A/N: I am SO sorry guys! I had just realized at this point that the math for Gabriela's age was not done right. The years in the italic sections have been changed in previous chapters, and that should be it. (For clarification, Gabriela is 23 in 1501.)

-4-

Darkness filled the room. The only thing that Gabriela was able to see was her body, robed in her intact ruby Renaissance gown. She took a few steps forward, with the entire place echoing the taps of her flats. Utter silence proceeded afterwards. All she could hear was hear breathing.

"Brother?" called out Gabriela, wandering around as her desperate cry resonated. No answer.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes slowly for a few seconds, recollecting her thoughts. It's just a dream, she thought, reopening them in the same manner.

And then she was back in her home. She stood in the kitchen area next to the fireplace, where she had always eaten her meals with the family—as a whole. As if nothing happened, even. The plates were still on the table just as she had seen them sit there before leaving for more firewood. In a panic, she groped around her body to see if she had her cloak on. No cloak, meaning no concealed dagger.

With hesitation, she quietly tip-toed to the candlelit room. Gabriela leaned against the wall next to the door frame. And slowly, she craned her head to catch a glimpse of the room.

A blood-curdling scream escaped her mouth as her eyes widened like no other, with her hands scrambling to cover her eyes and mouth all at the same time. She shook violently, falling to her knees in shock at the sight. Her parents were murdered and had been lying in a pool of their own blood, sprawled out all over the hardwood floor. An eerie stare from her father's dead eyes pierced Gabriela's soul as she sobbed and shook uncontrollably.

She cupped her face in her hands, attempting to catch her breathing. A couple of minutes had passed and she had calmed down. A dream, she assured herself again. Gabriela struggled to pry her hands and fingers off of her face, but she knew she had to continue progressing through the dream…she may as well get it over with now.

Her face was now open and free after much struggling. A sunset off in the distance gave the meadow a citrus-like warm glow. An average-build man was sitting in the grass a couple of meters away from a thick tree, at the top of the hill. His back was facing towards her, but all she was able to make out was his clothing and his build. His brown-blonde hair went to what seemed to be the bottom of his chin, with some layers. A navy blue coat had covered his entire abdomen, and his right hand was positioned either to keep himself up, or what Gabriela had initially thought, as if he was waiting for someone to sit next to him…

"Valerio?" she choked. Was it really him?

He turned his head around over his shoulder to gaze over at his caller. The tenderness his soft hazel eyes had complimented his facial hair stubble on his chin. He stared at her for a moment, and that was when she knew it.

It was him.

And within a moment, he faded away. The environment did as well, too. Gabriela exhaled in frustration and sadness. She closed her eyes once more for a brief moment, hoping to wake up from the dream. But as soon as she opened her eyes, she found herself back on the streets of Roma at night.

A knife whizzed past her right shoulder and pierced the scaffold that stood only meters away from her. Looking over at her shoulder, she caught sight of her pursuer throwing his last throwing knife at her…her own brother.

Time lapse. She found herself in the alley, catching her breath once more as she leaned against the building. A whisper stealthily came from the shadows behind her, holding up a dagger in an icepick grip. Stab.

Time lapse. Cut. Now Gabriela was on the ground, still trying to catch her breath. Her brother stood in front of her and firmly gripped the metal blade in his hand, smirking as he stared into his little sister's eyes.

"They knew too much and refused it all. And you do as well, sister. Thus, you share the same fate as them all."

…

Gabriela's eyes flickered open as her body lurched up from the flat surface with a few heavy gasps of air. Her breathing slowed down to a regular pace as she continued to tell herself it was all a dream and nothing else of it. Both her head and her heart were pounding though, and her abdomen seemed to feel a little drafty. She struggled to sit up to examine where she was and to try and recall what had happened; the pain from her stitched wounds had made it difficult for her to move around. But her will allowed her to push through the pain and to sit up.

The thick topaz-colored blanket that had been covering her slipped down. Ezio's robes were no longer concealing and keeping her body warm. As soon as the realization that her gown was not a gown anymore, but a skirt, hit her, she pulled the sheet up to hide her close-to-naked body. Her corset was still on, thank goodness, but with the realization that she did not know where she was made her a little frightened. She was no longer in the main room of the hideout as well, but rather, in what seemed to be a bedroom. A bookshelf with a desk, accompanied by a chair at the desk in opposition of the room, took up most of the open space. Her body was cushioned by a queen-sized bed underneath her.

