The Twelve Zenati

Authors note: Hello everyone. Unfortunately, this chapter is very late and I apologise for that. While I will continue to get chapters out as fast as possible, please excuse any future tardiness. I hope can forgive me and that you continue to enjoy this series of the Tables. Thank you once again to Kate for being my second set of eyes. Enjoy! ~ellie.

*****

"Vivienne, you can take my car. I'll get the watcher to take me home," Marcella sighed. "Go see Gideon or whatever you had planned for this afternoon."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Vivienne said softly. "It must be a shock that Apollo, whoever he is, came all this way to see you for your birthday, and it could help to talk about it."

"There is nothing much to say. We dated for a little while when I was younger. It ended and I haven't seen Apollo for a long time. I can't even imagine why he would have told Noah he was my fiancé unless they were trying to stop him from seeing me," Marcella shrugged.

"He said you hadn't been answering his calls," Vivienne said trying to nudge more information about the mysterious man from her friend.

"I told you already, I don't do relationships. I have only ever had short-term affairs or nostrings friends with benefits. Trust me if he had proposed I would have laughed and walked away, not agreed to it," Marcella gave her friend a sad smile hating that she couldn't explain to her friend what really happened. "Don't worry about me, I'm not going anywhere until I make sure Olivia is deemed innocent of colluding with the Suebi and has everything owed to her by that bastard Royce."

"Promise? No taking off until we can talk properly?" Vivienne asked.

"Well I do have my date tonight, with Greg," Marcella laughed. "I'm not planning on breaking that for Apollo Martino."

"He's come a long way to see you. You probably owe him at least a hello before you go on a date with another man," Vivienne said.

"The business Gideon was caught up with is obvious Apollo, why don't you go and check him out and ease your curiosity and while you're there you can tell him I will be back tomorrow and would be happy to have lunch with him. I made my own plans for my birthday, Viv. He can't expect me to just change my plans because he deigns to show up spouting bullshit about being my fiancé."

"You're serious aren't you?" Vivienne gasped. "You'd be happy for me to see him and grill him about why he would lie like that?"

"I didn't say that, but I expect he is being grilled anyway by your husband so why should you miss out? Besides, I have a date to get ready for, and Mr ῾beady-eyes' watcher here won't let me out of his sight. You know that. I have absolutely no freedom or secrets anymore. My life is an open book for everyone to read and make judgements on. Genesis barely tolerates me, Noah obviously hates me now, so Gideon is possibly the only one who would give me the benefit of the doubt and ask me about Apollo, so go fill him in. Apollo Martino-Battaglia is his full name, and I dated him when I was eighteen. I have seen him a day here or there over the last few years, but that's it. No romance, no engagement, nothing. He's harmless," Marcella said looking her friend in the eyes. She was lying, and she hated doing that to her friend, but at least most of what she said was true. She just needed Vivienne to leave her alone and give her time to think and plan.

"Okay, I believe you," Vivienne said. "Are you sure you don't want me to come home with you and help you get ready?"

"No, seriously. Go and ease your curiosity. I'm going take a walk along the cliff then get ready for my date. There is nothing to talk about honestly. Don't look so worried," Marcella said as if she didn't care that someone from her past had followed her here.

"Noah doesn't hate you. You have to know that, right?" Vivienne sighed, unsure why she was defending his behaviour back at the restaurant. "He just has a lot going on today. You know Dom's surgery, and he hasn't been able to help Genesis with the move as much as he wanted, and he hasn't been working with his father as much as he should. He's barely been home in weeks because he is trying to cover all his bases and keep everyone happy, including you."

"Honestly Viv, you are the sweetest, most loyal and amazing woman I have ever met. I love you. Really truly, like a sister, love you. One day I will let you put those rose-coloured glasses on me for a day so I can see the world through your eyes," she laughed. "Today though, just let me go and deal with things in my own way."

"Okay," Vivienne sighed. "But you promised, no taking off without telling me where you are."

"I'll call if I am running late coming back tomorrow," she smiled. "We are just going to this little island that has a bar for the locals. I can't remember its name but it's right next to the plantation Greg lives on. Happy now?"

