Scorpia walks through the door and runs up the stairs. She sits down on the bed for a second and takes a deep breath before gathering toiletries for herself and Logan and getting her shoes and clutch.

Her phone vibrates and she looks at the screen. She finds messages from all three of her brothers, telling her they are proud of her. She smiles and puts the phone in the clutch.

She walks downstairs again and enters the now-empty cafe. Logan sees the last guys out and locks the door. "Come on girls, let's eat good food in the hotel and prepare us for a special night. We'll clean up later."

Logan takes the money from the cash register and puts it in the safe without counting it. They step into the kitchen, where Leo is still sleeping soundly.

Scorpia whispers: "Let's pray he stays asleep."

Logan tosses his car key to Freya, "If you unlock the car, we'll gather everything and lock the door."

Scorpia gathers her things and Logan picks up Leo from the stroller and holds him against his chest. They walk out and Scorpia locks the door. Logan straps Leo in his car seat and Freya sits in the back seat next to the little man. Logan gets behind the wheel with Scorpia next to him.

They quickly make their way to the children's home and when Logan parks the car, Scorpia is so nervous that she feels sick.

Logan looks at her, "You can stay here, Bonnie. I'll take him to Grazia."

Logan gets out of the car, gets Leo from his seat, and walks into the home.

Scorpia starts to sob and Freya puts her hand on Scorpia's shoulder.

"Scorpia? Why are you so sad?"

Scorpia's voice cracks when she replies, "Because I have to leave him here and I'm so scared that he will think I gave him back when he wakes up. And I just... I want to be with him all day."

Logan comes back, holding hands with Lucas and Matteo, letting go of them to open Scorpia's door. Lucas climbs on her lap and hugs her tightly.

"Oh, Lucas."

"Don't cry Scorpia. Leo is not alone. We're all here too."

Matteo moves closer and kisses Scorpia's cheek.

"My sweet boys, thank you. I feel better already. Will you look after Leo for me?"

They both nod and Matteo adds: "We have our own room, where the little ones can sleep. We will all be together and I will take care of all of them."

Logan pats both their heads, "Thank you, men. We have to go. We'll see you again later tonight."

Lucas whispers in Scorpia's ear: "I love your hair."

Matteo holds a lock of hair in his hand and whispers: "Wow."

Logan helps Lucas climb out of the car and Matteo immediately grabs his hand.

Logan gets in, they all wave at the boys before making their way over to the hotel.

Logan parks the car swiftly when they arrive at the hotel, offering an arm to both of the ladies on their way to the entrance. The red carpet is already in place and Scorpia smiles a bit absently. They walk in and Freya runs over to Ricardo.

Logan pulls Scorpia into her office and lifts her onto her desk. He stands in front of her and pulls her against his chest. "Relax Bonnie. It will all be fine, I promise."

She breathes out slowly and Logan stares deep into her eyes. He puts his hand on his heart and she copies him, saying in unison: "Here. Forever."

Scorpia gets up and they saunter over to the restaurant. A group cheer sounds through the room when they walk in and everyone yells something about her hair. She twirls around with a bright smile on her face, waving at everyone. She puts some food on her plate and sits down at a table with Logan.

Her back is facing the door when Logan whispers: "Dino."

Dino notices Logan and walks up with a smile on his lips, "Hey bro. Where did you hide my sister?"

Scorpia turns around to face him and his jaw drops. He blinks a few times and practically runs away.

Logan chuckles, "I guess he needs a minute to himself."

Scorpia laughs and takes another bite of her Chicken Alfredo. The last bit of tension leaves her body as she sits there eating, surrounded by the people who love her and vice versa. She pats her stomach after she swallowed the last piece of chicken and Logan smiles at the sight.

She leans back in her chair and looks around relaxed until she hears someone clear his throat. She looks over her shoulder and sees it's Dino. "Sit down, Dino. It talks easier that way."

