The Twelve Zenati

Authors note: Hello everyone. Unfortunately, I haven't been as well as I would have hoped by now and the treatment has worn me down so I am a bit slower writing than usual. While I will continue to get chapters out as fast as possible, please excuse any future tardiness especially over the busy holiday season. I hope you continue to enjoy this series of the Tables. Thank you once again to David and Kate for being my second set of eyes. Enjoy! ~ellie.

*****

"Don't get me wrong, Viv. I couldn't be happier for you and Gideon. I have never seen two people better for each other than you two. It's so obvious how much he loves you. But I worry that Olivia has just transferred whatever Stockholm Syndrome she had going on with Royce onto Genesis and what they have isn't love. Not the real love that you have." Marcella tried to explain why she was still not one hundred percent in favour of the relationship between the two.

"You couldn't be more wrong," Vivienne said, without accusation. "I can see how you would be sceptical. I just want you to try and see it from a different point of view."

"What point of view? Those men are rich, handsome and powerful. That alone makes them kryptonite to most women. They take what they want, use who they want and never have to face any consequences or people telling them what they really think. I'm not about to sit back and let my sister be railroaded into a relationship, and probably marriage, that she can't possibly be ready for. Not so soon after everything Royce did to her. I'm sorry, Viv, I can't just smile and pretend I am happy that they are planning a future together, once all this crap Olivia got herself into is sorted out."

"I think you're too harsh, based on your own experiences. Genesis has never hurt Olivia maliciously nor threatened her unduly. He is nothing like Royce. He loves her and is doing everything in his power to keep her safe, especially now. You couldn't possibly give her the security she needs right now, and you would be putting Oscar and Nathanael in harm's way again, if you asked them to intervene. You have to let it go, and stop threatening them both by bringing the other table into it. Something like that would only hurt you in the end because..."

"Because of what? Misogynistic men stick together?" Marcella accused. "Well, I am not some weak little woman who has always toed the family line, and I refuse to just sit back and let this happen before Olivia has had the chance to heal properly."

"She is much stronger than you think," Vivienne chided, feeling like she was fighting a losing battle with her friend. She knew enough about the sisters' early life to understand why Marcella had such a sceptical view of men from the Twelve Tables. Even though that power and influence had barely touched their father, he had acted as if it did, and lived his life adhering to traditional laws long since lightened by the actual leaders of the Tabled families. She worried that Marcella was continuing to push them all away, including Noah, who had done nothing but act as her personal servant more or less since she had arrived in Darwin. Perhaps it was time for a reality check.

"She seems stronger, but what she's been through... You can't tell me that hasn't messed her up way more than she lets on," Marcella said, with certainty in her voice.

"Olivia is an adult, Marcie. She doesn't need anyone's permission to live her life the way she chooses," Vivienne said, as she tried once again to make her friend understand that she was on the verge of alienating everyone who wanted nothing more than to be her friend and support her.

"You mean my permission, right? I am just trying to protect her," Marcella snapped irritably.

"Marcie, I need you to just listen to me. Promise me you won't interrupt or say anything for a good five minutes after I have finished speaking. Just listen properly for once, instead of getting all fired up and defensive. Okay?" Vivienne asked.

"Fine," Marcella replied and slumped back in her chair and folded her arms, making Vivienne sigh heavily.

"Unfold your arms and stop treating me like the enemy. I am trying to be a good friend here, despite you making that difficult at the moment," Vivienne instructed as she watched while Marcella complied. "Now take five deep breaths in through the nose, out through the mouth and relax, so you can take in what I am about to tell you, instead of only hearing what you want to hear."

"I don't..." Marcella started, but stopped as Vivienne held up her hand.

