This Fire Burns, Always

[BeautifullyxMad]

Nichole mulled over his name. Jackson. It was unique in a sense, but she rather enjoyed it. "I'd rather stick to Jackson, and I'd prefer it if you stuck to Nichole." she told him, accepting the piece of paper and placing it down on the table before she scribbled down something on it.

Nichole
(555) 432-0507
after 9, call me.

She stuck the pen back in her purse before folding the sheet of paper and handing it to him. "Hang on to that, Jackson. I'd hate to let someone so interesting get away." she commented before taking up her umbrella and nodding her head slightly before waving to Daniel who smiled to her. "See you later, Daniel."

"Good day, Nichole." he waved and she got out to the car and closed herself in after sitting beside her sister and she took up her phone and looked to something her father had sent her and then to Sara, and to Damon who turned back around to look at them.

"What was that all about?" he asked her, but Nichole just looked at him.

"Just some guy." she said, her face turning to look out the window. "No need to worry about it, Damon. Just a pushy guy who earned a fake number." she told him, and when he seemed satisfied, Nichole allowed herself to watch the ice cream shoppe for a few more minutes. She had given him her real number, but they didn't need to know that. "By the way, good intuition on assuming the role of our brother, but think it through a little more, alright? Can't have any sloppiness in our line of work, m'kay?" she said and as they drove away. Nichole then turned to Sara and sighed. "Are we going to have movie night tonight?" she asked her sister.

For the last three weeks, Nichole had cancelled on her plans with Sara because her work got in the way, but tonight her father had given everyone the night off and all of the family would be at their large house for dinner. It was how it always was anymore on this day.

-&-

Damon nodded to Sara when she spoke to him. He was glad to hear there was no where else to go, and he soon studied Sara's face at her last comment. "It is a little odd. Most guys would have taken a hint. He was either really ballsy and oblivious, or he was just a bit off as it was. Wasn't anyone we know as an O'Connell, so no imminent danger." he spoke, though something was nagging at him. He had been told time and time again by the other recruits that the sisters could take care of themselves, but still he was a bit hesitant about the whole thing.

When Nichole finally got in the car and spoke, he headed off after their brief conversation. He didn't want to butt in, but it certainly made him wonder why she was so polite to the guy that was so obviously rude. It was beyond what he was able to understand, but moving down the wet streets made him put the incident farther back into his mind. There was no need to make a big deal about this.

When he pulled up to the Amato home, he saw the other cars already there. He recalled that tonight was a huge Family dinner where they weren't supposed to discuss work. Apparently a tradition, at least according to Antonio. Damon parked and let the girls out and he saw Giorgio come out of the home with a grey haired older man beside him who smiled to them. He knew the man as Gerard Amato, the original Family head. He watched as the two men came down, umbrellas over their heads to greet the girls.

"Sara, Nichole. Everything alright?" he asked them, kissing his daughters' cheeks and then Gerard following in suit.

"There's my little girl!" he said, hugging Sara. Damon could recall Antonio speaking of how the younger Amato daughter was the grandfather's favorite, but soon he held the umbrellas over their heads and walked with them inside.

[LeighaMoscove]

Jackson took the paper with a smile, "I'll be sure not to lose it." He was completely serious. For some reason, this girl fascinated him. He wondered for a moment if the number was even real, her siblings didn't seem too fond of her so maybe she felt the same, but he quickly shrugged it off. If she wanted to be left alone she could have just left when they did. Instead, she stayed behind to give him the number. He chuckled to himself when she left. He could only hope that she really as interesting as he made her out to be. With the way they were all trying to shrug her off, he had to believe so. He also didn't want to lose her because she was beautiful. Did it really always have to come down to that? Yes. It was a sight that interested him immediately. Honestly, he was never one to choose a girl based on her looks, but it was a deciding factor. How could any guy turn a girl such as her away?

He finished his coffee and left the ice cream shop. On his way out, he gave Daniel a wave. He got in his car and went on his way home. It would be a while before he needed to do anything, but he mentally went through his schedule in his head. Would he be able to call her at nine? There were several things that he needed to get done, but she would be worth the hassle of making room for a call. Nothing could be that important.

