Rescued by Darkness

A Brother's Promise

Nico leaned against the frame of the nursery door, arms crossed over his broad chest as he watched Luciana lying in her crib. Her small hands clutched the soft fabric of a lavender blanket, her chest rising and falling with each tiny breath. The room was quiet except for the faint lullaby playing softly from the speaker on the nightstand.

He didn't know why he lingered there tonight. Maybe it was the way the moonlight spilled across her peaceful face, highlighting the innocence that made his heart ache. Maybe it was the nagging sense that no matter how hard they fought to protect her, the world would find a way to try and take her from them again.

Nico wasn't one for sentimentality—at least, not openly. He had a reputation to uphold as the cold, calculating D'Angelo brother. But here, in this room, with his baby sister sound asleep, he allowed himself to feel the softness he usually kept locked away.

Quietly, he stepped into the room, his footsteps silent on the carpeted floor. Luciana stirred slightly but didn't wake, her lips parting in a tiny yawn. Nico crouched down beside the crib, resting his arms on the edge as he looked at her.

"You have no idea how much trouble you're going to be when you grow up," he murmured softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "All of us are going to lose our minds keeping up with you."

Her only response was a small stretch, her fingers curling into a tiny fist before settling again.

Nico smiled faintly. She had no idea how much she had changed their lives. Before Luciana, their family had been whole, yes, but something had always felt...unfinished. She was the missing piece they hadn't known they were missing.

He reached into the crib and gently brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead. Her skin was soft, impossibly warm under his calloused fingers. He marveled at how something so small could evoke such a fierce protective instinct in him.

"I'll always be here for you, you know that?" he whispered. "No matter what."

His thoughts drifted to the chaos of the last few months, to the night they nearly lost her. The memory of her tiny body limp in that monster's grasp, the bruises on her neck, the blood on her little arm—it was enough to make his hands clench into fists. The fury he'd felt that night had been unlike anything he'd ever known. It was a rage born of love, of fear, of an unrelenting need to protect her at all costs.

But even in the aftermath of that nightmare, Luciana had shown a resilience that astounded him. She didn't cry as much anymore when strangers approached her. She smiled more, giggled when Alessia played peek-a-boo, and clung to Lorenzo's shirt like it was her lifeline.

Luciana was healing. Slowly, but surely.

"Nico?"

He turned to see Xander standing in the doorway, his hazel eyes filled with curiosity. "What are you doing in here?"

"Just checking on her," Nico replied, his voice low.

Xander stepped inside, his gaze shifting to their baby sister. His expression softened instantly. "She's going to have all of us wrapped around her finger, isn't she?"

"She already does."

Xander chuckled, crouching down beside Nico. The two brothers sat in silence for a moment, watching Luciana as she slept.

"You ever think about what it's going to be like when she gets older?" Xander asked, breaking the silence.

"All the time," Nico admitted. "I think about the first time she walks, her first words...her first date." His jaw tightened at the thought. "Whoever that guy is, he's not going to know what hit him."

Xander laughed quietly, but there was a protective edge to it. "We'll scare the life out of him. All of us. Especially Dad."

"Especially Dad," Nico agreed with a smirk.

The room fell silent again, but it was a comfortable silence. Nico found himself grateful for moments like these, moments when the weight of their world didn't seem so heavy.

As if sensing their presence, Luciana stirred again, her eyelids fluttering open. Her green eyes, still glassy with sleep, locked onto Nico. She blinked a few times, her tiny hand reaching out toward him.

"Hey, piccolina," Nico murmured, slipping his hand into hers. Her fingers wrapped around his thumb, and his chest tightened at the simple, trusting gesture.

Xander reached out as well, gently tickling her tiny hand. "You know we're going to spoil you rotten, right?"

Luciana's lips curved into a faint smile, and a soft giggle escaped her.

Nico chuckled, the sound filling the quiet room. "That's a promise, little one."

He leaned closer, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "You're safe, Luciana. You're always going to be safe with us."

For the first time in a long time, Nico felt a sense of peace. No matter what challenges lay ahead, no matter what dangers they faced, he knew one thing for certain: Luciana was theirs to protect, and he would never let anything happen to her.

As he and Xander stood to leave, Nico glanced back at her one last time. She was already drifting back to sleep, her tiny hand clutching the blanket.

"Goodnight, piccolina," he whispered.

And with that, the brothers stepped out of the room, leaving their baby sister to dream in peace