"Yes," Vivienne grinned. "I'd be even happier if you took this with you since the AFP still have your other one," she handed Marcella the watch Noah had given her as a birthday gift. "It was a thoughtful present even if he delivered it in a shitty way," Vivienne lamented.

"I guess," Marcella agreed and took the box from her friend. "It's not like I don't need it after all. I mean, food, water, shelter, an Apple Watch..." She let a genuine laugh fall from her mouth and saw the final lines of anxiety ease from Vivienne's face.

"Look, take your car, I'm sure our friend here knows where Gideon is having lunch and can take me there. I'll call him and let him know I am coming, so no big deal," Vivienne smiled. "Have a great time tonight, and we'll do something fun for your birthday tomorrow. Speak of the devil," Vivienne giggled girlishly as she pulled her phone from her bag and saw that Gideon was calling her.

*****

"I hope you don't mind, but my wife is going to join us soon. She and Marcella were at the spa together this morning. If anyone knows what Marcella's plans are for the rest of today, she will," Gideon said returning to his seat.

"And Noah?" Orlando prompted.

"Is with X and Em where he should be today," Gideon said with a chuckle that belied his concern over his initial conversation with Noah. Something had gone terribly wrong between him and Marcella he could tell, but neither Noah nor Vivienne had given him any details.

"I would love to meet your wife," Apollo enthused. "I imagine she is a beauty to make you smile that widely when you speak of her.

"She is the love of my life," Gideon agreed happily.

"He's a newlywed," Orlando chuckled. "All newlyweds look that happy."

"She'll be here in time for dessert," Apollo said magnanimously. "I can certainly afford to wait a while before we order," he patted his washboard stomach exaggeratedly. "So let's see how good my powers of observation are," he continued making easy conversation. "Young, always present tablet which you can't seem to leave alone, a way of questioning that's pleasant and unobtrusive seeming. I'm going to assume you're the next watchman and you," he pointed to Gideon.

"Me," Gideon encouraged.

"Mr Congeniality, fast with a joke and an easy smile, you're a master at putting people at their ease and reading them well enough to steer away from subjects that they could react negatively to. You're probably the chamberlain in waiting though you would make an awesome ambassador. It's the same thing really except for the whole money part. You'll probably do better than most though because you're so fucking likeable. I bet you don't have an enemy in the world," Apollo laughed. "I can see why they sent you to meet with me, not sure why it was your silent brother instead of you who picked me up from the airport unless he was... the oracle?"

"No, that's not his future role," Orlando cut in quickly, not liking that this man had pegged their roles on the Table so fast and stopping Gideon from revealing anything further.

"Wouldn't have mattered, I have nothing to hide. I've been interrogated by everyone including the Tatar recently. I feel like the world knows every secret I ever had including where I hid my sisters Katy Perry CD when she was fifteen. That shit did my head in when we were at school," he laughed loudly and genuinely.

"I hear ya on that, I have a little sister too," Gideon laughed with him. He couldn't help but like the guy. He was handsome, bordering on pretty, and built like a brick shithouse, but he never came across as aggressive in any way. He seemed happy to go with the flow and had an understanding of what it meant to fly into another Table's territory unannounced.

It was barely fifteen minutes later when a tall, beautiful woman of Amazonian proportions walked into the restaurant causing Gideon to come to his feet and take a large stride to meet her, pulling her close and kissing her. Apollo was surprised by Gideon's choice of partner, but he could also appreciate how good they looked together. The tall solid build was not his personal preference, but he could still appreciate her beauty. In fact, there was rarely a woman that he couldn't find some beauty in. Had circumstances been different he would have liked to have worked as a Master in human resources, training the Kept and contracted workers, but his mixed heritage and the disaster that had befallen the Savoy side of his family left him clamouring for status and finding only the warrior guild of the Battaglia ready to accept and endorse his skills. It could be worse of course, and with the shake-up, he may even be named as the warrior for the reformed Martino table with his cousin, Theo, so he couldn't really complain.

