The Twelve Vitali Ch. 17

Cat had been in the facility for almost three weeks and had been given very few freedoms. She'd been able to speak to Matteo only twice, and she was starting to feel stir crazy. The fact that Kalum had resisted escorting any of the available cadets or Kept here until Marcus had suggested that Cat may be a suitable option had been a pleasant surprise, and she was looking forward to seeing him and being outside of the main facility in which she lived and trained.

Once she was close to where the other trainees lived, Kate left her to go and have lunch with the other girls in training.

*****

"Are you ready, Cinderella?" Matteo called up the stairs to his sister.

"I am!" she called back and appeared at the top of the stairs in shimmering pink. "I haven't been to a ball in forever. I'm sorry Cat isn't here to go with you, but I'm awfully glad you asked me." She swished her skirt as she stepped carefully down the stairs.

"Which charity is this for again?" she asked.

"Returned Services League," he said trying to keep his answer vague. "I believe your man will be returning soon, won't he?"

"Gosh, I hope so, but you never know. I'm hoping next weekend though. I hate not being able to at least call Kalum and talk to him. Sorry," she gave Matteo a crooked smile. "You're probably feeling it worse than I am right now. At least Kalum came home in the middle of his six weeks. Do you know how long they will keep Cat?"

"At least another week," Matteo grumbled. "Maybe they'll come back together," he said, knowing it wouldn't happen by trying to keep up the ruse that tonight she was filling in for Cat as his date to a charity ball in a regional centre of Victoria.

"Well, hello, Cinderella," Ricco said as they walked into the library to collect Roberto. "This whole being a Siamese twin thing is paying off all the time. We get to be seen escorting the belle of the ball, and you get two dates." He chuckled, teasing his sister.

"I won't be joining you after all," Roberto said from the library door. "Your Papa is grumbling that I am attending way too many parties since his illness," he rolled his eyes heavenward. "I trust you three will represent our family appropriately."

"We'll be fine, I'm taking my conscience with me," Matteo mirrored his father's heavenward eye roll.

"Knox is waiting for you, enjoy yourselves. I will expect a full report when you return home tomorrow night," Roberto smiled as three of his children left the house looking happy. It was a joy for him to think that four of his five older children would be happily settled into family life before his condition began to become public knowledge. He wished he approved of Vanessa's choice, but she couldn't be dissuaded from joining the Savoy family at this point, despite the fact that it was her mother's family.

Matteo relaxed once they were in the car and heading to the airport. He'd spoken to the pilots and had the flight plan lodged so that no announcements would be necessary and give away the surprise for his sister. Knox wouldn't be coming with them this trip; they had taken Matteo's small jet to be able to land at the compound rather than in Canberra.

The flight took an hour, and the afternoon sun hung low in the sky as they arrived and were picked up by a steward and escorted to the compound. Mia seemed to not notice where they were, accepting the military style dress of most people as part of the charity they had come to support. Matteo's nervousness that she may realise where they were was unfounded as they were shown to a townhouse to settle their overnight bags.

"We're so early," Mia frowned at her brothers. "The ball doesn't start until six or seven, does it?" She asked as she took her bag from Ricco and started up the stairs.

"There's a small private ceremony before the ball that we've been invited to watch, but no matter who or what you see there you have to stay silent until it is over. Promise me, or we can't go," Matteo gave a small smile as his sister turned to look at him suspiciously.

"We're not joining a cult, are we? This isn't some Scientology initiation, is it?" she narrowed her eyes further.

"Joining a cult? We grew up in one!" Ricco laughed loudly. "Just promise him so we can go already."

"Okay, I promise," Mia laughed. "Just let me choose the best room."

"There's only one room, Mia, we're staying next door," Ricco said easily.

"I'm staying next door, Ricco is sleeping on your couch to make sure you're safe," Matteo chuckled.

"What the hell is going on with you two tonight? I'm starting to miss Papa already," Mia complained as she came back downstairs.

"Who, us? Nothing wrong with me? Anything wrong with you?" Matteo asked Ricco.

"Not that I'm aware of. Did my suit jacket get creased in the plane?" Ricco asked, turning around. "You know how I like to look extra pretty at a ball," he grinned.

"Meh, you look okay, but I understand it's hard to stand in my shadow at these things," Matteo said in a deadpan voice, winking at Mia.

