The Twelve Zenati

Authors note: Hello everyone. I hope you have been enjoying this series of the Tables. Thank you once again to David and Kate for being my second set of eyes. Enjoy! ~ellie.

***

Marcella stepped out of the movie theatre and sighed. She'd known they would be there, but she wasn't prepared for the glare they gave her at being alone. She hadn't lied exactly. She had told them that both she and Vivienne were fine. It wasn't her fault that they assumed they were fine together, was it?

"Where is she?" Gideon growled at her. It was obvious that he was barely keeping a rein on his temper.

"What time is it?" Marcella asked, standing straighter in the face of his anger. He stared at her as if not comprehending the question, and she shrugged and checked her watch.

"Marcella, where is Vivienne?" Noah asked more gently, moving a step closer. "We just need to know that she is okay."

"Then stop worrying. She is fine. Honestly. I wouldn't have let her go if she wasn't. She just needed some time and space to think about things," Marcella tried to explain.

"Let her go?" Noah asked as Gideon seemed, impossibly, to get more rigid with anger.

"She went home. Her flight should land in..." She checked her watch again, but she paused and looked up as Gideon gave a low painful-sounding groan and roughly ran his fingers through his hair.

"Fuck!" Gideon growled and turned and walked away.

"Come, we'll take you home," Noah said, obviously worried about his brother and wanting to follow him.

"Go and look after Gideon. I have a car nearby. I'll be home tonight if either of you want to talk about what really happened, rather than just believing what you've been told," Marcella said and went to move away.

"What we've been told?" Noah frowned. As far as he knew, Vivienne hadn't shown up at the clinic when she said she would and hadn't been answering her phone. Gideon had thought she had been in an accident until Marcella had finally answered her phone.

"You don't know what happened?" Marcella asked as she looked at him wide-eyed.

"Something happened to Vivienne?" Noah growled this time.

"Your mother happened. She ambushed Viv at the lunch that we had organised with Sera today. It wasn't pretty," Marcella said without giving details. "It was cruel of Gideon to ambush her that way. I doubt that she will want to talk to him today. She needs some time and space to recover. She hid it well, but she was pretty upset."

"Fuck!" Noah spat. "Go home. I will call you once I calm Gideon down before he makes the situation worse."

Marcella watched him turn and jog away from her. Even if he hadn't engineered the meeting, she couldn't work out why neither Tatianna nor Sera would have told Gideon about their lunch and twisted it to their own advantage. These people were strange, and she couldn't even begin to understand their relationships. he'd spent the last few hours thinking of her own plans and determined to make sure that she started them over the next few days. She couldn't stay here forever, especially now, and the more she found out about the Zenati family, the less sure she was about leaving Olivia here with them, despite Genesis's almost obsessive care of her.

"Gideon, slow down. There's something you don't know," Noah called after Gideon as he jogged to catch up to his brother. "Gideon, stop! You'll just make it worse!"

"Worse?" Gideon whirled around to face his brother. "She left! She's flying home! How can it get any worse?" he asked as if his brother was insane. "I need to go and get her."

"No, you need to go and find out why Mama ambushed her at lunch today and what she said to make her run away from you," Noah said in a low, calm voice, noting the surprised look on Gideon's face twist into pain, followed quickly by building fury. "We warned you. Just because she hadn't interfered in your life before didn't mean that she wouldn't now. Geez man, why wouldn't you listen to us?"

"Mama did this?" Gideon ground out between clenched teeth.

"Marcella said she ambushed Viv at lunch. I didn't stick around for details, but something tells me it didn't go well. Look, if you have ever trusted me, trust me now. Talk to Papa. Don't give Mama the satisfaction. Let her know that she didn't just chase Viv away, she chased you away in the process. Ranting and raving at her now will only drag you into her drama and the games she plays," Noah advised, doubting that Gideon would listen to him but trying anyway. He pulled his phone from his pocket and called their father as Marcella hurried passed them, staying out of Gideon's line of sight.

