"Where is she?" Celeste was already almost throwing everything to the side, including a poor Ella, for her prized grandchild, Sofia.

"Madre," Damien tossed her a warning look, his green eyes filled now with more joy and humor than the hard and disciplined look he used to carry before.

In his arms was his Sofia, clutching onto her dad's shoulders, well, the material of the soft burgundy sweater he wore. Her hands were still far too tiny to hold onto many things. She was just a small four years old, resembling her petite mother overall with her tiny features, dark hair, and the same pools of honey for eyes. It seemed as though she had gotten her dad's wavy curls, though. Thick curls laid elegantly over her shoulders.

"Want to come to nonna?" Celeste clapped her hands, smiling widely.

[Grandmother]

"Honey, you're going to scare her with that smile." Romano stepped forward, taking Sofia from her father's reluctant arms.

Sofia was still very attached to her parents, only ever running into Stefanie's or Timotheo's arms. It seemed as though her aunt and maternal grandfather spoiled her the most. As for Damien, he was as happy as ever to have his little girl so attached to him.

"You want to go see Ciccio?" Romano bribed the little girl into grinning to go see her pet bunny in her grandparent's backyard. She had gushed about a bunny once, and Romano quickly went back the next day to adopt one.

[Fat guy]

"She is just so adorable! I mean," Celeste sighed with adoration.

Ever since Ella gave birth to Sofia, Sofia had turned to be the center of attention for everyone's world, even their trusted Golden, Rufus. Everyone basically fought to hold her and babysit her. It only made Damien and Ella feel even more comforted that their daughter was going to grow up in a warm and comforted environment.

"Mami," Sofia turned in Ella's arms, tired of sitting for so long. She wanted to go outside and play with Ciccio by herself, but she was too timid to ask in front of everyone.

[Mommy]

"What's up?" Ella whispered back, gazing down at the little honey pools for eyes that her daughter had.

"Can I go play with Ciccio?" Sofia reached for her mom's necklace that hung right over her collarbones.

"Sure. You know to stay only in the backyard, right?" Ella ser her down, fixing the bow on her head and tightening her jacket around her.

"Where is she going?" Damien frowned, clearly having missed a part of his family's conversation.

"Outside with her bunny," Ella explained, patting Sofia on the back as Sofia took off with a shy smile, her little feet scampering until the back door opened and closed.

Celeste sighed in content, clasping her hands in front of her with a wide smile. "I want another one."

"Madre!" Damien exclaimed. Romano only laughed heartily at his wife's eagerness for another grandchild.

"Sofia is going to need a play date!"

"Sofia can have friends." Damien grumbled, the memories of his wife suffering from her pregnancy still fresh in his mind.

"But having siblings is different,"

"I grew up without siblings. So did Padre. I can't remember the last time you've even seen yours-"

"Now, now, i miei fratelli-"

[my siblings]

The conversation quickly turn Italian, and Ella was only catching small words here and there when the front door suddenly was opened loudly, a soft cry being heard.

In an instant, Damien was rushing for the front door, surprised to see his long lost best friend, Selena. He hadn't seen her in years, but what surprised him the most was his little girl crying in her arms and her face grim.

Taking his sobbing daughter into his arms, he frowned at Selena, wondering just what she was up to now after years and years.

"I'm guessing that's your kid if those pictures you sent me are anything to go by." Selena raised a dark brow, her hair no longer a dirty blonde but a dark, chocolate brown.

"What happened?! Why is she crying? Selena?" Celeste immediately started firing questions, wondering if Selena was the cause of her grandchild's hiccuping cries.

"Come on, muñeca, use your words. What happened?" Ella softly brushed Sofia's hair from her teary and pink-tinted face from her emotional state.

"Selena?" Damien found himself getting frustrated at the situation.

His daughter was inconsolably crying, something that didn't happen easily and often, and Selena was just standing with an unreadable and dim expressed by the door, explaining nothing.

"How am I supposed to know?! I just saw some toddler wailing outside and took her in. Aren't you guys the parents?" Selena huffed, "I just landed and this is how I'm received?"

"Damien," Ella quietly warned, still curious to know what exactly happened, but she didn't want to pin the blame on Selena with no evidence.

"It had to have been something. Sofia doesn't just cry like this for no reason." Damien handed the child to Ella, stepping outside to scour the area. Perhaps Sofia had seen a person or animal that frightened her. He couldn't think of another explanation.

At least, not until he found Ciccio bloodied and splattered on the road, clearly having been run over.

"Now that makes more sense, doesn't it?" Selena voiced from behind him.

Damien sighed, still tense.

"I'm... I'm sorry. I just, I saw my daughter and-"

He was cut off by a tight hug from Selena, one that he didn't know how exactly to respond to.

"Relax; I'm not in love with you anymore. This is just a 'I missed you, bestie' type of hug." Selena murmured, her voice muffled. Damien was still stiff for a few more seconds before Selena pulled back. "That's cool, too, I guess." She chuckled.