But then she remembered it all. What had happened between her and Orazio in her dream was not a dream. He had pursued after her through Rome in the Centro district. Gabriela could not accept the fact that he had turned into a corrupt Templar, and because she knew too much, he had to kill her.

Nonetheless, her brother was now dead—assassinated by one of the most wanted assassins in Rome, Ezio.

She then took the moment to look over at her left shoulder. It luckily did not hurt as she sat still on the bed. Her right hand trembled as Gabriela wanted to use her fingers to grope around the area to see what had been done. As her hand got closer to her shoulder, she pushed through and lightly touched the covered stab wound with a touch of her palm. Through the thin layers of linen wrapped around her shoulder, she felt around the bumps and what seemed to be similar to dashed lines and x's. Stitches, she thought. The same has probably been done for my side wound…

"Oh, you're awake, signora?" An all too familiar voice had broken the silence.

Gabriela shifted her attention to the man at the doorway. She did not realize that Ezio had opened the door quietly to check up on her. His hood was pulled down, revealing his worn-out face.

"Um…yes," blurted Gabriela, raising the covers above her shoulders in a nervous response. Ezio gently closed the door behind him. He slowly approached the bed and sat on the other end, making direct eye contact with her.

"Bene," answered Ezio. "How are you feeling? You have been asleep for the past few days."

"I-I'm still in some pain, but I feel o-okay…" she responded timidly.

"I am glad to hear that. I was a little afraid you would not be able to make it after what had happened," he admitted. "Madame, would you please tell me your name? I do not want to address you improperly."

"My n-name…is Gabriela Merlo."

The assassin chuckled, causing the bed to shake a bit. "There is no need to be nervous, Gabriela. I just want to know a few things." He shifted from his slouching, sitting position on the bed to a more straight posture, resulting in him inching closer to Gabriela. "What happened on that night? It seems that you are Orazio's sister, and you two had gotten into conflict."

A sigh came from her chest. "That night…I had found out that he was a Templar, secretly working under Cesare Borgia. I had trusted him for ten years…I lived alone with him for ten years. He was the one responsible for my parents' deaths…and…more deaths that I was aware of, but could not make the connection. And he was right under my nose. I have never felt betrayed like this for my entire life. And it hurts." She choked as she had spoken the last few words. Ezio slowly reached out as if he wanted to comfort her. With no negative reaction provoking him from doing so, he placed his hand on her uninjured shoulder. The past few days with her being around, in just a corset and a ripped skirt, teased him; a simple touch of her shoulder stirred up those second thoughts.

"Mi dispiace, Gabriela," consoled Ezio. He got up from the bed and walked over to the door. "Once your wounds have recovered, I will be more than happy to escort you back to—"

"I want to become a part of the assassin brotherhood."

A pause of what seemed to be uncomfortable silence for Ezio stirred the air. He did not expect any response like that coming from an injured woman, let alone someone who was somewhat affiliated with a Templar in their family. Specifically, he did not even want her to join the brotherhood because of the risks.

"Please," she urged, "I am capable of fighting when I can fully recover from these injuries. You have not been able to see my potential when I'm equipped with a dagger. I can dig up more information with my brother's notes that may benefit you and the brotherhood."

Another pause of silence had occurred. The assassin did not say anything for a brief moment but the following words as he turned around with a more positive look on his face:

"Let me see your potential once your wounds recover."

Gabriela's eyes locked onto Ezio's as a chortle escaped. He approached her very closely, and with no hesitation from both parties, he cupped her chin using his index finger. "You may stay in the hideout until then. But you will have your own chambers, as you are in mine."

Her face reddened immediately. Had they been technically sleeping together? Or rather, where was he sleeping while she took his bed for a few days?

Ezio grinned. "Do not worry about it, Gabriela. You may even move to the new chambers if you wish, starting tonight." The assassin pulled away from her with alacrity and walked towards the door.

"Grazie for everything, Ezio Auditore," she murmured from behind, while he swung the door open. A smirk escaped from his lips, closing it on his way out.