---

When Nichole came back, Sara didn't ask anything. Instead, Damon had asked what was on her mind. For Nichole to stay behind to give the guy a fake number was odd, but perhaps her sister had doe so to prevent him from going any further. She would have to ask later. If Nichole wasn't about to tell Damon what had happened, she figured that it was best not to push it. Yes, she would certainly have to ask later. At Damon's observation of the guy, Sara said, "He could just be stupid. Even if he doesn't know who we are he should have taken the hint and left." That made Sara think for a moment, "He was odd."

Movie night? Yes, Sara had almost forgotten about the movie night that they had been trying to plan for three weeks. Sara nodded her head eagerly, "We better be having movie night tonight! It's been three weeks and this is the first night that you're free." Sara absolutely loved her sister, and was glad to get any moment that she could with her.

Sara returned the hug with a giggle before following them inside.

[BeautifullyxMad]

Damon wasn't necessarily used to such affectionate displays from members of The Family. Especially to other members, but these people were blood relatives. He assumed that a lot came with the day. Antonio had barely briefed him on the day, but he had learned a lot from Giovanni, the captain that he had been reporting to for the actual dirty work he did. Apparently, a long time ago, when the war with the O'Connells wasn't as big as it was, a hit had been called on the three Amato women. However, the girls were spending the day with their father and when they returned Mrs. Amato was dead. A lot had changed since then apparently, and those who were in the family then could only tell stories of how ruthless the Amato blood was. They said that the "runt" was Sara. That she was almost too sweet. Gerard, the original Don, had been ruthless when he was in charge. Giorgio was ruthless, and so was Nichole. Most were afraid of them by name, and most people had no idea that the female was even in The Family. Rumors were that the daughters moved with their grandfather to Italy.

Damon shook his head slightly and when they entered the large home he could smell the Italian cooking already. It smelled delicious. "I hate how everyone just assumes that this is pure Italian." Gerard spoke to his youngest granddaughter. "Spaghetti and meatballs. It's actually very American." he informed her, and Damon couldn't help but to smile slightly at the way that the eldest Amato spoke, and he looked to the elder daughter with her father, who seemed to be having a very private conversation.

He shook his head. It wasn't any of his business. He wanted to move up in the family, not just stay a recruit, so he had to remain composed and not let these things get to him. "There you are Damon! Come here!" Giovanni called from the other end of the room they entered and Damon walked over and sat down beside Giovanni. "I understand that tonight everyone has off, but tomorrow morning, I have a job for you." he said, handing Damon a piece of paper. "I'll give you the details there."

-&-

Nichole smiled, well her version of smiling, to Sara. "Of course. Better have a good line-up picked out though." she said, and Nichole soon fell in step with her father who looked at her. Nichole could feel his eyes on her and she turned her head to him slightly. "Si, papi?" she whispered to him and he sighed. For a long moment he said nothing, his eyes just on her, and soon he gave a small smile.

"Nothing, sweetheart." he spoke, quietly back, but Nichole gave him a look and he nodded a bit. "I was just surprised to see that The Angel was in your purse."

"Wasn't with me near the grave site, papi. I promise." she assured him and he nodded.

"So, what are you doing tonight?" he asked her, and she allowed her eyes to look over to Sara who appeared to be getting a lesson in Italian cooking. She would have allowed herself to smile again, but for a long time a real smile on Nichole's face was genuinely rare. She gave odd half-smiles, even phantom smiles, but it was hard to recall the last time she actually smiled.

"Sister night. I've been cancelling on Sara a lot lately. We need it." she answered and he nodded as they took their places at the table. Giorgio sat at the head, Nichole to his right and Sara to his left. Beside Sara was their grandfather and beside Nichole was Antonio. Nichole's thoughts drifted to the odd man from today though, Jackson. He was genuinely interesting. Wait... Was she really thinking about him? That was more than just a little odd, and before it showed on her face, Nichole took up the glass of red wine placed before her and took a long sip.