Dino sits down and says: "Sorry for walking away. But I got a flashback when I saw you with that long hair. I suddenly saw you in the hallway of mamma's house, after you..." He swallows, "Okay, let's not go there, I don't want to walk off again."

Scorpia puts her hand on top of his and says: "Sorry. That's the last thing I wanted to achieve with this new hair." She pushes her glass of wine towards him and he gulps half of it down before look at her with an insecure smile.

"It surprised me and I was already on edge, so I had to take a moment for myself. And I didn't want you to..." He takes another sip of wine and looks at Logan.

Logan looks at him, "Take a deep breath Dino and look again. But not at her hair, at her eyes."

Dino closes his eyes and breathes calmly before turning his head to Scorpia again and opening his eyes. He stares into her eyes and cups her face with his shaky hands. He searches her eyes, a wide smile forming slowly.

"She's gone. She's really gone." Scorpia gets up and Dino follows suit, wrapping his arms around her. "Oh sorellina, ti amo. You look amazing. Does it feel that way inside too?"

Scorpia smiles at him, "Yes, I feel differently. Better."

They sit down again and Dino looks her over. "Now that I'm used to it... I realize it's very sexy hair. How is that for you, Logan?"

Logan just grins and Dino laughs. "Okay, that's all I need."

Lexy appears and asks: "Did you eat enough sis? Because I would like to take you with me."

Scorpia gets up, hands Logan his toiletries bag and kisses his lips. "See you in a bit, handsome Scot."

"See you later, Bonnie. I love you."

Scorpia follows Lexy to the beauty salon and Scorpia sees her dress the second they walk in. "Wow, Lexy. So pretty. I can't wait to put it on."

"Yes, it's a gorgeous dress and so you. But show me your nails first." Scorpia holds her hands out and Lexy inspects the nails. "Wow, Emilia is really talented. It looks beautiful."

"I agree. And she radiates joy when she does it."

Scorpia puts her toiletries, clutch, and shoes down on a table with a mirror on it, "I'm going to brush my teeth first." She walks up to the sink and brushes her teeth, eyeing the green dress, hanging next to hers.

She rinses and spits, "Is that your dress, Lexy?" Lexy nods and smiles. "Wow sis, that's a beautiful gown. It will look awesome with your red hair. Has Bruno seen it yet?"

"No, all us girls kept it a secret. Freya and Violetta have amazing dresses too. They have them hidden in here too. I just assumed you wouldn't mind sharing the space with them."

"That's basically true. It could have been tricky with Violetta but I'm glad it's not."

Freya dances in with a bottle of champagne and glasses, "The party can finally start, Freya's here!" They burst out in laughter and Freya pours the champagne.

Violetta walks in a little timid and shoots Scorpia an insecure look. Scorpia walks over to her ad hugs her warmly. "Hi, Violetta. We're going to have fun while looking drop-dead gorgeous, okay? Let's give these guys the shock of a lifetime."

The mood is relaxed and they help each other get dressed while sipping from the champagne. They also help each other with their hair and make-up, compliments flying back and forth.

Lexy is wearing a green, tule dress and her beautiful red hair is down. She looks like a fairy.

Violetta is wearing a purple strapless dress and is wearing her dark hair up. She looks pretty and sweet at the same time.

Freya looks as you would expect from her. Long, wavy, blonde locks and an amazing red dress, leaving her shoulders and one leg bare. She looks like a pin-up and struts around confidently.

Scorpia slides her feet into her spiked heels and gets up. She grabs her clutch and checks on her reflection in the mirror one last time before walking over to the girls.

The black dress fits like a glove, she looks breathtakingly beautiful. Her Logan tattoo on display and on the other side her leg pokes out of the slit that runs all the way up to her thigh. She takes strong, confident strides towards the girls and it goes dead silent in the room.

Frey says: "Goddammit Scorpia. We were all confident and convinced we were beautiful but we all forgot we can't compete with you at all. Wow, wat a vision."

Lexy's eyes are full of tears and Violetta whispers: "This is insane. So strong and sexy at the same time. I can't catch my breath."

