Sweetening the Pot

[Alex]

The boy wanted to call her again. He could do that he supposed. Let him lovingly tell Aria that her father was better than she thought, it would really hit home then. Giordano hit redial on his phone. "Lets." He held the phone up to the boy's ear. "Tell her you love her. Tell her that I am with you and that she has it all wrong, son. Tell her your last goodbye."

****

Lucas smiled, relief coursing through him, easing his heart. He could talk to Aria, tell her he loved her. When he saw her again...something hiccupped for a moment. What was he thinking? When he saw her again...damn! It wouldn't come. Something about the next time. He looked at the man with the loving concern in his eyes and felt himself relax. It would be ok, the eyes said. Ok. It would be ok.

He heard the ring and then the call went to voicemail. He smiled at the man encouragingly. "Aria, it's me. I just wanted to talk to you. I miss you."
For a moment he felt an empty ache in his chest and for some reason he wanted to cry. He didn't know why. He swallowed. "I just wanted to tell you how much I love you. And how proud I am of you."
He remembered her standing up to Ascendancy, her fearlessness. Pride filled him. He also remembered that first night, her deep loneliness, and how she had opened up to him from the beginning. He remembered her tears.

Again, he felt that stab of ache in his heart. Why was he so sad? She made him happy. She was so strong. "I am so proud of you Aria. I am proud to know you."
Nox's words came to him. Or maybe it was just a sensation. Whatever it was, he knew that there were things about her that he didn't yet know. He looked at the old man and felt the peace wash over him. "I know that there are things I don't know. I know that. But it doesn't make me love you less. You, more than anyone, have been given a difficult path. You have suffered and endured what few have. But you have never given up. And that is why I love you."


It seemed odd, his saying those things. He had wanted to tell her that her father was a good man. He had wanted to tell her that they had been wrong about him. But this...this seemed right. It felt right. He looked at the man. "I'm sorry. I just need to tell her this."


****

Giordano nodded, It's alright tell her what I told you to say though. Tell her she's wrong about me." The boy was spouting his love for her, the pride in his voice it radiated from his body and Giordano felt like getting sick, it was so sappy sweet.

Giordano encouraged the boy, he knew that Aria would hear him coaching her lover, "Tell her I'm a good person."

****

Lucas nodded. She did need to know. "He's a good man, Aria. Your father. I hope that we can all get together."
He smiled at the thought that occurred to him. "It will be a family reunion."
His smile faded and for some reason that sadness returned. "I hope you are safe. I hope you are good. I miss you. I love you Aria. The best day of my life was the day you walked into my shop. I hope you come home soon. I..."
He felt wetness on his cheek. Why was he crying? He sniffed, tried to keep the grief that seemed to want to come out of his voice. "Sorry. I'm not sure what's wrong. I can't wait to see you again, Aria. I love you."


His heart was pounding and for some reason the tears kept falling. He dropped his head down and sobs wracked his body. He looked up and his tears distorted the image before him. The kindly old man looked like a demon. Lucas squeezed his eyes shut and prayed. He became aware of his own voice. "Oh God, oh God, oh God...."
He couldn't stop crying.

****

The boy was ruining all the fun. But it was all well and good. He removed the phone from the boy's ear and spoke softly into the speaker, "My dear daughter, I told you I had something dear to you. Listen to him cry. He knows what is in store. Do come see me when you get this." Giordano hung up the phone and looked at the boy. "You did well." He ran a finger along the base of his skull and sent the boy his pain and his loss at the thought of his daughter, slaughtered by a man wearing that wretched tattoo.

If he wanted to cry, let him cry. Giordano poured sadness, grief and loss down the boy's spine. He wanted to make the well so deep he couldn't crawl out of it. Fall! "Her kind killed my daughter. You will pay that price before I take her from this world." Giordano could feel the pain and his own suffering as he poured it all into Lucas. Everything that hurt went into it. He would be the conduit to which he extracted his revenge.

[[with lucas]]