uh...um...hi. *ugh* that was lame. anyway, I've been playing AC 1 for too long, and fanticising about the day I have enough money to buy number 2. *sighs* oh well. I read some AC2 fics, so all I know is NOT from teh game, but from other fics. I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: Assassins Creed belongs to Ubisoft. And really, if they didn't want this sort of thing happening, they shouldn't have made Ezio so hot. 'nuff said.

"DIE, SCUM, DIE ALREADY, DAMMIT!!!" Miley's voice was heard through the door even before her older sister could pull out her key.

"STOP SWEARING, BITCH!" Derek, the middle brother yelled back.

Catherine took a deep breath and unlocked the living room door. She let herself in and locked the door behind her.

"I'm back." She called over the noise of clashing swords and the cries of guards.

"Hi, Cat." Two of her siblings answered at the same time, monotonous, eyes glued to the TV.

"You guys did your homework?" Catherine asked as she put her bag on the kitchen counter and poured herself a glass of water.

"Yes, Cat." They answered again as one.

"Where's Annabelle?" Catherine referred to their youngest sister, who was four.

"Playing, Cat."

"You want anything to eat?"

"Pasta, Cat."

Catherine put four servings of pasta to boil, and pulled out plates.

"What sauce do you guys want?"

"Cheese, Cat."

She sighed and started grating some cheese. She put it aside, turned the heat low and went to the living room.

Catherine was the oldest of the four. Their parents had died a few months earlier, but since Catherine was of age, she was allowed to take care of her siblings. Annabelle, the four-year-old, was the youngest, then Miley, who was eleven, and Derek, seventeen, helped Catherine a lot with the girls. Catherine was nineteen, and was looking for a new job.

The one she had currently was good, but Annabelle and Miley were insisting on keeping the kitty they found next to school. Catherine had agreed to nurse it back to health, as long as they got rid of it later, but they had gotten attached to it. And with the taxes rising and a new mouth to feed, Catherine needed a better paying job NOW.

"What's with the killer heels?" Derek asked his sister as she sat on the couch

"What about them?" Catherine answered.

"Do you have proper documentation for legal port of weapons?" Derek received a smack to the neck.

"No, really, why are you all dressed up?"

"Told you, I was at a job interview." Catherine watched Miley kill someone on the screen.

"Didja get the job?" Derek asked.

Catherine stared at the screen.

"Cat?"

She handed Derek a sheet of paper. He looked at it for a moment, then his jaw went slack.

"HOLY FUCKIN' MARY AND JOSEPH! YOU'RE WORKING FOR UBISOFT!!!" Derek leapt up and hugged Cat

"Yes they did, how do you think Jesus was born?" Cat replied, hugging her brother back.

"We can get a whole fleet of cats now."

"Don't get your hopes up. I'm opening an account for Annabelle's and Miley's college."

"I know, but this is so good, Cat, congrats!"

"Thanks. And I can work from home, so I'll be able to look after the girls." Catherine went to the kitchen and turned the heat off. She divided the pasta in the four plates and put the cheese on them.

"Anny, come down!" Catherine called up the stairs. A small blonde little girl appeared on top of the stairs. She was clutching a stuffed pink rabbit to her chest.

"Come on, sweetie, I made pasta." Catherine cooed. Annabelle came toddling down the stairs and sat on her small plastic children's table set. Catherine set her Barbie plate in front of her and gave her a plastic fork. Annabelle still made a mess when she was eating, but she was getting the hang of it.

"SHIT!" Miley swore and punched the cushion next to her.

"Language, little missy." Cat scolded her.

"I'm talking to Leonardo, then alluvasudden it freezes! URRRGHHHH!"

"You sound like a dying brontosaur, stop throwing a fit over a game." Cat gave Derek his plate.

"Says the one who designs them." Derek muttered.

Catherine put her and Miley's plate on the couch, and picked the small kitty up so he wouldn't sniff the plates. They had named him Leonardo, after one of Catherine's favorite game characters, and the artist, of course. And the cat was sandy colored, just like a lion.

"You know the saying, 'If it doesn't work, kick it'…" Cat walked over to the TV, still holding the kitty, and nudged the XBOX with her stiletto. The cut scene continued. "There." But after a few seconds it froze again. Catherine nudged the console again. Nothing. She nudged a little harder. There was a bright light, then the living room was quiet, with no traces of Catherine or the kitty.

