their moment together and recite a few dialogues out loud. Ciro turns towards her when the credits roll across the screen. "Thank you. That was wonderful. I really needed this. I miss my sister sometimes and then realize I can't go back in time."

Scorpia wraps her arms around him and says: "I would love to do this again Ciro. I always looked forward to the weekends you came home."

He smiles at her when the light turns back on. "My favorite moment about it was carrying you to bed. Even though I didn't keep my promise." He bites his lip and looks away from her.

"Ciro? What promise?"

"I always promised you I would protect you and be there for you while I tucked you in."

"Oh Ciro, I didn't know. I have forgiven you, I hope you know that. And I'm happy to call you my big brother again."

"Oh Scorpia, I still blame myself every day. But I'm very grateful that you still love me."

She puts her hand on his chest and he says: "Here. Forever."

They look around and see a few young people kiss. Scorpia's eyes land on Annette, the receptionist, sitting on the chef's lap. Ciro sees it too and chuckles. "There are free condoms in all the rooms by the way." Scorpia looks at him and he says: "All part of the service at Scorpia Enterprise."

Scorpia smiles at him and says: "That's my big brother. He thinks of everything."

"Come sister. Let's get out of this room full of hormones before I try to kiss you." Scorpia laughs, grabs her helmet and jacket, and gets up.

They walk down to the end of the hall and look out of the window. "Ciro? How were things with Dino last night?" Ciro looks at her with a look in his eyes that she can't read, but she's afraid to ask more.

"He was very drunk last night. He puked all over the elevator, bumped his head, and cried. It wasn't pretty."

Scorpia looks at him and knows there's a lot he is not telling her. "Ciro? If there's something I need to know, tell me okay?"

Ciro nods and says: "If I think it's important, I will tell you right away. But the details of last night are not. It was fun to see how relieved Ricardo was then he saw your pictures and then made a beeline for his girl."

"Yes, he told me he's in love this afternoon. I hope it stays that way. He deserves a cute girl."

They get into the elevator and Ciro asks: "What about me?"

"You? You deserve a cute woman or man too."

"You really don't care?"

"Why would I Ciro? I just want you to be happy. Even if that means having a different partner every night."

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to be into men while working for Salvatore?"

"I have no clue how hard that is, but you work for me now. Are you trying to tell me you're gay and not bi?"

The elevator arrives on the ground floor and Ciro studies her eyes. "Maybe?"

They step out of the elevator and she puts her hands on Ciro's cheeks and stares deep into his eyes. "My sweet Ciro, I don't care at all. Do what makes you happy and I'll be happy for you. I'll love you forever."

Ciro picks her up for a hug and she wraps her arms and legs around him. He chuckles and says: "I used to love that so much when you climbed me like a tree."

"You were one. You basically still am."

Ciro holds her close and looks over her shoulder. He catches Dino staring at them, frozen on the spot. He prays Scorpia won't turn around and that Dino will walk away because a confrontation between the two is not a good idea right now. He thankfully sees Dino walk away, well more run away, but he's relieved for the moment.

He lowers Scorpia slowly and she looks up at him with the same happy expression she used to have as a girl. He smiles and taps her nose with his finger. "Grazie sorellina. I'll see you at mamma's tomorrow."

"Thank you, Ciro. I'll see you tomorrow!"

She skips out of the hotel and sits down on her bike. She puts her gloves on and sees Bart run up to her. She puts her jacket on and zips it up.

"Scorpia!"

"Hey, Bart. Are you here to send me off?" He nods a little shy and she says: "Have a great weekend! I'll see you on Monday!" He smiles and wishes her the same. 

She puts the helmet on, closes the chin band, and starts the bike. She nods at Bart and speeds off. She smiles wide under her helmet, enjoying the feeling of freedom Ombra gives her.

She parks the bike on the driveway and takes her helmet off. She decides to walk in through the front door. She confidently makes her way over to the bar, lays the helmet down on it, and takes her gloves off. She puts the gloves inside the helmet as a glass appears in front of her.

She looks up, straight into the grey eyes of her true love. He winks at her and pours the Scorpian Vodka in her glass. She downs the vodka and takes her gloves from the helmet, puts them on, and grabs her helmet from the bar. She takes a few steps towards the door, turns around, and asks: "What's your name?"

"Logan."

"Thank you, Logan."

