Fantasy A Little Night Music by TMaskedWriter

[Ramesh_Rocky]

After they'd left San Finzione before, she'd opened up to Troy about it. When they first reunited at his bachelor party, Helen had tried to downplay her grief by pretending to be callous about Vincenzo's death. Once she'd told Troy more of the story, he informed her that he'd seen her pictures with the Count on TV, that he knew what Helen In Love looked like, and had hoped that their prank would bring her out of her shell.

Because of how she and Julie had parted in Madrid, they avoided talking about that time and Vincenzo. Sitting here now, seeing that Helena had hung the Count's portrait on the same wall with Propappou had told Julie more than she ever had.

Julie looked around the chair. The little table had room for a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, and a drink to go next to the ashtray and box of Kleenex. She looked straight ahead at Propappou, then right at Vincenzo.

"She spends hours here." Julie said, looking over at the blank spot where she saw now that a painting of Troy should be. "You said you got everything, Master?"

"Art supply shops at the marketplace had all your brands, Mistress. I got you some color choices, we can go back down there in the morning with your eye if you don't like what I got.

Julie opened her mouth to insult Helen again, but the insult died in her throat.

"I'm sure you got the right supplies. We can start when there's decent light in the garden. She'll want you in front of the..." Julie bristled. "Rose bushes."

"She doesn't love them to make fun of you, Sunflower. She loves them because they remind her of you."

"Yeah, yeah. Well, I'm counting this as a prank."

"Hon," Troy said. "She's injured."

"And I was naked on stage for her last one. She gets home the day after tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah," Troy said, suspiciously. "But we're gonna be busy with this all day tomorrow."

"Oh, I know," Julie said, looking back down the table, where everyone else had decided to let them be and continued their conversation. "She'll get her portrait of my husband. We'll get it done in time, and it'll be a piece worthy of its place amongst these two other great men." She got up and took Troy's hand.

They started walking back toward the others.

"Doesn't mean fucking with her's off the table, though." She said.

* * *

"So," Susan asked, Maria, enjoying the coffee that Jeanne had prepared for after the meal. "When Helen gets home, will you both be Contessas or will she be Contessa again and you're back to Lady Maria?"

"I am not so lucky," Maria said, tired from her long day. "I shall still be Contessa-In-Reggenza until Great-Grandmama feels ready to resume her duties, and then there is a very small ceremony. I will put on the tiara and take the scepter out of its case, and we will go out onto the Speaking Balcony overlooking the Courtyard, we will say a few words to each other, I will hand her the scepter, remove the tiara and place it on her head, and then we will go back inside and she will put the scepter and tiara back in their cases and be Contessa once more."

"Sounds kind of boring," Susan replied.

"Si," came Maria's answer. "Over the centuries, very few of the Counts or Contessas, once power transferred to them, willingly gave it back."

"Good thing ya canceled tha' fitting appointment, then," Colleen replied. "If you're only going to be wearing it a few minutes."

"And I'm guessing it's all in Italian, so I won't get it anyway." Susan thought aloud as Troy and Julie re-entered conversational range.

"Great-Grandmama has to make the decision to return to duty and declare it first. At that time, I will cheerfully return the tiara and scepter to her."

Julie stepped into the conversation.

"How's she getting home? I mean, this is Helena here. She's not going to want to leave the hospital in a wheelchair, surrounded by cameras and reporters."