"OMG, I didn't save the game and now the TV's out and the console has gone MAAAD!!!" Miley screamed, running in circles.

"Have you noticed our sister is missing?" Derek asked.

"OMG she's been sucked into the game!!!"

"Don't be stupid, Miley…"

Catherine woke up to the feeling of a rough tongue on her face. She ignored it, and didn't open her eyes. The tongue trailed to her nose. She groaned and turned her head. Her back was hurting from the fall, probably her high heels had tangled in the wires, making her fall. It wouldn't be the first time. The tongue came back again, licking her eyelids.

"Dammit, Leonardo, stop licking my face, stop it. I'll feed you later." She muttered.

Her musings were interrupted by a burst of laughter. She opened her eyes and saw a man in a white cloak with hood, and none other than the namesake of the cat, Leonardo da Vinci. At least what Leonardo was supposed to look like in the game her sister had been playing. The man in white was bent over, laughing, and Leonardo was red and looking embarrassed.

"Hahaha…she said…hahaha…stop…lick…hahaha…Leonardo…hahaha…feed..."

There was a loud thump and the man continued laughing on the floor.

"Ezio, stand up." Leonardo muttered.

"Ezio?" Catherine mumbled, catching the attention of the two men again. 'This can't possibly be the game…can it?' Catherine thought.

"Si, that's me." Ezio stood up again. Catherine sat up and hugged Leonardo (the cat) so he wouldn't run away.

"Would you care to tell us why you fell from the ceiling?" He pointed to the roof, where a large hole was. Catherine wasn't paying attention, she was too busy trying to smother that dammed chocobo flying around her head (too much videogames, anyone?). Instead of answering, Catherine fainted.

"Umm, Leonardo?" Ezio asked. "What do we do with her?"

Leonardo sighed and told Ezio to put her on the bed in the spare room. When Ezio reached out to pick her up, the small sandy cat hissed and put his claws out at him. It was pathetic, really, but Ezio pulled his hand away, afraid of catching any diseases the cat might have. Leonardo left the room, then came back after a few moments with a wet cloth. He shook it over the girl's face, so the cold droplets would fall on her.

"Ugh. Wha…?" Catherine sat up again. She noticed Leonardo (the cat) arching his back and hissing at the man in white. She stroked him calm.

"Are you quite all right, signora?" Leonardo (the human) asked her.

"Signorina…" Catherine answered absentmindedly and stood up, looking around. She seemed to be in a workshop. Paintings and sketches were everywhere, and that over there in the corner might have been the edge of a sofa… maybe.

"I'm fine…just…where am I?" Catherine mumbled.

"You don't know where you are?" Ezio queried.

Catherine looked at him and quirked an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't have asked if I did know, right?"

"Why, you little…" Ezio took two steps forward, but stopped at the hissing sound. It was comical. The 5 foot 8 tall assassin hesitating before a 10 inch tall kitty.

"Yeah, Leo, show 'im what you got!" Catherine cooed as she picked up the kitty and held it high above her head, then bringing it down to kiss its nose.

"Um, excuse me?" Leonardo asked, staring at the kitty.

"Oh." Catherine turned the kitty around and held it to Leonardo's face. "This is Leonardo." The kitty meowed and licked Leonardo's nose. "Aww, look, he likes you!"

Leonardo hesitantly took the kitty from Catherine's hands and stroked its head. The kitty started purring.

"That's fascinating," Ezio interrupted, "But would you care to tell us why you fell through the roof?"

Catherine looked up. There was a gaping hole in the roof. It would have been funnier if it were shaped like a human, and next to it like a cat, just like in cartoons.

"I'll fix that…" she grinned at her musings.

"No worries, Ezio said he would fix some leaks for me, so he'll be happy to do that." Leonardo was walking away with the kitty still in his arms.

"I will?" Ezio followed him.

Catherine stood there, rooted to the floor. When Ezio moved, Catherine was able to see what was propped up against the wall behind him. She stepped slowly forward and reached out to pull the white sheet that was covering the canvas. She stepped back again and couldn't close her mouth anymore. All the paintings she had seen online from Leonardo da Vinci were oil on canvas, maybe a sketch of a flying machine, but this… this was making her gasp for breath.