[LeighaMoscove]

When Jackson got home, the room went silent. He was at the receiving end of glares from Murphy as well as the other two advisers. It was obvious that the only reason why no one else dared to do so was because they knew better. Only three people could get away with criticizing Jackson, and that was Murphy O'Connell, Douglas Macpherson, and Reginald Macpherson. No one was happy with Jackson at this moment though. Jackson's father, Murphy, stood, and everyone else went about their business pretending to ignore the two, but both knew that they were eavesdropping.

"Jackson, I here you didn't visit Johnny to pay your respects. I'm quite disappointed, particularly because you promised to be there." Murphy's disapproval was obvious in his tone.

Rolling his eyes, Jackson replied, "You know that there's only one reason that could bring me to the cemetery, and it's not some idiot that got himself killed because he was snooping where he shouldn't."

"Johnny was a good man, and he did a lot for us."

There was no reason that Jackson could see to respect Johnny, but he didn't want to argue with his father. Johnny was an idiot, but not stupid enough to tear apart Jackson's respect for his father. Murphy interrupted his thoughts, "If you can't be bothered to visit Johnny, then I'll give you an excuse to avoid the family meetings. Here's two jobs that I need done tomorrow." He handed Jackson a couple of slips of paper. Jackson knew what Murphy was saying. If he wouldn't meet the family to pay his respects to Johnny, then he shouldn't be meeting with the family to discuss The Family. It seems that Murphy thought his son was trying to challenge him by not showing yesterday, and he wasn't about to have that despite the fact that Jackson would take his place if something were to happen to Murphy. As far as their family was concerned, Murphy still had a long life in front of him and Jackson shouldn't be trying to take his place too soon.

Nodding to his father, Jackson took the papers and read them over. It was annoying, but he had to do it. The assignments that his father had just assigned him are what Jackson would call lackey work. It certainly wasn't anything worth missing the meetings and doing his job as an adviser, but orders were orders. Murphy would refuse to budge, even for his only son. Without a word, Jackson went to his room to prepare his things for tomorrow.

---

Sara nodded cheerfully at her sister, "Of course there's a good list lined up!" Then she skipped happily off with Gerard. Of course Sara knew she was his favorite, and she loved it. If Nichole had seemed bothered by it, Sara wouldn't enjoy it as much as she did. It all boiled down to that Sara was the sweet and innocent one. Most people called her the "runt" of the family because she refused to be ruthless. In all honesty, Sara just thought there was too much toughness among the family, and someone had to be sweet to even it out. There was that, and the fact that someone like Nichole could not run a restaurant. While Sara loved her sister, Nichole would probably scare people off more than be friendly. Sometimes Sara wondered if she was the only person other than her father that Nichole could be friendly to. Having anyone else run the restaurant would be horrible. If the O'Connells saw a familiar face running the place it could cause problems for the business. That really only left the daughters that few knew existed.

Speaking of restaurant, "At least you understand." Sara had a fit a few weeks back about the idea of serving spaghetti in their restaurant. Everyone was saying how it was an Italian restaurant, and people expected spaghetti at one, but Sara had hoped for an authentic Italian restaurant with authentic Italian food, not some knock off American version. Unfortunately, her sweetness was what ended that argument. How could she continue to argue when she felt bad about it? It was obvious who was the least threatening out of them, and it was Sara. It also helped that they brought up what the customers would want. If they wanted spaghetti, then that was what the place would have to serve. That was part of what made Sara look up to her sister. If her sister wanted something, it would happen. Nichole would refuse to budge, unlike Sara. Everyone constantly mentioned how they were complete opposites.

That reminded her, "Oh! It's fresh made tomato sauce, yes? You know I hate that canned stuff." It was part of running a restaurant. Over time, she's learned that the best food can only be made fresh and she's gotten picky. In truth, that was probably the only thing that Sara would truly get upset over. Food was probably the one thing she loved the most other than her family, and Sara considered it her calling. The only reason why she wasn't a chef at the restaurant was because she was needed to run it, but that never stopped her from making sure that whoever did cook the food made it perfectly. "Bread sticks too! I love eating garlic bread with spaghetti!" It had become a habit to dip garlic bread in the left over tomato sauce, Sara thought it made the food taste better. While Sara preferred authentic Italian food, she could enjoy spaghetti if it was done right, which she knew her family would do. Sara would eat anything, but it had to be made perfectly.