Scorpia laughs shyly, "Don't be crazy girls! I'm still the same fist swinging, maffia boss defeating, weird Scorpia. It's only a package and a bit of acting."

Lexy hugs her, "Logan is going to die when he sees you. We better get a doctor on standby or call an ambulance in advance." She chuckles, "You look amazing!"

"What's the time, Lexy?"

"7.15. I just sent Logan a message. He's on his way down."

Scorpia gets nervous and fiddles with her clutch.

"Scorpia? Don't worry, he's is going to love it. And you are going to love him, I'm sure of it." Lexy winks at her and then there's a knock on the door.

Lexy opens the door and Scorpia hears Logan say: "Wow sister. You look beautiful!"

"Thank you, little brother. You look amazing. You match Scorpia perfectly."

She steps aside and Scorpia moves close to the door. The tears stream down his cheeks as soon as he sees her. Scorpia looks him over from head to toe and a radiant smile appears on her face. Logan is wearing a black suit with a black button-up, a red vest, and a red bowtie.

Scorpia stares at the handsome man with stars in her eyes, whispering: "Sexy Scot."

Logan wipes the tears from his cheeks and softly says: "Bonnie. Bella. Beautiful. You are incredibly beautiful. Wow."

Scorpia steps closer and kisses him lightly. "You're no longer a handsome Scot, Logan. You're an extremely sexy Scot. Wow."

They spin slowly for each other and the girls come close to look at Logan.

Freya yells: "Jesus boss! You look hot!"

Logan chuckles, "Thank you, Freya. The same goes for you. Ricardo won't know what hit him. You look beautiful too Violetta. Lexy said I had to go for black and red, so I did. Your men got color advice too by the way."

Violetta asks: "My man?"

Lexy explains: "Yes, Dino. It was a little last minute but we made it. And Ricardo stuck to it too. Just wait and see girls."

Logan wraps his arm around Scorpia's waist and asks: "Are you ready, Bonnie?"

Scorpia nods and looks at him with excitement in her eyes. "Come on sexy Scot, we're going to give them something to look at."

They walk to the back door, where Bart is waiting for them, wearing a tailor-made suit. He stares at Scorpia slaps himself on the cheek.

Scorpia chuckles and he says: "My god boss. I already knew you were a chameleon, but this is extraordinary. You're the only one I know who can look touch and hot at the same time." Logan clears his throat but Bart shrugs and says: "Like you don't see it, Logan."

Logan laughs and says: "Oh", I see it for sure. And she's mine. Ha!

Bart opens the door to the limousine and Scorpia gets in first, scooting over to make room for Logan. He sits down next to her and the limo drives off.

Scorpia looks at the young man behind the wheel through the rearview mirror. "Johnny?"

He winks at her through the mirror, "Good evening Scorpia. I couldn't pass this chance up, so I offered to be the chauffeur."

"I love it! You look good in that hat."

"Thank you, boss."

They arrive at the front of the building, where Bart is waiting for them at the start of the red carpet, ready to open the door for them.

Logan laughs, "That's what I call outstanding service Bart. Helping us get in and out of the car."

Bart nods and tries to hide his grin.

Logan gets out of the car and the camera's blind him for a second. But he turns around to Scorpia and offers her his hand. She scoots closer to the open door and places her hand in his. She shoots him a challenging look and he knows she's more than ready for it all.

She's graciously exits the car and smooths out her dress. Logan snakes his arm around her waist and they smile at the cameras. They take their time posing, having a ball together.

The limo arrives at the front again and Ricardo steps out. He is wearing a stunning black suit, with a white button-up, red vest, and red tie. Freya sticks her bare leg out first and they hear her laughter.

Ricardo helps her out of the car and Scorpia and Logan watch them from a distance. Freya seems to be made for red carpet events and Ricardo looks like he's been doing this for years.

All four of them pose together and Ricardo says: "Wow Scorpia! You look fantastic!"

"So do you, hulk. You look like you've been doing this for years."