Instead of oil paints, the canvas was covered with carbon marks. At first you couldn't really see what it was, but after you stood far away enough, and looked really hard, you could see a man in a white hooded cloak, crouched at the edge of a roof. Apparently the roof belonged to a church, if the cross behind it was anything to go by. The picture had a different perspective, it looked like you were looking at the man on the roof from the ground, giving him an air of superiority, making the looker feel small and insignificant. A few birds were flying upwards, giving movement to the art.

"Ahem." Catherine was pulled from her musings. Leonardo looked at her nervously, obviously expecting something to be said about his work, while Ezio looked annoyed.

"Why are you looking at those scrawls?" He continued. "Half of the time I can't make out what he does…"

Catherine looked at Ezio in disbelief. Then to Leonardo. He was hanging his head and petting the kitty. She saw a tear fall to the kitten's fur.

"How dare you…" She whispered, narrowing her eyes at Ezio.

"Excuse me?" He frowned.

"How dare you talk about his work like that?" Catherine whispered still. "He gives you shelter, helps you when you are hurt, is a great friend, and still you can't at least pretend to admire his work?" Catherine stepped towards Ezio and poked her finger in his chest. "I realize you're too short-minded to understand what that picture is, but if you took a moment to shut that big, filthy mouth of yours, and actually looked at it," Catherine's voice started to rise "you would see how much you are looked up to by him, and still you treat him like SCUM! IT'S YOU WHO DESERVE TO BE TREATED LIKE THAT IF YOU WON'T RESPECT HIM THE WAY HE SHOULD BE!!!" Catherine huffed. "And I don't know why you let him." She said to Leonardo, taking the cat away from him.

"What are you talking about, woman?" Ezio was getting angry for being yelled at by a stranger.

"Look at it, Ezio." He pulled him to stand next to her. "Can't you see the church, the birds, can't you see yourself in there?"

Ezio looked. And then his eyes filled with surprise as he finally understood.

"Leonardo, I…" He started.

"It's nothing, Ezio, I was going to paint over it anyway, I don't know what urged me to draw this…" Leonardo waved his hand and tried to smile. "Come, let's have tea." He led the way to the kitchen. Catherine covered the canvas again, like the way she found it and followed Leonardo. She made sure to hit her shoulder on Ezio's chest (since she was so small) as hard as she could while passing him. The assassin didn't even move, and probably didn't feel a thing, but he flinched anyway. The message was given.

"So my dear, what is your name?" Leonardo had his back to the kitchen door, and was suspiciously sniffing in his sleeve (eww, gross). Catherine went to him and hugged him (avoiding the sleeve, of course).

"That was beautiful, Leo, it really was." She whispered.

Leonardo was stiff for a moment, then hugged her back.

"You are really strange." He laughed between sobs.

"I take that as a compliment." She pulled away. "My name is Catherine."

"It is a grand pleasure to meet you, Catherine."

"Cat."

"Si, correct, that is a cat." Leonardo pointed to the kitten in her arms.

"No," she laughed. "My friends call me Cat."

"Oh. Well then, Cat, tell me, how you made that new window in my living room."

"I really don't know." Catherine sat on a chair when Leonardo pointed to it. "I was in my house, with my brother and sisters, then I tripped, and…woke up here…hmm…"

Leonardo put a mug with hot tea in front of her. They sat in silence, drinking their tea, when Leonardo asked:

"Who is your husband? Maybe we can…" He was interrupted by her choking on her tea.

"HUSBAND?" She yelled as soon as she could breathe. "I'm only 19!"

"Well, most girls are married with 15…" Leonardo looked at her concerned.

"Um, not where I come from." Catherine wiped her mouth with the back of her hand (come on, hasn't anyone ever heard of napkins?).

"This is strange…"

'please don't ask where I come from, please don't ask where I come from, please don't ask where I come from, please don't ask where I come from.' Catherine prayed.

"Well, then." Leonardo stood up. "You can stay here until you find a way to go back. I have a spare room, and it has a lock, so you don't need worry about Ezio or me…"

'THANK YOU, GOD!' Catherine smiled "Thank you Leo."

