So sorry to all my readers (I hope I still have some) but my absence is now at an end! Enjoy this new treat!
Ezio was in the middle of his conversation with La Volpe when he heard someone whistle sharply a happy melody. In seconds, the children around the Thieves' Guild started to run to the secret entrance.
"Mamma è qui! Mamma è qui!" they chanted.
"Ehi! Non dovreste essere tutti a letto?" La Volpe barked at a small group of toddlers who ran past him and Ezio.
"Haven't you heard her whistle? Mamma Anna è qui!" a small boy with sparkling eyes looked back at them shortly only to run after the other children.
"There were so many children here…" Ezio wondered aloud.
"Si…" La Volpe adjusted his clothes absentmindedly. "I wasn't aware she was returning so soon…" He rubbed his chin and grimaced at the stubble growing there.
"She?" Ezio grinned at the man's actions. They walked towards the group of children waiting by the entrance, and saw them cheer as a woman came out of the shadows. She pushed her dark hood down and a big smile spread over her face.
"Bambini!" she let her bag fall to the ground and knelt to embrace the large group. The small children were trampled by the bigger ones to get to her embrace first. Flailing limbs accompanied the screams and the yells and the insults and the chants of 'mamma, mamma'. The woman seemed to vanish in the sea of children.
After seemingly everyone had gotten a hug and a kiss, she stood up and looked around the small sea of chaos.
"Shouldn't you all be in bed by this hour?" she put her hands on her hips. A choir of groans answered her. "Up you go!" she pointed.
After the mass of children thinned, an older boy approached her from behind, quietly. His hand stretched out and was almost to her purse when her arm shot out and embraced the boy, smothering his face between her breasts.
"You've gotten better, Ennio." She kissed the top of his head.
"Still not as good as you, Mamma." The boy retracted his face from her chest and looked up at her.
"What is this, Ennio?" she grasped his chin and frowned at a bruise on his face. The boy started fidgeting and lowered his head, only to be jerked up again. "Ennio…" her tone warned him a fresh session of scolding was about to start. "Have you been running around picking fights?"
"Mamma, I…"
"Let the boy go, Anna, he's learning." La Volpe called to her.
"We'll speak of this later." She warned the boy. He hung his head and shuffled off. "Have you been encouraging him?" she turned to La Volpe.
"Me?" the man put a hand to his chest in mock hurt. "Never." He grinned at her. "How was your trip to Venezia, amore?" he extended his arm to her, expecting an embrace.
"Very relaxing, Antonio is a wonderful host." She did not move closer to him. Ezio stifled a chuckle. La Volpe turned red. He was about to say something back when a small girl caught their attention.
"Mamma" she whined, looking up at the woman. "Non ho sonno…" she contradicted her words by yawning widely and rubbing her eyes.
"Oh, piccola…" she hoisted the girl onto her arms and pressed her head to her breasts. She started whispering nothings to the little girl and swaying her around, catching the eye of a servant girl, who nodded and came closer.
"Mamma, your heart beats so loud!" she smiled contentedly and snuggled closer to the woman. "La Volpe's is so quiet…"
"And how did you know that?" the woman eyed the aforementioned man.
"She can't sleep knowing that you are not here." He explained.
"Meetings are more entertaining with a child in your lap, La Volpe." Ezio sniggered.
"I'm here now, piccola, don't worry." The woman passed the child to the servant girl. "Go sleep."
"Good night, Mamma…" the servant girl took her away.
"You encourage my children to get hurt, you spoil them by letting them sleep late…next I know they're already drinking wine!" she stepped closer and wagged her finger in La Volpe's face.
"Si, about tha—OUCH!" Ezio grabbed his side where La Volpe elbowed him. The assassin sniggered at the woman's expression.
"Chiudi la bocca, Assassino, before I get into any more trouble!" the man in yellow shoved his ally away.
"There's more?" the woman screeched.
"Now, now, Anna, you don't want to wake the children, do you?" La Volpe put his arms around her and tried to embrace her soothingly.
"I believe we haven't been introduced yet." She ignored the arms around her. "Ezio Auditore."
"Anna." He took her hand and kissed it, earning a glare from La Volpe.
"Are all those children yours?" he eyed her slim waist.
"Not from my own womb, if that is what you meant." She smiled sadly. Ezio nodded, not wanting to pry.
"I will retire for the night, it seems you have to sort some things out with your…" Ezio looked for a word to describe their relationship.
"There won't be much left of him after I'm done." She spared him from finishing the sentence.
"Then I will talk to whatever is left in the morning." Ezio dodged a hand and went off. "Enjoy yourselves!" he certainly was going to.
"You, signore ladro, are in deep trouble." She turned in the embrace to face the taller man.
"Mhh, how deep?" La Volpe bent his head down and rubbed his face in the crook of her neck, getting a good whiff of her scent.
"Don't you try to distract me…" she stretched her neck to give him more access to her skin as he started spreading kisses on her.
"Is it working?" he nipped at a sensitive spot.
"Maybe…" she gasped at the feel of his teeth.
"I missed you, amore." He touched his forehead to hers and looked into her dark green eyes.
"How much, you sneaky little fox?" she asked, rubbing their noses together.
"This much." He took her hand and put it on his chest, admiring her soft smile as she felt his heartbeat. "But also this much." He slid their hands to the front of his pants.
"We'll need to take care of that then, hmm?" she gripped his length lightly, making him gasp.
I know, it's short, but more is coming soon! Please review to encourage me!