Disclaimer-do not own

I don't know what provoked me to write such a terrible chapter 7 and I took it down immediately. I hope not many of you read and such and I like to thank Kjrs to helping me realize how horrible it is and realize it is not up to par with the rest of my previous chapters. So I'm re-writing this one.

*Also I made a poll cause, I really need you guys to vote to help me determine to course of where this is going and it's too big for me to decide and I don't want any of you to feel upset with me. So plz vote!*

-/-

Ezio Auditore had every right to feel nervous about his mother at that very moment. To anyone passing by at a glance it would've looked like they were having a civil conversation. But if you were to do a double take and pass by another time, allowing yourself to feel the atmosphere of the room and look really closely on their faces, you could tell that what they were having was anything but a civil conversation. Now Maria was a civil woman and had very high standing points for behaviour that she taught her children at a very young age in their lives. Though there are times when she feels that with Ezio that her upbringing may have just went in one ear and out the other when it came to fighting with rival families. Yes, she understood that while the other families may say terrible things about the Auditore household, it doesn't mean however that she and her family should fall to their level and exchange slander and fists. So when she heard of the fight in the market place, she wasn't all too surprise to hear that her second son, Ezio, was in the middle of it. She heard from Annetta, who heard it from her sister, Paola, after visiting her earlier in the day, who heard it from her workers who happened to be part of the audience at the time of the fight. Hearing of it, it was one hell of fight.

Annetta told her every bit and detail she heard from Paola the best she could, how Claudia and Lightning were caught and cornered by Vieri. That, from what she heard, was enough to provoke Lightning to fight back. She was able to subdue nearly half of Vieri's gang on her own until someone snuck up on her and pinned her arms to her sides. Somehow she managed to escape, and keep fighting until some back handed her and she was pushed to the wall by none other than Vieri himself. Annetta then told her the most disturbing part of the fight. Lightning broke Vieri's wrist with her bare hand. Just imagining the sound itself made her pale and almost faint. The pain it would inflict and the amount of force to do such a thing a coming from Lightning, who to Maria looks like a very petite and slim fitting woman when she first saw her.

Maria had precautions about her husband taking in the stray woman, who she finds hard to believe from her son, that fell from the sky. What kind of person fell from the sky? There is nothing above them except for the sky and heavens. Ezio believed her to be an angel, but aren't angels are supposed to be warm and welcoming? Not cold and distance. An angel sent from God to protect her family? Not a chance that she would believe that. This woman was more of an fallen angel from the stories. Kicked out of the heavens for committing one of the biggest sins there is to existence. Now she was thinking twice about this woman being with her family. She worried for her family's well being and wanted nothing more than to make sure no harm came to them. Taking a deep breath, Maria steeled herself for the upcoming talk that is now going to take place.

"Petruccio," she began talking to her youngest child. Petruccio looked up his mother and saw that the scowl on her face was gone and was replaced with grim looking expression.

"Yes mother?" he asked in a soft voice that sounded like it was ready to break under the amount of tension in the room.

"Annetta needs help over in the dinning hall. Could you be a dear and go help?" she said in a forced sweet voice and sad smile. Petruccio said nothing as he nodded his head and began to walk out of the area. Before fully walking out, he gave one last look to his siblings and Lightning with worry before leaving from their sight.

'This not going to go well'

-/-

Maria waited a few seconds before turning her attention back to her children and Lady Lightning. She noticed Ezio shift half a foot away from Lightning and that's when she saw it. The dress that they gave Lightning to wear was shortened up to her upper thighs, showing off a great deal of skin to the world. This made her bite her lip, before and insult escaped her lips. Maria settled for a look contempt at Lightning before speaking once again.

"I wish to speak with all three of you in the sitting room. Now." Her voice giving out the order and leaving no room for objection as she passed by them and began to walk up the stairs. Ezio shot Claudia a look of worry and Claudia looked to Lightning, who only shrugged at them as she followed Maria up the stairs. From behind, the two siblings walked next to each other locking eyes with worry and fear clearly showing in their eyes as they followed them up the stairs. The only sounds you could hear were their soft foot falls and the sounds of the creaks in the house, sounds from the kitchen and dining hall were quiet suddenly as a an eerie stillness fell like a plague on the household. It was at the moment of silence they reached the sitting room and Maria opened the door to let them in. Lightning walked in with her head held high, Claudia with her eyes downcast, and Ezio with a blank look on his face, but with worry and uncertainty in his eyes. Maria was the last to enter after her son walked in and closed the door behind her with a soft 'click'.