"Now then. Olivia is an adult, you can't argue that. She had been examined by independent specialists provided by the government through the AFP, and they have concluded that Olivia is sound of mind and body. She is able to compartmentalise what happened with Remington Royce and deal with it as the need arises. She is probably coping better with what happened to her, and what will happen in court, than the rest of us," Vivienne gave a soft smile. "If you tried to take her home against her will, it would be kidnapping, as you have no grounds, legal or medical, to do it. Genesis knows the threat is empty and has put up with you making it for Olivia's sake. He wants the connection to her family left open for her, but his patience is not endless, and very soon you could find yourself without the benefit of his kindness and generosity, if you keep comparing him to Royce," Vivienne warned.

Marcella stared at her friend, her jaw working as she held back the arguments she wanted to make in her own defence. She would be taking her sister home for her own good, not kidnapping her!

"I can see what you're thinking, Marcie, and I am the expert you would need to back your stance that she is unable to make those life decisions competently. Not only would I disagree with you, but I would argue down any expert you found to say otherwise, not because I want to hurt you but because Olivia would hate you for you to do that to her. You need to stop treating her like a kid and realise that she is an adult, with possibly more life experience than you. She is able to make her own decisions and, if you can't accept them, then perhaps this isn't the place for you," Vivienne said. Her tone was soft, but the words, she knew, were harsh.

Marcella gasped. She couldn't believe Vivienne had said that to her. There was no way she was going home and leaving her sister here with these people and their misogynistic values. Olivia could be anything she wanted. She didn't need to stay at home and have a heap of babies, just to please some stupid antiquated family law. Despite her anger at the words, she remained quiet, trying to breathe deeply, as Vivienne continued.

"Marcella, you are one formidable woman. You have had to fight for everything you wanted in your life, and I get that. I understand it, and I applaud the person you have become, so strong and self-assured and independent, but you have taken it too far. It has made you ungrateful and surly to the very people who want nothing more than to help you and be your friend," she sighed. "You have a beautiful apartment on the beach, a car to use at will and a credit card expense account to do with as you wish. Yet the very men, who have done nothing but look after both you and sister like family since you arrived, are being treated with suspicion and doubt as if they are the enemy, in some way. They aren't, Marcie. They aren't your father, and this is not his Table. You are treating those men the way their mother treated me at the restaurant. You assume without knowing, or bothering to get to know."

Marcie recoiled as if Vivienne had slapped her physically, and she was glad of the silence at that moment because she had no words for what Vivienne was accusing her of.

"The saddest thing is that you don't even realise what you're doing. Noah is so sweet that he has let you treat him like a servant for weeks. He teases and jokes with you about it, but one day you will push that man too hard, just as you are pushing Genesis too hard at the moment. You will lose the generosity they give so willingly and find yourself locked out of both the hospital and the court proceedings. Olivia asked Noah to represent her, before you try to argue the point. You are only co-counsel because Noah allows it at the moment, and trust me, Genesis is not happy about you being involved at all, while you are threatening them all the time and treating him like the enemy. He doesn't deserve it, Marcie, and you know it. Somewhere deep down inside, you know you are being unfair." Vivienne sat back to let her words sink in.

"Fine," Marcella said, finding it hard to keep the anger from her voice. If they didn't help her, she would do what needed to be done, herself. To hell with them all. She was going to ensure Olivia had nothing to worry about in her future, and wouldn't be dependent on any man to look after her. She could play nice if she had to. She could, at least, keep the peace until she had accomplished what she needed to do.

"Fine?" Vivienne questioned.

"Yes, fine. I can play nice and, as you pointed out, I have no rights when it comes to my own flesh and blood. So, I have to play the game," Marcella shrugged. Like it or not, Vivienne, the one person she truly thought of as a friend in this town, was now a Zenati, and she had just chosen her side. Her thoughts strayed to Noah. She had thought of him as a friend in the beginning, or at least someone she could be friends with, but she knew he was one of them, a man of the Tables who would try to keep her in her place. No, he wasn't her friend, he was... Whatever he was, she was glad they hadn't acted on their earlier attraction and flirting.

"Marcie, it's not like that. They aren't the enemy here. Why can't you see that?" Vivienne despaired of ever making Marcie see that she didn't have to fight the world to get what she wanted, for both her sister and herself. "You're so strong and loyal to those you care about. I love you like a sister already. You don't have to fight the Zenati. They only want what's best for Olivia and all of us."

