Disclaimer: See, why do you need elaboration when it's all summed up so neatly in that first word? I disclaim. This may be applied to all future chapters.

Chapter 4 – "Oh, for the love of cheese, Ezio…"

Alex POV

I kicked my chucks off and padded to the closet. Inside were indeed many things. I picked a white gown and changed into it. It was a bit too big, but I had always been small for my age. Pulling the covers back, I noticed the sheets were fresh. A strange, but pleasant surprise. Even if he didn't sleep in this room, he still changed the sheets. I snuggled down on the pillow and sighed.

Why does my brain have to act so stupid? I mean, sure, he was…handsome…but that was no excuse. He was very polite…he can cook…gentle…nice…handsome…wait, I already said that. I tried to smother myself in my pillow, but was distracted by the soft scent of lavender. I frowned in confusion and slid my hand under it. My fingers hit something dry. I pulled it out. It was a bundle of lavender twigs tied together by a ribbon. I couldn't help but smile. Putting it on the bedside table so I wouldn't crush it, I fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up to sunlight shining in my eyes. It was a pleasant change from waking up to my brother's St. Bernard drooling on my face. I stretched and felt the bones in my back pop. Sitting up, I decided to try on a dress. I opened the closet and looked for the smallest dress. They appeared to be all the same size. Taking a simple blue one, I found it really wasn't that big on me. I just had to pay attention not to trip. I wore my blue chucks, creating a weird, but nice contrast. Finding a brush on the bedside table, I tamed my hair to a somewhat acceptable wildness. The waves seemed to never want to stay in one place.

I went down the stairs, following the heavenly scent of toast. Indeed, when I entered the kitchen, Leonardo was at the stove…frying bread?

"Good…morning?" I frowned in confusion at the pan.

"Good morning, Alexandra. Did you sleep well?" Leonardo turned and smiled at me.

"Please, call me Alex." I smiled back. "And yes, thank you."

"Come, let's have breakfast." He motioned to a smaller table in the kitchen, next to the window overlooking his garden. "Try this." He put two slices of bread in front of me and took two for himself. I watched him take a bite out of his and look at me. Well…Here goes…

"Oh, my god, this is so good!" I said with my mouth full. He had sprinkled sugar and cinnamon on the toast, and I could faintly taste honey too.

"I'm glad you liked it." He really did look glad. His smile was so charming…

"I thought it would taste strange because you fried it, but…" I finished my first one and grabbed the next. "This is heavenly!"

"You're exaggerating!" he blushed! Oh, he looks so cute when he blushes!

"Is there more?" I asked. "You should know, I eat like it's my last meal."

He laughed. Damn, what was wrong with me? Everything seemed to be playing in slow motion.

"Of course there's more. After dinner last night I guessed you would need something with substance!" he put another three slices in front of me. I giggled nervously.

"Sorry…"

"Not at all, I just want to know how you maintain that beautiful figure." He smiled.

"Um…" did he just call me beautiful? "I…" no, stupid, he said your figure. Not you. Your figure. "High metabolism?" I shrugged.

We ate in silence. It didn't bother us, and I think I liked that. We did the dishes together again. I splashed him with a bit of water, then started humming in mock innocence. He smirked and hit the water surface, making a whole lot of it splash on me.

"Oops. My hand slipped." He grinned at me.

"You know what this means?" I grabbed hold of the sponge underwater.

He raised his eyebrows and looked at me expectantly.

"This means war!" I threw the soaked sponge at him and hit him in the middle of his face. Before he could wipe the soap from his eyes, I ran to the living room.

"Ahh!" I shrieked when I ran into a white clothed chest. Leonardo ran into the living room looking alarmed at my scream. I looked up and recognized that cocky smirk. Putting my hand to my chest I tried to breathe evenly.

"Christ on a bike, Ezio. Don't scare me like that."

"Am I interrupting anything?" he promptly looked at our wet clothes.

"N-no…" I stepped back.

"Are you sure?" he smirked. "Because I could go…" he motioned to the door. When he raised his arm, I saw a red gash on his side, and it wasn't part of his fancy cape. (A cape, dear lord, a cape of all things!)

"Ezio, you're hurt!" I stepped forward and raised his arm.

"What happened?" Leonardo was rummaging in a desk drawer, taking medical stuff out I knew nothing of. "Lie back." He instructed. Ezio handed me his cape and shirt and plopped down on the couch with a wince. I couldn't help but stare at his bloody side. How was he still standing? I ran outside and tossed the shirt into a bucket full of water and hung the cape up. It seemed to be clean. Of blood at least. I ran back in to find Ezio holding Leonardo's wrist away from his torso. He was holding a rag, moist with something yellowish. On his other hand was a needle.

"I need to clean it, Ezio." He was trying to reason.

"It stings." Ezio seemed to be weak now that he was sitting.