From where she stood Maria looked to each of them before settling on Ezio with a hard look. This made Ezio flinch, know full well what was to come now.

"I heard there was a fight in the market," the first thing she said not taking her eyes off of Ezio.

"There was," he answered back.

"I also heard you were involved," she replied back as her eyes lingered to Ezio.

"It was the Pazzi mother! They were-"

"I don't want to hear it Ezio," she said interrupting him with ice in her voice as she held up a hand to make him stop speaking.

"I raised and taught you better than that Ezio!" Her voice rose a little, but not enough to be considered yelling. Maria walked a few steps up to her son until she was no less than a meter away from him. Her head was held high, back straight, shoulders square, and her face set in stone cold emotion.

"I know you did!" he stated back to he in an equal volume.

"Then why partake in the fight?" she asked him.

"I had to! I heard that there was fight and Claudia and Lightning were in the middle of it! I had to do something! How could I call myself a man and a good brother if I didn't do anything?" he told his mother. This response took her back a bit, but before she could say anything to him, someone interrupted her.

"As I much as I hate to partake and listen in this lecture of us doing wrong in defending ourselves from becoming victims to some bratty noble…." Lightning walked up to the pair and stood next Ezio with her arms crossed under her chest with an obvious scowl on her features. This made Maria's eyebrow rise a bit.

"….Your son was doing what he believe what was right in that moment. Granted I didn't need any help to take on those guys, but it was thoughtful of your son to come and try to be the hero and save the damsels in distress…..Stupid, but thoughtful." Lightning said to Maria, as she both insulted and defended Ezio from his mother.

"Lightning would you please wait? I am speaking with my son first." Maria said to her with disdain her voice.

"That's odd. Down near the entrance you said you wanted to speak all three of us in the sitting room. We are all here, so do we not have a right to partake in this talk and much as the next person here? Or did you just bring us here to just witness you harassing your son about defending his sister?" Lightning said as she rolled her eyes and cocked her hip to the side as she dismissed what Maria just said. Maria tried not to let this…..woman….rile her up. She has more control than to get into a verbal fight with her. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she relaxes and steels herself mentally.

"Lightning I understand that you, as well, partook in this fight. Is that not true?" she asked her.

"Yes."

"Then I wish to know this. How is it a woman, such as yourself, able to fend off 5 males, that are much larger than you both height and weight, on her own and then able to break a man's wrist as if it was no more than a thin branch?" she questioned her with an intense gaze.

"I was taught to defend myself from men such as those in the market," she answered easily.

"And may I ask who taught you?" Maria asked her with suspicion laced in her words as she turned her attention to the woman before her.

"…." Lightning opened her mouth to say, but the words died out and her mind went blank suddenly. She couldn't remember who taught her how to fight and defend herself! Her brows scrunched up as she tried to remember anything in her mind that could prove useful as to how she learned how to fight, but came up empty. Blank. Tabula rasa. Shit. Maria saw this play out and mentally gave herself a good appraisal to making this girl speechless and not mess with the wife of an assassin. Though before either one could say another word, Claudia spoke up.

"Does it really matter to who had taught Lightning?" she asked as she walked up to her mother. Her mother looked to her with confusion.

"What she did back there…..It was unreal. Lightning warned them before she began to fight back. Mother you should've seen her! The way she moved and attacked…it was beautiful! It was as if she was lighter than the air around her….she moved with such grace. She fought not only to defend herself but….for me as well" Claudia said as she recalled the events from earlier as she looked up to her mother. Lightning looked at Claudia. She barely knew her and this girl was defending her! This irked her a little to how this girl spoke about her when she was fighting. She was anything but that!