"It's wonderful to meet you," Apollo gave Vivienne his most charming smile while taking her hand as she took him in. He was used to attention from women, and he knew what the look on her face was, although beside Gideon he didn't appear as large and muscular as he might have otherwise.

"It's good to meet you too," Vivienne said confidently still eyeing him carefully, her initial surprise at his appearance having dissipated to be replaced by curiosity and a questioning look that he didn't seem sure of. "I hear you know my friend, Marcella Gambaro," Vivienne asked almost eagerly launching into his reason for being here without preamble. "She's more than a friend really, she's like a sister to me now." Vivienne staked her claim at knowing Marcella better than this man thought he did.

"I do indeed. I came to see her for her birthday. She's not with you?" Apollo made a show of looking toward the entrance and back at her.

"Oh no, she went home to get ready for her date. She sends apologies, but she made plans for the rest of the day that she just can't break. There seems to be some confusion though because she says she was never engaged to marry you, and yet my husband and brother-in-law believe you told them otherwise?" Vivienne wasted no time laying it all out on the table, hoping to catch them all by surprise.

"I believe what I said was that I was here to surprise the woman I plan to marry for her birthday," he chuckled. "Chinese whispers at work may have misconstrued my actual words," he chuckled good-naturedly, and his pleasant voice hadn't altered. The only indication that he had not liked hearing that Marcella had a date and plans for her birthday that didn't include him was the fist now bunched tightly around the napkin he held in his left hand which quickly dropped to his lap while his right hand reaching for his drink.

"Oh, I see, a misunderstanding then," Vivienne laughed. "Well, she said she would be back tomorrow, and we could plan something fun for her birthday then." She smiled widely at the three men and realised Orlando had been scowling at her before turning his attention back to his tablet.

"Who does she have a date with?" Gideon asked, knowing for a fact how badly Noah had fucked up their confrontation this morning. He felt for his brother, and if he were right, Noah would do more than crush a napkin in his fist when he found out she was out for the night with another man and wouldn't be returning until tomorrow.

"Greg, Marcella told me that they've been planning tonight for a week or two," Vivienne offered.

"The helicopter pilot?" Gideon blinked.

"It's not like she knows many people in this city and with everything going on with the family today I think she wanted to have a good time without encroaching on any of that. You know, just in case the surgery didn't go as well as expected," she said in a quiet voice, defending Marcella's choice to celebrate alone away from the family.

"My brother is having surgery today. It's a risky and dangerous operation, we are all a bit more on edge than usual," Orlando explained.

"And then you have some ass flying in with no warning and expecting a big welcome," Apollo grimaced. "Sorry man, I didn't know."

"You couldn't have," Gideon said easily. "It was a sudden decision, and several others all have plans as well that are taking time and resources. I can see why Marcella made her own plans and didn't tell anyone about her birthday."

"Well, in that case, I might take the bike you have so kindly provided and do some sightseeing this afternoon. I hear there are some great beaches north of the city," Apollo said all too easily, making Orlando narrow his eyes and Gideon consider him for a moment.

"Sure, why don't you leave your number with us and we can let you know about the plans we make for Marcella tomorrow. Or if you want company or a guide Val and Fab are always up for a ride along the coast road," Gideon offered. "I can give them a call while we have dessert if you want."

"Val was the guy who dropped off the bike?" Apollo asked.

"Yeah and Fab's a younger version of him but a cool guy none the less. Probably has as many tattoos as you do," Gideon chuckled.

"Sure, I can drown my disappointment in chocolate and then work it off with a long ride," Apollo agreed. "And it will give your wife time to interrogate me before I leave her beautiful company," he smirked across the table at Vivienne. "Tell me, Vivienne, what exactly did Marcella tell you about me?"

"Chocolate sounds great," Vivienne laughed. "I fully recommend the Fireball, it's amazing. Can you order me one of those please, Gideon?" She waited for him to signal the waiter before turning back to Apollo. "She didn't say much except that there wasn't much to tell. You dated when you were younger, it ended, and she's seen you a handful of times since then. She didn't seem unhappy that you were here, just that she wasn't going to cancel her plans at the last minute., It wasn't fair to the people who had made plans with and for her. She said she would be back tomorrow."