She walks out of the door and races towards the back door. She rushes in and almost bumps into Logan. "Hell Bonnie. I was scared you'd drive off again."

She jumps in his arms and says: "Hell no. I've away from you long enough." She kisses him and he kisses her back wildly. He leans back a little and studies her face.

"Did you cry again?"

She nods. "And again, not from sadness."

"Come sit down at the bar and tell me about it, Bonnie." They walk into the cafe again and Scorpia sits down at the bar. "What would you like to drink?"

"Water, cause that double vodka hit me hard." Logan chuckles and pours her a glass of water.

She tells him about mister Gentile. How proud he is of her and how happy he is that she has Logan. And about pappa. To end with the story about the bullet in mister Gentiles ass. Logan dies from laughter and slams his fist down on the bar. "That's an amazing story! I have to remember to never make your mamma angry."

Scorpia laughs and says: "I'll never forget the moment she shot Ciro in the foot because he wasn't taking her seriously."

Logan laughs and asks: "How was the movie?"

She tells him all about it and gets emotional again. "It was so great to be that little girl again. I didn't realize how much I missed that. And I think we were able to work through some things with it. Ciro is so sweet when he doesn't try to be tough."

"I can tell. Your face lights up when you talk about it. I'm glad you've been able to strengthen your bond."

She takes her phone from her pocket and sends Ciro a message.

Thanks for the wonderful afternoon.
Do you still have a game console at mamma's house?
With Mortal Kombat?"

She lays her phone on the bar and says: "I've just asked him if there's still a game console with Mortal Kombat at mamma's house."

Logan's eyes shimmer as he says: "Ooh, that would be fun."

The screen of her phone lights up and she reads the message.

I'm pretty sure there is.
Dino will know where.
We'll find it tomorrow.
XX

They eat a sandwich together and Scorpia reads the paper, while Logan serves the handful of people in the cafe at a time. They even have time to drink coffee together and fool around in the kitchen. She is sitting at the bar, watching Logan work, his movements fluid from the years of practice.

She hears the bell at the door ring and watches a big group of people come in. They all walk up to the bar and she slides down from her bar stool. She gets behind the bar and stands next to Logan, who shoots her a questioning look.

She turns her head to the group of people and asks: "Who wants a beer?" More than half of them do and she starts drafting them. Logan briefly squeezes her butt and takes care of all the other drinks. It turns out that all of them work at the hospital and that Ricardo told them to check the cafe out.

Her eyes go over the group until she recognizes a face. "Lee, right?"

His eyes go wider and he says: "Yeah. I can't believe you remember."

"Welcome to Bonnie."

Le moves a little closer and asks: "So it's not weird I'm here?"

"No. I kind of like it."

"I'm glad. I didn't know you worked here too."

"I officially don't. But I can't stay seated if it's this busy."

Lee looks at Logan and back at her. Scorpia nods at him and appreciates that he's trying to be discrete. Because he read her file and knows a lot more about her time in the shadows than most people.

Logan rubs her butt every time he has to pass her and she can't suppress the smile on her face. She starts a conversation with one of the girls on the other side of the bar. They talk about work and she asks how many days a week Scorpia works at the bar. Scorpia says: "Only when it's busy. I have a different job on weekdays."

The girl says: "You have another job on top of this one. Wow. It's not easy, is it? To earn enough money." Scorpia gives her a vague answer and watches the girl's eyes move over Logan's body. The girl leans on the bar and asks: "Is your colleague single?"

Scorpia is a bit taken aback by the question but feels two arms wrap around her. Logan kisses her neck as he makes eye contact with the girl at the bar. The girl blushes and stammers an apology. Scorpia tries not to grin and bites her lip.

She hears one of the boys at the bar say: "Shit! That's a shame. You always hope the people behind the bar are single."

Scorpia raises her eyebrows and says: "You can still look. And there are usually enough people in a bar that are single. Or don't care."

Lee laughs and says: "That last line especially. If there's enough alcohol in someone's system, it usually doesn't matter. I want to bet you see a lot in here."

Logan says: "Well, discretion is really appreciated by the clients. Although I have to admit that I've opened my mouth a few times. "

Scorpia tilts her head as she looks at him and Logan starts his story. "A family used to come in here every Saturday afternoon. Friendly woman, cute kids, and a strange guy. At some point, I started to notice the guy came to the cafe a few times a week to 'work late' and walked out with a different woman every time. So when he left the table to go to the bathroom that next Saturday, I told his wife to come to the cafe the next time he had to work late."

