Megan and Leo were the only ones in the house. The rest of the guys who had come with Leo had decided they were going to go and check out the woods and surrounding area, where Alex went they weren't sure. The snow had finally stopped falling and was built up on the ground atleast 2 ½ feet. She was snuggled up under her blanket on the couch downstairs with Leo sitting on the other end, Interview with the Vampire under her nose. She pushes her glasses up after they fall a little further down her nose, enough that they irritated her. Leo notices but says nothing about other than giving her a little smile. She smiles back, shirking down further into the couch and curling her broken arm under her bosom to hug herself for warmth. The fire was roaring with life and she didn't want to do anything other than sit around and have a day off. She wasn't even bothered that her study's door was open and her computer was lit up. It just showed her more of her books and the copy boxes holding axed story ideas.

"Miss Megan-"

"Just Megan, Leo. No miss is needed." She cuts in, nose still in the book and without looking up. He gives a nod and a laugh, the smile still on his face.

"Of course, mi scuzi. Megan how are you feeling?" He tilts his head to the side and Megan sighs as she marks her place. She takes her glasses off and chews on the end of one, thinking over the question. These men had been here for a week and so far she didn't know anything about them other than some were gentlemen and others were pigs. Altair and Malik had no understanding of the words kindness. It made her laugh so many times she had lost count but the moment Altair threw a glass cup in the sink and breaking it, she almost broke her foot off in his rear. She had chewed his ear off for the better part of a half hour and the two men had been gentler with her glassware.

"Well, it feels weird that I have someone, actually a lot of someone's," She gives a soft laugh, "living with me. I'm so used to be alone that I have to remind myself when I wake that there are others here." She sighs, looking off to the side and setting down her glasses and book on the coffee table. She looks back at Leo and pauses. "So what about you? Are you guys adjusting here alright?"

Leo smiles happily nodding his head several times in agreement. "Very. I am finding all these 'modern' things so… fascinating! Nothing in Venezia is like this!"

"Venezia… You mean Venice?" She questions, hoping she got it right. He nods yes. She lights up. She has always wanted to go to Italy so hearing anything about it fed her curiosity. And Leo didn't seem to mind much that she asked questions, as long as they weren't personal. "Tell me about Venice, I've always wanted to go there." Leo lights up, having found someone willing to learn something from him. When the rest of the men had returned they found Megan and Leonardo standing on the opposite sides of the bar, Megan with stars in her eyes as she gazed at the blonde painter.

"N-n-n-no way!" Her voice hits a high pitch at the end of the sentence, a huge smile on her face. Leonardo was nodding, a blush on his face. "Leonardo da Vinci, THE Leonardo da Vinci is staying in my house." She squeals loudly bouncing around the end of the counter to hug him. He returns the gesture laughing. The men just stare in confusion.

"They haven't stopped talking…" Ezio says, watching the blonde conversing with the short brunette girl. He had no idea just what they were talking about but he was curious as to what. Whatever it was, the girl was excited about it. The two were once more on the couch while the rest were sitting at the bar.

"I know. It's weird." Desmond comments as he leans on the counter taking a drink of coffee. The girl had excellent choices when it came to flavored coffee and so far none of them had found one they didn't like. Altair rolls his eyes and turns back around to no longer face the two. They still had things to talk about, now that he was aware of his descendants and they were with him there. They didn't know if this could be a trick by the Templars so they needed to be on their toes.

Malik was with Desmond standing at the counter, not drinking coffee but still aware of what was going on. Ezio and Desmond still had their attention on the two. Ezio did not like that the girl was causing the other man's attention to be sidetracked. She was sweet and earnest and eager to learn whatever it was that Leonardo was teaching her, but Ezio didn't want the blonde to get attached. They didn't know how long they would be here, could be two weeks or it could be eternity; they just didn't know. It was safer for them to remain distant and to not create bonds that would be difficult to break.

"So, tell me. What is it like to be in the Renaissance? Obviously the clothing is far grander than anything we could have imagined it to be. Oh, oh, oh, what about the social structure or the learning system or-"

"Calm down, I will tell you anything." Leo stops her by holding onto her shoulders; she had been bouncing on the couch. The girl was already knowledgeable about many different things and cultures seemed to be her favorite thing. She was definitely a learned woman which, while not uncommon, was rare for her level of intelligence. He knew that Ezio and the man named Desmond were still watching them. He wasn't the best judge of character but this girl had shown no ill will towards them. Well other than when she had boxed the oldest assassin's ear off for breaking a glass. That had been rather endearing and entertaining.

"This is just… amazing. I am actually learning about the Renaissance from someone who lived during it, from Leonardo himself to boot." That hyperness was back and she knew it but found that she couldn't stop it. Learning anything was just fun to her, more so when the person teaching had actually done whatever they were teaching. The smile that had graced the painters lips at the beginning of the day hadn't left once and she felt privileged to have been the one to cause and keep it there.

Leonardo takes a deep breath before speaking once more.

Nighttime, the one time of day that always seemed to cause her joy and sorrow. It did both because the beauty of the night was so vastly different than the beauty of the day, the stars and moon shining so brightly that the expansive blackness reminded her of a blanket dotted with so much glitter and gems that it put a sultan's treasury to shame in her opinion. It brought her sorrow because the day was at an end and what a day it had been; from finding out the famous Leonardo was living under her roof to even learning some Italian words, though most had been curses she had heard Ezio say to Altair. The two's relationship was humorous if anything, like brothers who enjoyed picking on one another. They were adjusting fairly easily, though she thought it was more along the lines of Desmond just throwing them out there and hoping they would swim. She could only wonder if this was really going to work.

She knew that she could keep an open mind but would they? So far they had, but that was because everything was new and different. What if, once they got accustomed, they questioned her about things? About her family? Friends? Lovers or close acquaintances or even distant relatives who wished to visit? How would she explain any of it? Would she tell them that she had none of these things or make up a story or just not say anything?

Her head was beginning to hurt from all these questions and what if's roaming in her head. Her past was just that, the past. Things that have shaped her into a self-dependent, single, young woman. Not many people could understand what she had went through a year ago, and she would never wish it upon her worst enemy if she had the chance.

Megan curls up in a ball under the covers and into her sea of pillows, the inanimate objects reflecting her body heat back to her. The air was still chilly and she could only hope Desmond didn't forget to feed the fire before he fell asleep. And she could only hope that the cheap microwave she bought on the internet would be there soon.

Well this is the first of the outtakes I mentioned I would make. I didn't want to do them while I was writing the main story but a review has brought to my attention that Megan hadn't 'fanned' over Leo. She did I just didn't put it in the story. So to twonormalgirlsandaiportal, here's Megan's freak out over Leonardo da Vinci.

And as for to the first part of your review, the pairing is going to happen within the next few chapters.