"You both look very handsome," she shook her head. "I will be quiet, I promise."

"Let's go then," they both offered Mia their elbows, and the three siblings left the townhouse and walked toward the larger building. As if suddenly realising this wasn't a country town, Mia slowed her walk. "You promised to be quiet, remember," Matteo whispered in her ear as he realised she had worked out where they were. They kept walking slowly and entered the main foyer where they were directed to the auditorium.

Mia clutched her brother's hands as they took their seats, and she scanned the graduating class for one man. It was difficult to tell the men apart from all the other tall, muscular dark men who sat with their backs to her. It didn't matter to her, as she knew she would see him at the ball, and once again she squeezed her brother's hands as she tried to hold her excitement inside. She couldn't believe she was here, watching what she knew was an intensely private ceremony for the Battaglia family, or always had been in the past.

"Might have to take it easy there, Mia," Ricco whispered.

"I'm going to need this hand to hold my drink when I'm making a toast to our warrior later," Matteo whispered, earning him a dazzling smile and the use of his fingers again.

Mia's moods swung wildly during the ceremony from pride to teary-eyed love, to pure excitement and joy at seeing him graduate with honours from the elite special forces program that would allow him to become part of the next table with her brothers. More than that, it would allow her to marry him with her family's approval and live happily ever after, just like Cinderella.

*****

Cat waited with the other ladies, who all looked beautiful in their gowns as the graduation ceremony came to an end. Most of the girls wore variations in red and black to match with the Officers uniforms, and she felt awkward in her blue dress.

"That was quite clever of you coming in such a different colour to the norm. You'll definitely stand out in the crowd tonight," One of the ladies said in a haughty voice.

"I had no idea there was a dress code. I'm so sorry. Perhaps if the lighting is not good, this dress will look closer to black than blue," she immediately apologised for upsetting another girl.

"Don't let her get to you, she's been in a cranky mood all day because she found out she was her partner's second choice," another girl giggled as the first huffed away furiously, not answering the accusation. "I'm Caitlyn," the second girl grinned, "and that was Scarlet, who believes the colour should belong to her alone."

"Jane," Cat smiled and held out her hand towards Caitlyn.

"Here they come!" Caitlyn almost squealed, as she hurried toward the door where the new graduates were filing into the room.

"Kalum!" Cat smiled widely. "You look so handsome in uniform."

"You scrub up pretty well yourself," he paused. "Jane."

"It's all smoke and mirrors," she laughed. "I just haven't had my hands in a paint pot for a few weeks," she laughed, showing Kalum her clean hands and nails.

"It's so good to see a familiar face after weeks of training," he hugged her and kissed her cheek.

"I know. Thank you for inviting me," she said.

"Thank you for agreeing to come. You never struck me as a ball type of girl, but you look like a princess tonight. The Cinderella thing works for you," he complimented her.

"That would make you Prince Charming, at least for tonight," she laughed happily. It really was good to see someone who knew her in her life before coming here.

"Alright, are we ready to do this?" he asked.

"As ready as I am ever going to be," Cat said softly as they joined the line of couples making their way to the ballroom. The standing around and waiting seemed interminable, and both Cat and Kalum nervously went through the opening waltz they would need to perform with the other couples. Marcus had taught her the specially choreographed dance, and she prayed that Kalum, like Matteo, could lead her through it and mask any of her faults.

They stepped forward into the ballroom at the introduction which named her as Catriona Leona, making her gasp and frown at Kalum, who had also called her Jane. If it was an administrative error, it was a doozy, and the Commander would not be happy. It was he who had demanded her anonymity. She barely had time to think about it before Kalum pulled her into the dance pose and the music started.

Cat concentrated on the dance moves and danced, oblivious to the crowd who sat at tables around the edge of the large dance floor. It wasn't until Kalum let out an expletive and stumbled that she realised something was wrong. She looked up at him as he recovered himself.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I think I saw Mia in the crowd." He said with a spin and a twirl.

"Seriously?" she asked, craning her head to look around as they danced around the floor. "Where?" An irrational thought that Matteo could be with her entered her mind and made her need to find Mia in the crowd.

"Just dance, it will be over in a minute and we can go and find her," Kalum murmured and held Cat tighter in the dance pose they needed.