Lee is hanging on Logan's lips and asks: "What happened?"

"She came by the first night he was here again. Her husband had his tongue in some other woman's mouth. I walked up to her with a can full of beer and handed it to her. She poured the entire thing over her man's head and told him he wasn't welcome at home anymore. She nodded at me and left the cafe with her head held high."

Logan chuckles and the people at the bar cheer and applaud. Scorpia pulls Logan close for a kiss and whistles sound through the bar. She smiles and Logan winks at her.

The group of people leaves a bit after midnight and Scorpia helps Logan clean up. Logan puts the last things in the dishwasher and Scorpia locks the back door. Logan pulls her close and slides his hands into her back pockets again. She kisses him softly and he says: "Mmmm, I'm glad you kept these on Bonnie. They gave me pleasure all night. And thanks for all your help."

"You're very welcome handsome Scot." She bites his bottom lip and shoots him a naughty look.

"Bonnie... We can't do that again all night..."

She unbuttons his jeans and slides her hand down his boxers. "We can't do what handsome?"

"Oh hell." 

-----

Ciro smiles at his phone at the message he just received from Scorpia. It really feels like he got his sister back. He makes his way over to the penthouse and notices Dino's door is ajar. He walks up to it and looks inside. He is startled by the sight of the room and searches for his little brother with his eyes. He catches him slamming a table lamp against the wall and runs in to stop him.

He wraps his arms around him and tries to control him. "Dannazione! Let me go Ciro!" Ciro doesn't say a word but keeps his arms firmly wrapped around Dino. He feels Dino relax a little and let's go. Dino turns around and looks at him with a mix of anger and sadness in his eyes. "What the fuck were you doing with her?"

Ciro looks down at him and crosses his arms. "What do you think I was doing?"

"How the fuck should I know? You were holding her in your arms and she had her legs wrapped around you! So you tell me!"

Ciro sighs and says: "Dino... If you would take the time to think about it calmly, you would remember she did that all the time when we were younger. Climb in me. We watched The Godfather together in the movie theater. It was nice. Very nice. I missed my little sister and thought that our bond was ruined forever. But I got a little of it back. So that's what I was doing."

"You weren't... You didn't..."

"Morron. I'm gay."

Dino's head whips up and he stares at his brother wide-eyed. "You're what?"

Ciro rubs his neck and says: "Um yeah... I didn't quite plan to tell you about it this way. But you pissed me off. I'm sorry."

"Y-your gay? What? How? And all those girls? Does Scorpia know?"

"Yeah. Well... I'm into guys. And simply put, I wasn't into those girls. And yes she knows. I've just told her."

Dino frowns and sits down on the couch.

Ciro doesn't feel like turning it into a big thing and changes the subject. "Fratello, do we still have a game console with Mortal Kombat at mamma's?"

Dino grins and says: "We sure do. In my room. Why?"

"Scorpia asked about it."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Does that mean she'd like to play?"

"I think so, brother."

"Cool." Dino smiles and Ciro studies him.

"Dino? Are you going to be okay with her tomorrow? She probably saw your pictures too."

Dino sighs and says: "Yep. It won't come out if I don't drink. Oh god. The pictures."

Ciro shoots him a look full of pity and says: "Fratello, you know she could have never been yours, right? She's our sister. Mamma would have killed you. And on top of that, she belongs to Logan."

"Yeah... It's just... If I would have seen her in the bar back then... Now that I've seen the pictures... She's so beautiful Ciro... And I... But you're right. She belongs to Logan. Do you think he saw the pictures?"

"I hope for your sake that he hasn't. Because that Scot is dangerous where it concerns her."

Dino gets up and grabs a beer from the fridge. "Cheers! To the last night of my life!"

Ciro chuckles and leaves his brother alone. He saunters over to the penthouse and sends Scorpia a message to let her know that the game console is in Dino's room.

────────────────

And that was chapter 61 for you.

I absolutely love these chapters. 

They make me happy. 

The next chapter will be all about visiting mamma's house.

And we get to cuddle the kids again. 

These chapters weren't planned. So they take a little more effort from my end. Cause it means typing the Dutch and English chapters from scratch. But so far so good. 

And I need these myself before Scorpia visits the children's home.

If tomorrow turns out to be just as productive, there will be another chapter for you. 

XO Hankie.