[BeautifullyxMad]

Nichole's eyes fluttered over the table after a while. Her mind was elsewhere, and she felt her father's hand come over and pat her arm. She looked over to the man who gave her a gentle smile and she nodded to him, taking up her wine glass and taking another small sip, and she sighed. "Something wrong, Nichole?" Antonio's voice came and Nichole shook her head. "You seem very distraught. Are you sure there is nothing you want to discuss?"

"Very sure." she answered, calmly, and Antonio nodded.

"I've never seen you like this. Are you sure?" he persisted and she nodded. "Alright. Well, then, onto more mannered conversation then. How was your visit?" he asked her.

"Quiet. As usual. A few people walked around near me, but that has never bothered me. The O'Connells were there burying that poor guy that I killed a few days ago, but other than that it was quiet. Sara and I went to the ice cream shoppe, like always, and then we came home. It was quite ordinary. Not like last year." she commented, and Antonio nodded as the house phone rang. Nichole excused herself and she answered the phone. "Amato residence." she spoke.

"Is Sara there?" the other end came, and Nichole looked over to her sister who was talking with their grandfather.

"What is it?" she inquired. "If it's unimportant then I would ask you to handle it yourselves."

"It is important." the other end assured her and Nichole placed her palm against the phone and walked over to Sara and tapped her shoulder.

"Sara, it's the restaurant." she whispered, handing her the cordless house phone before she took her seat on the other side of the table again.

-&-

Damon felt odd sitting at the table. For the last few months all Damon had been doing was running around doing the things for the Family that needed done and tonight no one was absent. All of them were there from Recruits to Don to even old members and it seemed family friends. The room was full of people and there was plenty of conversation going on. Apparently Damon wasn't the only one having trouble figuring out just what to do at the moment. He'd been a driver today, and even so it was just because Giorgio had asked him to do so. Personally.

He took up his glass of red wine and looked over the table to Sara and her grandfather. It was odd to see everyone so different than the normal business, but there were a few others who were still in their own mode. He just assumed others could relax and others could not. It was just odd to him. Almost foreign. Even at home he was on edge, and he had a feeling that everyone else here was too, but they were all oddly relaxed now.

The phone rang and a few of them jumped, but Nichole answered the phone and then brought it over to Sara. That was odd, who would be calling now.

[sorry this is terrible. I have been a bit blargh lately.]

[LeighaMoscove]

When the phone rang, Sarah look confused. Didn't people know what day it was? It was probably the only day that someone couldn't get away with The Family for whatever reason. They were supposed to be relaxing right now, not dealing with whatever problems were going on with the people beneath them. Of course, she had not expected the phone to be handed her way. If it weren't for the fact that she had heard her sister asking just moments ago if it was important, Sara would have told them to deal it with themselves.Still, couldn't they do it themselves? How hard was it to deal with a restaurant for one night? This was getting annoying quickly, and Sara showed her irritation by grabbing the phone from her sister and slamming the door as she left the room to go somewhere more quiet. It was rare that she show her anger, or even get mad, but right now was the perfect example of a good time to get upset.

"What do you want?" Sarah snapped into the phone. Even with the door between them, it was obvious to by the tone of Sara's muffled voice that she was upset.

"The delivery never came today, so the chef doesn't have the ingredients to make the more popular dishes."

"Substitute something. I'm not a cook, so I wouldn't know what to do."

"Yes, well people are complaining about the recipe change and this is the third time someone's demanded to see a manager."

"Do you know what you've interrupted? I thought you said you could handle this one day without needing me there."

"I know what I said, but..."

"Whatever, I'll be there in a minute." Sara snapped before hanging up. She stormed back into the room before saying, "Sorry I have to leave. Apparently they're having troubles at the restaurant and they can't handle it themselves." Sara gave her sister a sad look, "Can we still have the movie night when I get back? I don't know how long I'll be."

((OOC: I'm not posting for Jackson because nothing is really happening on his end. I believe we said that Sara would work at the restaurant more the next day and JAckon would scope out then, yes?))