As she passed them, Marcella smiled at Noah and mimed driving to indicate she was heading home. She couldn't be rude to them while she was staying in their apartment and driving their car, both of which she would need if she wanted to start on her own plans over the next few days. It was a shame that she was no longer interested in the boyfriend deal she had made with Noah, not after meeting his mother, but she would find another way to keep her father off her back. Hopefully, she would be able to organise a time to make a video call to her mother from Olivia, when and if Olivia ever admitted she had a family back in Perth, which was doubtful at the moment.

The legal help that she needed she could get from any family law practice. She would just do it secretively, so she didn't offend Noah, who had offered to help her without hesitation or uncomfortable questions when she had asked. The more she thought about it, the more she realised that she was probably better off not confiding her plans to the Zenatis. They were way too unpredictable with how they reacted to things. While Noah seemed quite normal, the rest of his family were obviously nutcases, so she was sure that, even though he might appear slightly more well-adjusted than his brothers, he was just as crazy.

She smiled, thinking of Vivienne's description of their Madrina, and was keen to meet the woman. She would keep that up her sleeve if she ever needed to distract Noah from looking too closely into what she would be busy with in the next few weeks. She drove home, becoming more determined to make a difference in her sister's life and to show her that she could be trusted and relied on to have her back.

*****

Vivienne smiled as the plane that she had rented landed. She was looking forward to going home and surrounding herself in the peace and tranquillity of her apartment. She had been dreaming about a long bath in her huge soaking-tub and having dinner delivered from her favourite restaurant. What she hadn't expected or wanted was a disappointed-looking Leighton waiting for her as she exited the small plane that had taken her home. She thought that she would have had more time to be locked in her apartment, where she could ignore him for at least a little while, before being confronted with what she had just done.

"Hey," Leighton said and gave her a soft smile. He held out his arms, and she stepped into them, feeling unshed tears sting her eyes. "Must have been pretty bad there to make you come home without warning or packing. Gideon was always a moron," he said softly, rubbing her back as he soothed her and felt her relax against him.

"No, it wasn't like that. Gideon didn't do anything wrong. It's me." Vivienne sighed and shook her head, unable to explain how she felt. "I just got really badly homesick and wanted to come home. Did he call?"

"No one called, but I always know when a plane requests to land here. I heard that it was you that had rented the plane and made the request. I'm not buying that Gideon wasn't the one who made you so homesick that you couldn't wait for me to send the jet or pack any luggage, but I won't push. Lydia, on the other hand, is livid with him and probably will push," he chuckled. "She's at your place now, filling your freezer with ice cream and your fridge with wine and cheese and pate, or whatever it is you girls are into at the moment."

"You didn't call him?" Vivienne arched an eyebrow.

"I figured that he probably didn't even realise you'd left, since I hadn't heard from him yet," Leighton returned her suspicious look. "I decided to let you tell me what was going on before I called and threatened to kick his ass."

"You are the best big brother ever, but he didn't do anything wrong, honestly. Just the opposite in fact. He couldn't have treated me better. I just needed to come home," Vivienne said and smiled, feeling loved and accepted rather than the fish out of water which constantly jumped out of the frying pan and got burned. She was beyond happy to be home and gave Leighton a smile. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

"Yes, but I could stand to hear it again," he chuckled. "Come on. Rick is waiting with the car."

"You both came?" she asked.

"When we found out who was on the plane requesting to land here, did you think we would just send a driver?" Leighton asked.

"I hoped," she said. "Aren't you all still busy chasing down Suebi sympathisers and keeping Lydia safe?"

"They aren't as active up here in the wilderness as they are in the bigger cities. It was more of a shipping and transport operation here. We flushed out a few pods in Broome though, thanks to the Tatar. Those guys are pretty amazing." Leighton filled her in as they walked. "Lydia has been a bit lost since Cat left for Melbourne. I'm not sure that she is dealing with what happened as well as we initially thought, so it's good to have you back."

"You should have said something. Lydia takes priority over anything else I was doing," Vivienne gasped. She loved her sister-in-law, and there wasn't much Vivienne wouldn't do for her.

"She's been keeping busy, and I don't think she gave herself time to stop and think about what happened here," he explained. "She's had counselling, but I think she'll be happier talking to you."