"That sounds like Chella," he dropped into his shortening of her name for the first time. He knew most people mispronounced her name and she had long ago given up correcting them. She said she preferred it and the school ground nickname Marcie had stuck and been used by her sisters, but her parents used the proper pronunciation, and he liked Chella better than Marcie. Chella was the name she used when first met at the Battaglia facility and she had so captivated not only him but many others at that time. She was sweet and innocent looking at eighteen, but she had an attitude and a mouth like a guttersnipe. She was the most amazing girl he had ever known, but he was too young and dumb to realise what he had, and she was too full of rage and angst to need anyone else in her life. They'd parted ways, but he was continually drawn back to her and what they could have if they had stuck it out together.

"Chella?" Vivienne queried.

"She adopted the name Marcie when she went to school, and Marcella was continually mispronounced. Even her sisters started calling her Marcie after a while. She never entirely went back to the correct pronunciation. Only her parents and older relatives still use it, but I like it, so I have always used Chella," Apollo explained.

"She never said," Vivienne said quietly, realising that they had all been so focused on Olivia in those early days no one had ever bothered getting to know Marcella as anything aside of Olivia's older sister. She had spent a lot of time with Noah then and had talked to him, trusted him enough to offer something more before he had rejected her and she had shut down their flirting and began sniping at him. Vivienne realised just how little any of them knew her friend and what a gold mine the man across the table could be.

"How did you meet?" Orlando probed.

"Don't you already have her whole history on your tablet there?" Apollo chuckled. "I think I will let the lady keep a little bit of mystery if you don't already know everything about her." He wasn't sure if he should say she had been sent to the Battaglia to undergo a trial. It wasn't common practice for Table princesses these days but not entirely unheard of, and he had been there training in his father's family business so to speak.

They had bonded over their shared misery of being forced to do things because of their ancestry instead of being able to choose their lives for themselves. Though for him, only the warrior training had irked because he knew that would be his life path. He had enjoyed every single minute of Master training, however, especially being allowed to assist with the training of Chella as she was known there as well as a few other family brats. Chella was different though, she wasn't the typical brat with addiction problems despite her father's reason for sending her there.

"Did you go to Perth to meet with Oscar and Nathanael when they were forming their new table?" Orlando asked. "You come from well-respected warrior connections and have links to the other tables aside of the Martino family."

"You have done your homework," Apollo grinned. "Yeah, I considered joining their table, but I believe the man they chose was better suited to the family circumstance. Though he let them down when Nathanael got shot, so you never know, there might be a changeup just like the Martino table is reforming minus the Savoys."

"Your mother was a Savoy and has left with the other exiles?" Orlando asked guardedly, not knowing how Apollo would take that train of thought.

"She always believed she married beneath her. My father made sure I was claimed more by the Battaglia than the Savoys which is why I am still here. He has returned to Canberra, and she is gone," he said, a little edge to his voice. His relationship with his mother could hardly be called a relationship at all. She did her best to ignore him and his father once she had done her duty and produced an heir for him. The Savoys were all about the power and influence they got by trading on their family name. His mother had little time for the warrior caste who she viewed as little more than staff to the other more prestigious Tables. She had married a warrior only as a means to remain in Sydney with her family.

"But you bear the name Martino, not Battaglia," Gideon pointed out.

"My father had to change it officially when he became part of the table. My birth certificate says Apollo Samson Martino, as you well know," Apollo was struggling to keep his voice light and easy now. He was annoyed that Marcella was gone and wouldn't return until tomorrow and annoyed further at being asked inane questions they already knew the answers to. He tried once again to change the subject. "So, Vivienne, you have ideas on how to celebrate Chella's birthday?"

"Not yet but I will think of something," she assured him.

Taking the cue, Gideon launched into a series of anecdotes from past birthday celebrations as a way of helping his wife decide what to plan. Most had funny stories or disastrous outcomes that kept the small table smiling through the dessert, and the tension that had been building receded again.