*****

Matteo saw Cat enter and couldn't take his eyes from her. She looked almost like a different person as she danced with Kalum. She seemed to radiate confidence, even though he knew she wasn't comfortable on a dance floor. The dress only served to highlight her figure, and, far from being the shy girl who hid behind her hair, she almost seemed regal as she twirled and swayed in Kalum's arms.

"My God, she's so beautiful," Mia whispered. "How can I compete with that girl?"

"Why would you want to?" Matteo whispered. "That's Cat."

"That's not your Cat," Mia frowned, pulling her eyes from the man she loved to look properly at his partner.

"That's my Cat," Matteo grinned at her.

"Wow," Mia whispered.

"Yeah, wow," Ricco agreed. "Kalum scrubs up alright, doesn't he?" he commented with a chuckle.

"I know, right. I just love a man in a uniform," Mia sighed dreamily. "We should go and separate that gorgeous couple."

"Perhaps we should wait until the opening waltz is finished," Matteo laughed lightly. He pulled his gaze from Cat and looked around at the crowd watching on at the carefully choreographed dance. He noted Marcus moving through the crowd near to where they sat toward a petite blonde woman and wondered if she was his wife. He had only met the woman once and remembered she was a blonde. As he continued to watch, he saw that Marcus stopped and spoke seriously to the woman. The way they interacted with each other made him rethink his original thoughts that it was his wife.

Matteo was about to look away again when they both turned to look at him, and the woman narrowed her eyes as if angry with him. He would need to find out what that was about, but first he needed to see Cat, talk to Cat, kiss her and hold her and love her, not necessarily in that order, but he planned to do all of that as soon as he could make it happen. He came to his feet and put out his hand to his sister, who had moved as soon as he did, eager to see the man she loved.

The dance came to an end, and the dignitaries joined the couples on the dance floor for the next dance. In the movement, Matteo lost sight of Cat and frowned as he looked around. Unsure of what to do and needing to enter the dance floor, he took Mia in his arms to dance their way to the people they wanted to see.

"Can you see them?" Mia asked.

"Not yet, but we'll find them," Matteo reassured her. He finally spotted Kalum heading toward where they had been sitting on the outskirts of the dance floor and spun Mia in that direction.

"I know you didn't tap me on the shoulder, but I am sure you'd love to dance with my partner as much as I would like to dance with yours," Matteo said with a smile from behind Kalum, making both him and Cat turn to look at him.

"You're here," Cat said in a purring whisper as she took in the vision of him standing before her. She was oblivious to the fact that Kalum had moved to take Mia in his arms and kiss her briefly.

"My kitten," Matteo murmured, her purring whisper affecting him on a deep level. "May I have this dance?" He asked, not ready to share her with anyone else yet, and with a wide smile and a brief nod took her in his arms.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. "No one told me you were coming."

"Papa organised our invitation because Kalum was part of the graduating class. A lot has happened since you've been gone, and I couldn't wait any longer to see you," He murmured close to her ear as he danced on automatic pilot, holding her closer than the standard waltz position. "I was hoping you would come home with me this weekend, but Marcus has asked for extra time. Did you know?" He asked.

"I was never given a timeline, but I was hoping I could go home soon," she whispered and leaned into his chest, breathing in the scent of him. She had missed the warmth and comfort of his arms. She was home. For that moment it didn't matter that they stood on a crowded dance floor hundreds of kilometres away from where they would start their life together.

"Time is something we don't have a lot of at the moment," Matteo sighed, "And I don't want to spend this precious time together in a crowded ballroom."

"I don't know if I'm allowed to leave, even with you," she whispered, looking around for Marcus.

"You will be staying the night with me," he growled as if warning her that he didn't care who protested. "There are things we need to talk about, not that I plan on doing much of that once we are alone," he grinned to offset his growl when he felt her stiffen in his arms.

"Matt, I can't just leave without saying anything to him. I've worked too hard to fail at this now," she said anxiously.

"Marcus knows you will be staying with me. Ricco and I have a townhouse, as does Mia, who will be spending the night with Kalum," he looked over to where his sister and Kalum held each other, blissfully ignoring everyone else in the room.

"Ricco is here?" she asked, confused by his statement, and felt a strange fluttering in her tummy.

