Lavinia entered Arcangelo's office carefully. She looked around and saw him sitting opposite of a window. He was sitting on a table and resting his feet on a chair as he was looking outside.

He turned to the direction of the door and saw Lavinia. "You shouldn't be here Lavinia..." He then carried on looking at the window.

Lavinia walked towards him "How are you feeling after the events of last week? Any news?"

He said "You have been avoiding me ... Trying to... It won't work... You know in the end you are still my girlfriend... And I always find a way to get to see you if I try or not even try." He then smiled to himself.

She said " I am not really avoiding you... I just changed my captain..."

He said "Oh I know. You want study to gain some extra credits for you to be able to graduate with leadership honours. Your father wants you to get the qualification. But you didnt want me to be dealing with you and your team while you take the extra leadership modules... You got Nicandro to do it... Ah. You want your cousin to help you... I am still a captain... I do have authority even if you hide behind your cousin to protect you..."

She said "I am not hiding and I am not taking the easy way out. I am just trying to stay away from being ..."

He said "At my mercy?"

She sighed "I am avoiding seeing you on the field so you don't give the girls on my team hell... You really did traumatise then last time... So I keep to my team away... I want to get my credits, graduate and leave."

He said "While you are at it, you are trying to secure a place for me at Nicandro's school so I dont see you... He told me..."

She sighed "I can try... Now that you are shown to be civil to your brother or correction not be a danger to his well being because you didnt attack him last time you saw him, it is on the table... He said he will try..."

He said " You will get your leadership credits much faster if you work under me. I can give you some private lessons.. after hours.."

She said "I will exhaust my other options first..."

He said "Good luck with that. Dismissed officer."

She said "That's Enough Captain. It's regarding personal matters. So don't send me away when I seriously need to find out if everything is ok. Your other siblings have gone AWOL and no one can reach them. But I got a clue... today ... this morning ... As you know Leandro was being punished by my father so he had no access to a phone for a week... Leandro then called today after my father released him. He told me there is a breakthrough but he can't tell me over the phone because you told him to keep the news not public for a few weeks. He told me to ask you about it..."

He said "All is fine. You shouldn't be here. Go back to your post. You are not meant to be here. You are meant to be somewhere else..."

She said "Don't worry."

He turned to her "I am not worried... If you are here then it means no one is leading the early morning drills for your team. I will give them extra chores for truancy this week..."

She sighed and walked slowly " Seriously? All you worry about is who is doing my drills. I am covered for your information. The girls can manage the drills alone... Besides Nicandro can now deal with my leadership course and whatever happens on it... Leadership route is different to other courses here..."

She was now standing in front of him as he was towering over her from his seating position. He looked down into her eyes "I said I am not worried. I don't tolerate tardiness and truancy the most. You should know that. Whoever is in charge. It dont matter. I will make sure offences are punished. Thats why I am a leader."

She said "Stop it... Seriously. Lets forget about school for a minute. Then we can continue this conversation. Tell me what's going on? Please. Your family is so secretive. I haven't heard anything about your mother and you don't tell me." She was curious. She was worried about Arcangelo, his family and in particular his mother.

He said "Ok. I never say no to my girl when she asks nicely..."

She gave him an annoyed look.

He asked "You want to know what's going on?

She nodded "Yes."

He said "Ok. I tell you... Your brother ... He managed to help me. The medical expert managed to pass through the state borders without your uncle Tristan Killing the guy." He then looked into the distance through the window "My mother is going to be fine. Her treatment is working now."

She gasped "Wow. That's wonderful news... Do your siblings know?"

He nodded "Yes. That's why Maria Angela is gone. She is staying with our mother and Michangelo can see our mother too..."

Lavinia couldn't believe the great news "But how ... how did your father agree to let you see your mother? A week ago you had to get Leandro through the security to go see your mother. Now he lets you all see her?"

He nodded "My father is now not as mad at my mother now as he used to be. But he is still mad at her. But my mother managed to convinced him that forbidding her from seeing the kids is not punishing her. It's punishing her kids... My father will make her pay. But in his own way. We can see her. Besides.... She is not dying anymore ... The new treatment is working pretty well. I guess my father didn't want us to see her die either..."

Lavinia said "I don't understand... This is all great news... Why aren't you with your mother?"

He clutched the edges of the table and looked at Lavinia "I don't wish to."

She asked "Why not? I thought you went past that when you went to see her..."

He said "It takes time. I still think she shouldn't have lied to my father. She is my mother... I love her... But it will take time for me to think of what happened and not blame her."