"No problem at all. But I hope you don't mind skipping breakfast." Leonardo led the way to the spare room.

"Why?"

"I can't cook. And Ezio refuses to. So we have to wait 'till my assistant comes and makes lunch." Leonardo sighed.

"No wonder you're so skinny." Catherine poked Leonardo's ribs, making him laugh a little. "Don't worry, I had to learn how to cook to take care of my siblings, so breakfast is easy."

"You don't need to…"

"I insist. If I'm staying here, that's the least I can do!"

"Thank you, Cat. I suppose you need new clothes?" Leonardo opened the small dresser next to the door. In it, were many dresses.

"Why do you have so many dresses?" Catherine asked.

"They're for Ezio's…um…friends. Oh, don't worry, these haven't been used." Leonardo added after seeing the disgusted look on Catherine's face. She sighed in relief.

"Where is he anyway?"

"He tends to disappear sometimes. His job is very…unpredictable." Leonardo explained.

"Unpredictable as in, murderer?"

"The term… is assassin." Ezio came in.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear…" Catherine muttered. She sat on the bed.

"How did you know my profession?" Ezio asked suspiciously.

"You're wearing the creed's sign on your belt, and you're a walking arsenal." She kicked her stilettos off.

"What kind of killing item is that?" Ezio pointed at her shoes.

"Why does everybody say that about my shoes?"

Ezio turned to Leonardo.

"Leonardo, I apologize for…"

"Anyway, Leo, when do you wake up?" Catherine interrupted.

"I was talking to…"

"You'll hear a loud noise. It's very easy to wake up here, believe me." Leonardo also ignored Ezio. He bid her goodnight and locked himself in his room.

"You." Ezio pointed at Catherine.

"Yes?" she smiled sweetly.

Ezio stuttered, took a deep breath, stuttered some more, then turned around and entered his room, slamming the door behind him. Catherine sighed and closed her door softly. As she turned around to her bed, she saw Leonardo (the cat) curled on her pillow. She started to unbutton her shirt when she heard a soft tapping noise. After a few moments, she recognized a pattern, it was morse code.

'is he gone?' Leonardo (the human) asked through the wall.

'yes' Catherine answered tapping her nails on the wall.

'you know morse code!'

'I used to talk to my neighbors like this'

'what was it like where you came from?'

'very different from here'

'do you miss it?'

'nothing material, but I had to leave my siblings behind'

'what are they like?'

'I have a brother that is 17, and two sisters. One is 11 and the other 4'

'and your parents?'

'died in a car accident'

'car?'

'carriage'

'I am sorry for your loss'

Catherine didn't reply. She didn't like to talk about her parents' death. And she was worried about her sisters. She knew Derek could take care of them, but never had they heard of someone being sucked into a game.

'did I upset you?'

'no, I was stroking Leo'

'what a coincidence that our names are the same.'

Catherine snorted. Leonardo (the cat) was named after Leonardo (the human) both because Catherine liked art, and because she loved the game.

'yes. He is my little lion!'

'we can talk in the morning, Ezio gets irritated with the noise'

'screw Ezio, this is your house.'

At that moment, Ezio came in.

"Would you mind stopping the noise?" he asked.

"What noise, this one?" Catherine tapped on the wall:

'speak of the devil and he shall appear'

Laughter was heard from the other room. Catherine chuckled and looked at Ezio. He was focusing on a spot right below Catherine's chin, and was slowly getting red in the face. Catherine looked down. Her shirt was unbuttoned.

"Would you mind leaving?" she asked.

Ezio didn't move. Catherine snapped her fingers in his face. He turned and left without another word.

'how did you get rid of him so soon?' Leonardo asked.

'I was changing.'

'you should have locked the door, I warned you.'

'strange answer from a man'

'I'm gay.'

Catherine burst out laughing.

'I knew it!' she tapped on the wall.

'is it a problem?'

'no, my brother is too, it's just that I imagined the two of you together. I thought it would be cute.'

'most people do not like this.'

'I'm not most people'

'thank you.'

'no problem, Leo. Good night.'

'good night.'

Catherine finished taking her clothes off and put a thin white nightgown on. She slipped under her covers and hugged Leonardo to her. The cat's purring soon lulled her to sleep. Her last thoughts were of her brother.