"I agreed with you already. I promise I will be so nice to everyone that they will want the bitch back," she laughed lightly, seeing the concern on Vivienne's face. "Come on, lady, you promised to show me a world of wonder today and, so far, all you have done is hold a mirror up to my inner bitch." Marcella changed the topic swiftly, not wanting to talk about it anymore. She had to change her plans now. She would have to be more circumspect in her dealings with the people she was tracking down to tell her about the holdings of Royce, but she could do it.

Vivienne was right about one thing. She was strong, intelligent and she could do anything she set her mind to, including saving her sister from a miserable life, like their mother had to endure. She just needed more time and, if she had to put on her happy face and play nice for a few weeks, she would swallow that bitter pill and play the game. She'd done far worse to get what she wanted before.

*****

"What's up with you and Dom?" Gideon asked, as Noah and his cousin walked in from the meeting they had gone to with the Tatar. "You're always together lately, and going off to meetings with the Tat's."

"Still working on Olivia's case. Something's not adding up and I think this Imelda knows more than she's sharing," Noah frowned. "I seem to be connected somehow to Imelda, like she puts thoughts in my head, which drive me insane until I work them out," he admitted.

"She's messing with your head?" Gideon asked, sounding worried. He knew the Tatar had special powers and he didn't like the idea of his brother's thoughts being messed with.

"Not exactly, more like jogging my memory when it needs to be jogged, or making me more aware of what someone is doing. It's like having a bullshit detector, but it's not so easy to get to the truth," Noah tried to explain. "I can't describe it exactly, but I'm not in any trouble or danger. I just have a lot on my mind, so to speak."

"The girls are spending the afternoon with Madrina. You still okay to meet us there for dinner?" Gideon asked, seeing the fatigue show on Noah's face.

"Yeah, I'm good," Noah nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. He wasn't sure he could have handled dealing with Marcella's attitude this afternoon. She was such a contradiction of strengths and values that he was never quite sure what she was going to do or say next. She was head-strong, wilful and stubborn to the point of stupidity at times but then there was the funny, intelligent, self-assured woman who was fun to be around and whom he quite liked. It was the "don't tell me what to do" attitude he had to constantly manoeuvre around that was exhausting. She couldn't ever seem to accept that there might be someone who could do a task better than her, and she stubbornly gripped the reins of any investigation they were undertaking, even though he had to do all the work, because her way of bulldozing people was never going to get them what they needed.

"Look, just giving you a heads up." Gideon turned his body, so he was facing away from the room and the desk where Genesis sat with Tullo. "Viv's decided she needs to have a talk with Marcie about her attitude problem when it comes to Gen and Olivia, today. She mightn't be in the best mood when we see them tonight."

"When is she ever in the best mood lately?" Noah chortled. "It's okay. I'll handle it for you. Don't worry about it."

Maybe he should take Dom's advice and just seduce Marcella, after all. Her attitude could be partially due to frustration. It wasn't like she had any dating opportunities here, especially as they always seemed to be paired together for group dinners and such. He'd turned her down once, after their first dinner with Vivienne and Gideon, and she had never again attempted to go there with him. Even the flirting they engaged in occasionally seemed restrained compared to the first days they had known each other. Maybe he hadn't extricated himself from that situation as cleanly as he thought he had.

With the afternoon suddenly free, he decided to go see his father. He would take over from him one day, running their human resources division. In truth, he was looking forward to it, especially now, after the recent revelations from Dom and the Tatar. He picked up his phone and called his father, before checking in with Gen and agreeing to meet him and the others at Madrina's house for dinner.

The drive to their recruitment and training facility on the outskirts of the city was reasonably short, with the traffic flowing freely, and he stepped from the car, taking in a large breath of air. Since turning sixteen, he had spent a lot of time here with his father and the dominants who worked for him. It was why he had gone into law, like his father. If he could have chosen his spot on the new table, this would have been it, but there had always been the possibility that it would go to one of his cousins. They were born to lead the table after all. It came as a surprise that both he and Gideon had been given high ranking roles to fill, and though he could see that they were the obvious choice, it was still rare for cousins to be promoted over the brothers of the Chair and Oracle.