"One of the many things we have to talk about," Marcus dismissed her comment, but thought better of it. "Ricco and I have been forced together by the family and these watches. If we move any further apart than these watches allow, an alarm goes off."

"Why would they do that?" Cat asked, genuinely confused.

"Remember what we talked about when we were in Melbourne? Why you went to see Papa?" he asked, trying to lead her to the right conclusion without saying anything within a room of crowded people. He watched her eyes widen, and he nodded. "Nothing is guaranteed, and until the gathering, no one but Ricco and I know." He explained further. "He's moved into my apartment while you've been gone."

"That's a lot to take in," she said softly, "but right now I just want to be here with you," she leaned back into him, putting her head against his shoulder, letting her lips brush lightly over his neck with the action.

"I think," Matteo groaned softly, "That we had better go and see Marcus to put your mind at ease before I throw you over my shoulder and carry you out of here to the closest bedroom."

*****

"Trust me, you do not want to interfere with their reunion. In fact, I would stay as far away from them as possible," Francesco advised Hella, who was fuming. She hadn't been told that her pet's owner would be here tonight, and expected to be able to take possession of her for the evening. The fact that her plans had been ruined was more than disappointing, and she was furious.

"He's not stupid, he'd have to know someone was testing her limits!" Hella snapped.

"It's one thing knowing it and quite another meeting that person face to face. It was not his choice to have her trained here or in the way she was, so I doubt he will be pleased to see someone else treating the woman he loves as a submissive," Francesco tried another tack.

Hella watched the couple as they danced. She had been enjoying having the young woman as her pet and having her practically to herself as she completed the other training being given over the past weeks. She had not been prepared for the arrival of Matteo Vitali, and she was fully prepared to confront him about interrupting Cat's training regime and remove her from the ball and his arms, but not one of her cousins would back her up. In fact, they seemed quite pleased with his arrival.

It was ridiculous the way her family fawned over the two Vitali men and their sister. She glanced at the dancing couple to where the younger brother stood with a small group surrounding him, laughing and entertaining his willing audience. She turned back toward the dance floor and couldn't find the object of her obsession, and she began to move away from Francesco to find Cat, but he stopped her.

"Hella, if she stays for another week, as we have asked, it might be in everyone's best interests if she ended her training with you. You are far too attached to the girl. Let her go for tonight and don't interfere with her reunion with Matteo. If you don't, there will be consequences beyond mine or Marcus' control," he warned.

"That's bullshit, and you know it! How would that possibly be in Cat's best interests?" Hella hissed.

"I'm not sure she will be able to take the punishment she will receive for showing how much she loves that man, nor will she deny her feelings..." his voice trailed off as he saw them approaching and stopping just out of earshot to speak to Marcus.

Unable to help herself, Hella turned and took a few steps toward the couple. She noticed that Cat looked guarded when she noticed Hella joining them and clung more tightly to the man beside her as if for protection. She didn't understand why Cat would react that way and frowned.

"I've been looking forward to meeting you," Hella held out her hand toward Matteo.

"I think we've met once before, haven't we?" Matteo asked, looking at Marcus.

"No," Hella said. "I'm afraid you have me confused with someone else. I'm just a cousin, I don't usually hobnob with the royal family."

"Oh, do you know someone graduating tonight?" Matteo asked in a friendly manner.

"In a manner of speaking," she smiled and let her eyes fall on Cat, who seemed to shrink.

Matteo looked down at Cat as he felt her stiffen and move at his side. He looked back at the woman and the way she stared at Cat and frowned.

"Marcus, I appreciate what a spectacular ball this is, and while I hate to miss a moment of it, I am eager to demonstrate just how much I have missed my fiancé to her," he said with a wide grin.

"Oh, you can't go yet," Hella said, disappointment rippling from her voice. "You don't want to go yet, do you, Pet? You will stay and return to your room with me later, won't you?" she asked with an overtone of commanding Cat to stay. Cat lifted her head and stared at her incredulously before looking around at the surrounding crowd, a blush of humiliation rising in her cheeks. Hella knew she had crossed the line at that moment. Rather than the meek girl that followed every one of her commands without a second thought, she saw a woman who had been forced to accept the training to be with the man at her side and the horror that Hella had abused the trust Cat had given her.