I decided to help and put my hand on Ezio's shoulder.

"Lie back, you'll relax more."

He looked at me with narrowed eyes, but obeyed. I knelt on the floor by his head and promptly leaned over his chest to keep him from looking at what Leonardo was doing. He smirked down at me and was sure to make a snappy remark about my position, when he sucked air through his teeth.

"That stings!" he made to stand up, but I weighed him down. Not that he couldn't throw me off, had he not lost so much blood. I held his face and forced him to look at me.

"Ezio, the wound needs to be cleaned, or else it can get infected."

He breathed heavily, then leaned his head back on the couch. I slowly let go of him and sat back on my heels. He startled me a little when he snatched my hand from my lap and held tightly on to it. I suppressed a smile and squeezed back.

Leonardo worked fast and soon asked Ezio to sit up, so he could wrap his stitches. He stubbornly took the gauze from him and attempted to do it himself.

"Oh, for the love of cheese, Ezio, let him finish it!" I threw my hands up and huffed.

Whether he was surprised by my outburst or by my choice of words, he hesitated enough for Leonardo to snatch the gauze back and do it properly.

"There. I'd tell you to rest, but you never listen to me." He stood up and put the unused utensils away.

"I think I might this time." Ezio groaned. He looked really pale. Leonardo looked at me.

"Can you get him upstairs?" I asked. He nodded and I went back to the kitchen. I put a small pan full of water to boil, and started chopping and throwing random things in it, like celery, a tomato, a carrot, an onion, some spices, and a bit of chicken. Oh, and a potato I found.

I laughed. Potato.

"What's so funny?" Leonardo came in and looked curiously in the pot.

"Nothing…" I grinned.

"This looks good." He stirred a little.

"Thanks. Sorry for rummaging around the kitchen, I thought something light for him to eat would help." I smiled sheepishly.

"You can rummage around as much as you like." He laughed. "Don't worry about it."

I nodded and turned the heat low.

"I believe I have to postpone revenge?" he smiled.

"Oh, I suppose…"

We smiled at each other. He was so handsome. I noticed him shift and come ever so slightly closer. I licked my lips and noticed how his eyes zeroed in on them. He alternately looked at them and my eyes.

"I…You…"

I raised my eyebrows and took the smallest step forward, nodding at him to continue.

"You…You have beautiful eyes." He managed to say. "I wish I could capture the color."

"Oh." I had to admit, as flattering as it was coming from the Leonardo da Vinci, I couldn't help but look a bit crestfallen.

"Is that the best you can do?" A voice startled us. I turned to see Ezio standing by the door.

"Ezio, what are you doing up?" Leonardo blushed and stepped hastily away from me.

"I said I could rest a bit, it doesn't mean you have to leave me alone in that stuffy room." He said, sitting in a chair by the small table.

Leonardo sighed, shook his head, then went to the living room, saying he needed to finish a painting for someone. I turned and kept stirring the soup. It was actually quite an easy recipe, and tasted good too, I remembered when I used to—

"When are you going to tell him?" Ezio startled me. I forgot he was there, he was so quiet!

"Tell him what?"

"Please." He scoffed, and held his side, wincing. "You're head over heels for him."

"I am not." I reached up to a shelf and took a bowl, serving some soup into it.

"Of course not." He smirked and accepted the bowl. I scowled as I opened a drawer for a spoon. When I turned back to him, he was finishing drinking the soup from the bowl. Throwing the spoon back into the drawer, I crossed my arms and looked at him.

"Why would you think that?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Well…" he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "You keep acting like a stupid little girl around him, and he can't take his eyes off you. It's really that simple."

"He…he does that?" I wondered if it was true, or if the assassin was just pulling my leg.

"So you do like him…" Ezio smirked at my question.

"Well…" I waved my hands uselessly around. "I—I…"

"You know…" Ezio shifted in his seat. "If you were more…evident…maybe he'd grow some balls and tell you how he feels towards you."

"How can you be so sure?" I frowned at his language.

"I've known him for a long time, Alex…" he stood up. "And don't try and lie to me. You like him."

"Well, if I do, it's none of you business." I snapped.

He sighed and went to the living room.

Notes: This chapter made Alex want to punch me, but I posted it anyway. Our friend broke a rib, and we were in the hospital *shudders* visiting him, and he didn't want to let the doctor wrap him up. Then Alex threw her bag on the floor (which made a lot of noise, btw) and yelled: "For the love of cheese, Mark, let the man do his job!" and the doctor had to leave because he couldn't do his job because he was laughing so hard. Oh, and FYI, the doctor was really cute. And he asked me to give him my number. *squeals* Mark didn't like it, though…

Review, and Mark might heal faster! Though I don't want him to, because that's just another excuse for me to go visit the cute doctor…um…I mean…visit Mark.