"Hey, you," Rick said as he stepped forward to hug her as they neared the car. "Let's go before Lydia calls again to see where we are." He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly.

"Hey, it's good to see you too," she chided him with a kiss to his cheek and climbed into the back of the car.

"No luggage. Did you murder someone and need to skip town in a hurry?" he chuckled. "I always knew you had that killer instinct. I just didn't think you'd take it this far."

"It was a close call, but everyone was breathing when I left," she laughed, feeling more and more like her old self. Why couldn't she just be herself in Darwin with Gideon and his family? Why did she always feel like she wasn't good enough, wasn't smart enough, wasn't pretty enough? She sighed to herself. She was better at home. These people loved her, and she was a better person because of that.

When they arrived at Vivienne's welcoming apartment, Lydia had pulled Vivienne into her arms and shooed both brothers away to watch football while they talked. It hadn't taken much for the whole story of the last two weeks to come pouring out of Vivienne. All of her mistakes and the strange hot and cool behaviour of Gideon. She left out the claims of love and proposal, knowing how ludicrous that would sound after only being there a few weeks. She spoke warmly of Marcella and Madrina and laughed at the old woman's antics, all the while telling Lydia how much she didn't fit in there.

"Yes, Gideon, she is here," Leighton said into his phone as he approached the kitchen door, speaking loud enough to get the women's attention. Vivienne shook her head. "Look, if she hasn't turned her phone back on, I'd say that's a pretty good sign that she doesn't want to talk about whatever happened yet... No, she hasn't said anything to me, yet... No, I don't think that would do anyone any good... Yes, I will tell her... Gideon, just chill man, she'll call when she's ready," Leighton sounded less than amused.

Both women listened carefully, grateful that Leighton had approached them as he took the call.

"Gideon, stop. Viv is my sister and you are my friend, but if I find out you hurt her in any way... No, she didn't say that, the opposite in fact, but what am I supposed to think with the mad dash home without even taking the time to pack her stuff? ... Yes, I'll call you later if she tells me anything," he sighed and ended the call. Then he turned to Vivienne and raised an eyebrow. "That man has lost his shit over the fact that you left. You want to tell me why?"

"He thinks he's in love with me," she mumbled, realising what a joke that was.

"Wait! What?" Lydia exclaimed. "You didn't tell me that part. Only that he was flirty one minute and scolding you for messing up the next."

"It doesn't matter. I know it wasn't real," Vivienne sighed.

"No, you don't. The Zenati men do not profess love, not ever unless... Did he have a heart attack while you were there?" Lydia demanded.

"What? No!" Vivienne said, but she had a flash of that first morning, when he had gone pale and rubbed at his chest. "At least I don't think so," she said quietly.

"We're going to need another bottle of wine," Lydia laughed, "because do I have a story to tell you.

"I can't remember when exactly, but at one of the mother's councils, the year before last I think, Peri Donati began asking Junie Zenati all sorts of strange questions about the history of the family, in particular, a story that she had heard about a curse. You know how she is with her family histories and books," Lydia said. "Anyway, one evening after dinner, the two of them went to the library to talk, and I came along, professing to love the quirky stories in each family's history and why they have certain traditions. You know like we have the Waterfall Moons, the Donatis are entertainers, and the Vitalis are treasure hunters. I knew that the big gathering festival for the Zenati was Halloween, so it didn't surprise me that there was a story about a witch's curse.

"The witch hunts weren't quite as ferocious in Italy as they were in other European countries, and the Italians didn't mind the Gypsy's and witches. However, the Church had other ideas. Apparently, the story goes, the son of a pious man, who was attempting to buy his way into heaven by patronising a rather fanatical bishop, came under scrutiny for recovering from an injury that should have killed him. It was one of those local battles between lords or whatever. During the investigation, however, it was discovered that the son had fallen in love with a young witch and had allowed her and her mother to live in a small community on one of his father's vast properties. The girl and her mother were gifted healers and belonged to a nearby community where other healers dwelled.