"Ha! Yes, the wrestling is good for something. You need some acting skills to make it look believable."

When the limousine appears again, Lee, Sara, and Xander get out. All three dressed to the nines. They look a little nervous but in spite of that they smile wide at the cameras. Logan and Freya step aside, so the research team can take a picture together.

Lee says: "Scorpia! I'm suddenly straight! You look fabulous!" The other two laugh and agree with him.

"You all look great too! Thank you so much for everything."

Ricardo pulls her against his chest for a hug, noticing the emotion in her eyes, and whispers: "You're strong. The strongest woman I know. You can do this."

The rest of them join in for the hug and laugh together. Logan comes closer with Freya and Ricardo picks her up and carries her inside, Freya squealing the entire way.

Logan wraps his arm around Scorpia and kisses her cheek. "Who's next, Bonnie?"

"My brothers." She can't wait to see them and taps her foot on the red carpet.

The first one getting out of the limousine is Bruno, wearing a dark green suit. He helps Lexy out of the car, smirking proudly at the beautiful redhead. They take a few steps to the left and turn around to look back at the car.

Dino gets out in a completely dark-purple suit with a purple with a dark shirt and tie. It's such a Dino suit that Scorpia can't help but chuckle. He helps Violetta out of the car, who looks up at him with love in her eyes. They take a few steps to the right and turn back around as well.

Scorpia holds her breath, staring at the limo. Ciro gets out, he's wearing a night blue, tight suit with a vest under it and a tie all in the same color. He looks like he just stepped out of an Italian suit campaign. She wants to walk up to him but then notices he's holding his hand out towards the car.

She freezes on the spot and stares at the hand that slides into Ciro's. The tough Italian man getting out next wears such a happy smile that it makes her smile too. He is wearing a dark blue suit as well, but he looks like James Bond with his black lapels, crisp white dress shirt, and black bow tie.

Flavio winks at Ciro before making a beeline to Scorpia. Logan steps aside and Scorpia looks into Flavio's eyes with happiness on her face and a hand on her heart. "Wow, Flavio. I'm glad you're my boyfriend."

He pulls her hand towards his lips and kisses the top of it, shooting her a smoldering look. "Scorpia, sei bellissima. Ti amo."

She bites her lip to suppress her smile and kisses the corner of Flavio's mouth before whispering: "You look beautiful together."

Flavio winks at her and walks back to Ciro. Bruno and Ciro come running up and shower her in compliments. They hug her from both sides and kiss her cheek. Dino winks at her too and lightly kisses her lips. He laughs, "Your cheeks were already taken."

Scopia laughs and hugs all three of her brothers, "I love you guys!"

Logan wraps his arms around her from behind and she leans back into him. She lays her hands on top of his and calls Lexy, Flavio, and Violetta over. They pose together in all possible combinations before going inside together.

Ricardo and Freya are waiting for them inside, offering them a glass of champagne. Scorpia takes a sip and wraps her arms around Logan's neck.

Logan sets his glass aside and holds her close. "Mmm Bonnie. You really are the star of the night. And the fact that my name will be in all of your pictures is something I truly enjoy. But the press is going to confused. Flavio arrives with Ciro. You arrive with me and then you act all naughty with Flavio, while the tattoo is on full display the whole time."

Scorpia laughs and says: "As long as we know the truth sexy Scot, that's all that matters. They can write whatever they want." She kisses him softly and says: "You look extremely sexy Logan."

He looks deep into her eyes and says: "All thanks to Lexy. She told me exactly what I had to buy."

Ricardo taps on Scorpia's shoulder, "Scorpia? You can go up with Logan when you're ready. There are a bunch of people waiting for you there."

Scorpia kisses Logan again and breathes out slowly. "Okay, let's go."

She grabs a hold of Logan's hand and they step into the elevator together.

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It's been a while huh?

It's wonderful to continue this story.
Missed all the characters and missed my readers.
Thanks for being patient with me.
XO Hankie