Lavinia said "But it's all well now. She is going to live. Your father now even seems to be reconciling with your mother slowly. You are getting your family back. It all seems amazing."

He laughed darkly and looked away again "Is it though? It's not. Lavinia. I keep my distance. I am not ready ... If I see my mother I may not hold back... She is going to have some treatment and will be recovering... I need time to process whats happened. I wont change my mind. I am not going to see her..."

She said "At least call her..."

He said "No."

She said "Will you try to see her after you graduate?"

He said "I am going to your brothers boarding school or your cousin's depending on what the head masters decide... But I am not going home..."

She said "You have to go home for thanksgiving at least. Its September now. You have a few months to think..."

He said "I only will see my father at his work and office. I will see my siblings... I wont go home to see my mother... I love her but what she did is unforgivable to me... I need time."

She said "How can you not understand? She did what she did out of love..."

He said "She put our family through hell. I am staying away for her own protection. If I go home and I say something to hurt her... I wont forgive myself Lavinia. I cant... She is my mother. I can only go back when I am ready..."

She sighed "Ok. I can see you dont want to hurt your mothers feelings... You are quite hurtful with words when you want to be... I am sorry about whats happened..."

He said "It's not your fault... Why do you say you are sorry." He then jumped from the table and faced Lavinia "But you see if your team get extra chores because they don't their drills properly without you. It is their fault. I am going to do a round robin now."

Lavinia said "Come on... You cant. Nicandro will..."

He said "I am a captain. It's what I do. I  oversee. You might want to run through the shortcut so I see you with your team."

She said "You are no longer in charge of my leadership course... Nicandro is... He took over it for the past week..."

He smiled "Now I am taking over him and all his duties..."

She gasped "What?"

He said "You see.... He is leaving today... He is graduating... He is going back to his school today."

She said "I dont believe it. Why didnt he tell me..."

He said "He is busy packing now and dealing with the arrangements to leave. He is a captain. He has to do alot. I only know because I am his room mate... He got a call from his mum early morning. She has managed to secure transfer for Jay to his school..."

She asked "Jay?"

He nodded "Yes. Jay... Oh. He calls him Jay. Her name is Gretchen Jay Marconi. Its a long name. He picked the shortest part out of her name to call her with it... So now. He is going to tell you at breakfast when he leaves... So now... your brother is gone... Your cousin is gone... Leyton graduated yesterday too... So he is going back to his school... I am the only captain left... Its just you and me now..."

Lavinia was just shocked. She was just looking at him with her mouth open.

He walked to the door.

She said "Damn it"

He said "Dont worry. You get to see your cousin and brother in some operations we do with graduates like when we go for "the Sea" challenge. Now I suggest you take the short cut and run to your team. You have left them unprotected and if they do their drills wrong, I will be their worst nightmare.

Now that his mother was fine, he looked more relaxed and playful. But he was back to business fast.

Lavinia felt butterflies in her stomach. She was feeling the same feelings she had 6 months ago when she gave him his first kiss and then kept avoiding him, broke up with him, ignored him and now she was back to where she was. She had to face the cocky and arrogant captain from hell. She couldnt believe all captains had graduated but him and next batch were not going to finish training before Christmas and she was planning on leaving long before that.

As he left, She sighed and left too. She then made a run for it through the back exit of the building to rescue her team.

****

Lavinia was knocking on Nicandro's door now... He said "Come in."

She entered and banged the door.

Nicandro was packing boxes in his office obviously moving out. He turned to her "Good morning."

She said "Damn you to hell."

He said "Oh. Did Arc tell you? I am sorry..."

She said "Save it."

He said "Its not that bad."

She walked upto him and stood in front of him "He forced my girls to walk on their knees all the way to the changing rooms from the drilling field. All of them... Just because their drill was not timed well for the last 5 minutes... He is holding a grudge against me and taking it out on others..."

He said "I actually come down hard on that too...." He saw her hard expression "I get your point... He is extreme. I cant do anything about it... You are the only one who can make him do anything... No one can stop him... I have never met a guy as strong willed and complicated as him... I have been his room mate... I know what he is like... Just stop avoiding him. If you even confront him and fight him, its perfectly fine with him. He just wants you. Hostile or friendly. He doesnt have a preference."

She rolled her eyes at the word preference. He had told her after the drills today " Come see me at my office for some private training after hours today..." She had given him a death glare. He had then told "Come with an attitude then. I wont mind... I have no preference for your attitude. Whether its the sour cherry icy pop or water melon icy pop. Its cold and icy just the way I like it."