Damien stared back at her, dumbfounded.

"I... I owe you an apology, actually." Selena sighed, looking down before kicking a rock out of nervousness. "I was supposed to be your best friend. The one that cheered the loudest at your wedding, the one that cried with you for the positive pregnancy test, the one that waited outside of the waiting room to become a proud auntie. I was supposed to be your sister." Selena looked up, "so I'm sorry."

Damien stared, blinking slowly. "You disappeared..."

"I know," Selena sniffed, forcing her selfish tears back in. "I actually did get all of your messages, the one about your positive pregnancy test, the Merry Christmas ones, the Happy Birthday ones... even the one about Sofie's year old birthday get-together."

"Sofie?" Damien smiled a little at Selena's nickname for his daughter.

Selena blushed a little. "I just... she looks a lot like her mom. Ellie, Sofie-"

Damien yanked her in for a hug, a real and strong hug.

"Okay, big guy!" Selena huffed, surprised by his strength.

"I missed you... you know, the real you." Damien smiled as he pulled away, seeing how Selena's actual real smile come out. That one that showed a bit of her gums, the one that she would show whenever her and Vincent would play tricks on Damien, or whenever Damien and her actually did well on a test they had studied for together while Vincent snored away his concerns.

"Yeah, I missed me, too." Selena nodded, looking back down to kick another rock. "But present me to your daughter! I have a lot of catching up to do."

Walking back inside, Ella had already calmed down the crying Sofia, tucked into her side was the hiccuping little girl, her face hidden in her mom's neck.

"How is she?" Damien sat beside Ella, tossing an arm behind the seat of where Ella was.

"She's okay, just scared. I think her bunny... passed away," Ella explained, only guessing from the blubbering that she had somehow managed to understand from the four year old.

Damien nodded, "yeah, it was on the road." He ran a hand down his jaw, thinking of how they were going to have to handle this situation later. For now, he focused on the fact that Selena was back and back for good.

Later that night, after Sofia had been put to sleep, Ella was on the sofa back in their home, waiting for the movie to start.

"She seemed happier, more free that last time I saw her," Ella yawned, pulling the blanket in her la higher on her body while she waited patiently for Damien to return so she could steal his warmth.

"Yeah. She apologized, you know. For not being a good friend," Damien revealed, moving to sit right next to Ella.

"I think that distancing trip did her well. Maybe what she needed was to realize that she could do things herself and that she would be okay. For the longest time, you guys had been a trio, and then it abruptly became a duo. She probably confused her fear of losing you and her deep love for you as someone important in her life for a partner type of love." Ella thought curiously, her psychological cogs turning in her brain.

Damien only stared at her with a smile in amazement. "I love you." He cupped her face, turning her towards him. "You've been through so much. Me overworking you, the whole suing battle, your attacks, my parents' rudeness, Selena constant judgement, and you're still here, with me, as bright as ever."

"You've through it all just as much as me, Damien," Ella chuckled, only moving to settle against his chest, feeling him kiss her head.

"Of course, you'd say something like that." Damien chuckled, shaking his head at Ella's own way of undermining her achievements and issues. She was as resilient as always.

Halfway into the movie, Damien realized something, though.

"Hey, amore, isn't this that move we watch on our first date-" He looked down to see her completely out. Her head had settled on his shoulder, a movement he now considered as normal, that he hadn't looked at her until now. "Just like the very first time," Damien sighed, moving to very carefully pull her over him.

He laid back, practically cradling Ella against his chest as he found a comfortable position for the both of them, keeping a secure arm around her back to keep her safe from moving off.

Suddenly, he heard little foot steps, a sound he had gotten accustomed to always looking out for. That and her small voice that would sometimes call out in the night.

"What's the matter, Sof?" He waved his hand over to his little princess, Rufus right behind her as always. The pup had grown to always be around Sofia, especially at night time, and it gave the parents a peace of mind to know that she had a protector and friend every single night besides her parents.

"I can't sleep," she stopped at foot of the couch, seeing her mommy sleeping quietly over her daddy. She was too afraid to wake her up if she crawled on top, too. She had crawled into their bed some nights, practically separating her parents by pushing herself in between their bodies before they'd wake up, only turning to cover her with the blankets and whisper a goodnight right before they'd all fall asleep again.

Damien reached around, swiftly picking up Sofia and settling her on the other side of his chest. "Nightmare?" He kissed Sofia's head, the scent strong of strawberries from her earlier bath.

Sofia nodded, fixing her position into a comfortable one.

"It's okay, princess. They're just mind tricks." He promised, reaching to turn off the television. It looked like they would all be sleeping on the couch tonight. Even Rufus moved around before finally settling down at the foot of the sofa.

Damien yawned, hoping that Ella wouldn't ask him about how the movie ended this time again.

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