"The pious man evicted them at the fanatic's behest, but that wasn't enough for the bishop, who ordered them to be arrested and tried as heretics for their witchcraft. There was a lot more to the story, but it was a while ago. Now I'm not sure if I can remember all the details. I would have to contact Peri to see if she has had all of the information verified yet as well, but the lovers went through many trials, and always love brought them back together, until the young man was killed trying to save the woman he loved from execution. The young witch vowed revenge on the father of her dead lover and all the male heirs in the line of his family for listening to the bishop." Lydia paused and took a sip of her wine.

"Woah, this is a good story," Vivienne said, noticing, for the first time that both Leighton and Rick were in the kitchen with them listening to Lydia's retelling of the story.

"The story goes that the young witch escaped her execution because of her lover's sacrifice and formed a mighty coven. Then she cursed the family with a love curse. It is said that no male heir of that family line would ever know romantic love until they met their one true love, destined through time to be their soul mate. Each man who did meet his love would have to go through trials to earn her love in return. Only those true of heart would win the love they craved, or they would live their lives suffering for the one they lost." She paused again and looked at the rapt faces so engrossed in her story.

"That can't be it, how do they suffer? How do they recognise the one who is meant for them?" Vivienne asked.

"Junie said that, according to her husband and the men she had spoken with about the curse, it feels like someone had reached in and wrapped a giant hand around their heart and squeezed it, much like they had a heart attack. But when they go to see a doctor, there are no physical symptoms. It's been like that for generations. They say the pain subsides to a bearable level, but doesn't go away entirely until they have won the love of the woman who is their curse breaker. A few have tried to get around the curse, using affection rather than love to woo the woman, or the woman does not feel that deep love in return, and the curse never leaves, making him suffer all the more. Once broken, though, it's gone for good, and the world around them fills with love and affection," Lydia said with a smile, ending the story on a happy note.

"Okay," Leighton frowned. "Let's go back to why you told us this story?"

"Because, silly, the Zenati men don't fall in love or, I should say, they only fall in love once in their lifetime, and they do not use that word as a throw-away like so many others do. They can't, or so Junie says," Lydia shrugged. "According to her, if Gideon told you that he loved you, then he believes you are his curse breaker and his one true love. He is probably having chronic chest pain right now thinking he lost you, and that's probably why Leighton says he sounds like he's losing his shit."

"I wonder how that works for the Oracle-Chair relationship. Is the Oracle fated never to meet his one? Does he share the breaking of the curse? Does he have his own love that he keeps hidden like a Kept?" Rick mused.

"It's just a story," Vivienne laughed. "You can't seriously tell me that you believe in curses now?"

"There are more than a few people who wouldn't believe in what I do as the Oracle or the powers of the Tatar, who have yet to give us bad information, or give any of the families bad information for that matter. Is a curse such a stretch of the imagination?" Rick asked.

*****

"Serafina," Armando said and greeted his only daughter with a hug.

"Hi Papa," she smiled and enjoyed the warm smothering embrace that her father gave her before stepping aside so her father could greet her mother with the usual public display of affection.

"Armando, right on time," Tatianna smiled, sweeping into the room, looking beautiful in an evening gown. "I'm so looking forward to this dinner," she said leaning in close and embracing him, placing her cheek against his so as not to mess up her perfect lipstick line.

"The dinner was cancelled, my love," Armando said and stepped away rather than nuzzling his wife's neck as he normally would have in this situation. "I will still take you and Serafina to dinner if you would like, of course."

"Cancelled?" Tatianna frowned and looked at her husband. "Gideon asked me to come. Why would he cancel after I spent half the day on a plane coming to the city for him? I will just call him and remind him of his manners. This is inexcusable," she said, as if it was a personal insult to her.

"Put down your phone. He is in the hospital," Armando held up his hand to stop her from crying out dramatically. "Calm down, my love, Hector and Noah are with him. He has had an episode, and they will monitor him. At least we talked him out of flying anywhere tonight," he sighed. "He was fairly determined to go after Vivienne when she left without warning today. Just out of the blue, she up and left, without even a word to him."

"What do you mean, an episode?" Tatianna demanded, ignoring Sera who had gone pale and tried to speak and tell her father exactly why Vivienne had left without a word to anyone. "Forget the dinner. Take me to my son!" Tatianna said in the same demanding tone.