He felt that there was something more going on with the new table, but he just couldn't put his finger on what exactly, even with his newly discovered gifts. He wanted to ask his father but couldn't find the right words to express himself adequately. There was a lot going on for him and, more than anything this afternoon, he wanted to lose himself in one of the trainee Kept. It always helped to clear his head and release the tension, when he indulged in that type of hedonistic power play. In fact, the last girl he had seen here should be ready for some assessment of her capabilities. She had been new at the time but very eager to learn the protocols of serving a Master. He smiled as he pulled into the car park, feeling a renewal of his energy already.

"Papa," Noah greeted his father, who was waiting for him when he arrived.

"It's been too long. Understandably so, but you should make an effort, now more than ever, to be here and bond with the staff. There's a lot of trust in this operation, and it needs to flow both ways," Armando lectured his son half-heartedly. He knew Noah had the respect and trust of all but the newest recruits.

"I thought I might jump in and do some assessment this afternoon," Noah said easily, as they walked further into the facility together. "Now that Gen and Gid have their relationships sorted, I should have a lot more time to come in and help with the running of the day to day things here. So you can head back out to the property and mother."

"I won't be heading back for a few weeks yet. Your mother has yet to admit her wrongdoing where your brother and his wife are concerned, and I am too weak against her charms to not forgive her, despite that fact, if I return too soon," he smiled sadly, admitting that his wife held his heart completely.

"Did she say why she did it?" Noah asked, curiously. His mother was what could be termed a difficult woman, even at the best of times. Selfish and indulged, she was prone to meanness for seemingly no reason, especially where his father was concerned.

"Do you believe in the curse, like your brothers now?" Armando asked.

"It's hard to refute the proof, despite not experiencing it myself," Noah admitted.

"Your mother has always sought to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that I love her, not because of the curse, but because of who she is. She tests me both in private and in public, pushing me to prove that I love her completely because of what I feel for her, not because some curse makes me feel that way. It is a losing battle; how does one prove the difference when the love is there regardless, all wrapped inside us?" He sighed. "As you boys came along, she gave you all biblical names to try to thwart the curse. Now that you are all older and seeking your mates, your curse breakers, she feels that she has to prove there is no curse. She believes that, if it was the curse forcing Gideon to love Vivienne, or in her mind proving it forced me to love her, then she has to admit she didn't capture my heart with her beauty and love for me alone."

"The curse makes her think your love is a lie?" Noah asked, trying to understand.

"Something like that. To your mother, it means I love her, not for her, but because a curse forces me to," Armando tried to explain.

"Same thing from what I can see. Viv is exactly the type of girl Gideon would have gone after, regardless. They fit each other perfectly. I think the same about Gen and Olivia, more and more as she heals. I don't think the curse could build relationships where there was no attraction or common ground, to begin with," Noah argued reasonably.

"Yes, but it has always been her way to prove that the curse is not real. Even to the point of hurting the woman destined to be Gideon's wife." Armando shook his head sadly. "And what of you and the sister? Nothing happening there?"

"Nothing at all, aside of a physical attraction that I haven't acted on, because Dom initially told me that my curse breaker wasn't far away. That was before though. I don't think I will get mine now," he gave a soft chuckle. "It seems I have some oracle powers and that seems to eradicate the curse, according to Dom, who never got any of the symptoms Xavier experienced, but fell in love with Emma all on his own, because it was meant to be that way."

"What does that mean exactly, oracle powers?" Armando eyed his son. He would need to talk to his brother about this revelation.

"Honestly, it's all a bit confusing. I've been meeting with Dom and Imelda from the Tatar about it, but my thoughts are all jumbled. I thought working out some of the tension this afternoon might help to give me a clearer head," he suggested, looking for his father's approval of the idea.