* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *<br/>Both women seemed to be restless souls as he got the chance to get to know them better. Francis was uncompromising with the questions of cooking and laundry in the house and insisted to do all that herself, and Allie was the same in connection with finding a job. Even her caretaker managed to find something like that, as after her precious daughter was prepared for the night many time she left for one of the neighbouring houses to babysit - payment was better in such late hours and she knew her protege didn't mind some private time, especially that she spent that in front of her PC. Alliana took care of Michael's website as one of the most beloved general doctors of the area, her idea was to build a 'kid's corner' at his site, and paralelly she tried hard, again and again until she was accepted as a journalist of a propering art&style magazine.<br/>Which meant weekly program, sometimes even more occasions a week, when she was transported to a newly opened exhibition or the opening itself, alongside with a photographer, and she had to give a full report later.<br/>She could have used her uncle's name, yes, she could have made a benefit from his life-work quickly, but instead she chose to try an alias and relay only on her own studies and experience as somebody who spent years in the home of a university professor and also was his travel companion.<br/>It was a difficult game, first because of the high number of applicants, then because of her distorted speech then because of stereotypes about disabled people. But she fought on and when her future boss met this steely young woman he gave every tool to serve and help her plus always did the favour and not only praised but criticized her as well, as often as he could actually, polishing her writing skills and pride enthusiasticly.<br/>She always worked alone, never she let her two caretakers to accompany her.<br/>This was her practice.<br/><br/>Though Christmas was an exception, when all the three of them were invited to a party at Michael's former mentor's house. To be honest all of them were disguised that night, Francis still keeping her non-nun existence as a secret, Doctor Austin still hiding his feelings from the girl he loved and Alliana still forced to play the role of a dumbo when she wasn't, wasn't at all, only her speaking abilities and weird gestures made other think she was, creating a rare air around her that only a few was able to bear. And even her juvenile journalist past couldn't change this, as problem was in people's perception not in her way of living. So she rather stayed the<em>author</em>behind the articles, using Fran's surname, and besides those events she had toparticipate at, and a few other program together with close friends or former students of Henry Stewart and of course, Francis, she hardly left the house, except for therapies, both physico- and the other one in water. Plus they got a new professionalist for her, visiting twice a week, a speech therapist who was now working as a rhetoric tutor in a nearby theater, a funny Italian man, who had the same passion for singing as for words, and so the two quickly found a common obsession: Verdi.<br/>Tonio's opinion was that the first people were singing instead of speaking and like this he often cured his clients with that, saying: carefree chanting relaxes muscles and makes us believe 'we can'. And despite the fact Alliana's developement was slow and halting, he definitely made their friend more cheerful and less shy - measuring it from how happily she was healing herself with singing, even when she was alone.<br/><br/>And approximately once a week they made love to each other with Michael - without knowing about this fact...<br/>:)<br/><br/><br/>