"Claudia, I just fought to keep us safe. I didn't do it to show off or anything, so please keep all comments about me moving like water and grace to yourself until further notice…..okay?" Lightning said brushing off the compliments with a wave of her hand from Claudia. This made Claudia upset, but she swallowed her words and nodded, keeping a straight face the best she could for Lightning. What good were tears, when not even a complement made Lightning show emotion?

"Do not speak to my daughter that way!" Maria shouted at the pinkette. It was one thing to speak insults to her son or rude comments, but to speak in a matter to her daughter!? It finally made her snap. No one treats her daughter like dirt.

"I just did woman." Lightning sneered back at her. They were now locked in a heated staring contest as they squared themselves up one another. Did this woman not hold others feelings in account? There is something wrong with her.

"Where is your remorse?" Maria spat to her Lightning as her eyes narrowed.

"I have no remorse for others. I could care less as to what they feel afterwards." Lightning stated to her, making Maria eyes widen a little.

"So when you broke that boy's wrist?" She whispered her question.

"He got off lucky. I should've broken more than just his wrist when I had the chance" Lightning answered her back with no hesitation on her behalf. Maria looked in horror of this woman that stood before her. No human would be able to commit such a thing and not feel an ounce of remorse. This was no angel or lost child of the heavens. This woman was the offspring of the snake in the Garden in Eden.

"You whore." Maria said to Lightning without hesitation. Anger flared deep inside Lightning's core as her hands fell to her sides and flattened. Her arm twitched getting ready to slap the woman who had the guts to call her a whore. She was a lot of things. A warrior, guardian, and a woman. Calling her a whore was a low blow. She. Was. Not. A. Whore!

There was no warning but everything happened in slow motion for everyone. Lightning's hand shot out to hit Maria on her cheek, but Ezio grabbed her wrist and spun her around. Her back landed on his chest as his arms locked over her, restraining her from attacking his mother. It was thing to hit and assault him or any other man, but no one lays a hand on his mother!

"I AM NOT WHORE!" she screamed as she fought against Ezio's grip. Ezio had to increase his grip on Lightning. She was quite the spitfire!

"Your state of dress is telling me otherwise" Maria said with a deadpan expression to Lightning.

"EVEN THOUGH MY DRESS IS SHORTEN DOESN'T AUTOMATICALLY MAKE ME A WHORE!" she retorted back at the Auditore woman. Maria had a comeback at the tip of her tongue ready, but before she could let it slip from her lips, The door opened and all heads turned to the newcomer.

"What's this about a whore?"

-/-

Petruccio walked down the hallways, towards the kitchens, where he could hushed voices of the kitchen staff and Annetta. At first he couldn't hear much but as he walked closer the voices were more distinctive.

"….Broke his wrist like a piece of draft wood!" he heard Annetta say and others that were listening gasped.

"With her bare hands!?" one asked.

"With A hand!" she stated.

"I was there in market! I was getting some of the flour that Maria wanted me to get so she could bake and heard the sound of some fighting after purchasing it. Curiosity got the better of me and walked up to where the crowd thinned a little. Big mistake on my behalf, because when I got there I saw Vieri's hand traveling up her short dress. I never seen anyone move so fast! She grabbed his wrist and broke it!" one the maids said as she as she pounded her fist on the table. Most of the staff gasped in awe and horror from a witness account and it was at that moment Petruccio made his presence known.

"Lightning broke Vieri's hand?" he asked as he walked into the kitchen. The staff looked startled and jumped a bit, but soon settle down as they only realized it was only Petruccio.

"It's only you Petruccio…You startled us." One the maids said as she placed her hand on her beating heart to calm it down.

"Sorry about that" he said to them all.

"Petruccio what brings you here in the kitchen? Are you hungry?" Annetta asked him as she walked up to him. The young boy only shook his head.

"No…Mother sent me over here so I can be of help." He answered her. Annetta bit her lip, knowing Maria well as she did, Maria will want to have the conversation about the fight in private. The things Maria does to keep Petruccio innocent the best she can.

"So how can I be of service?" he asked her with a small smile as his voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"I'm afraid that we are done cooking and setting up the table, so we have nothing else to be done…." she told the youngest child of the household as she patted his hair. Petruccio bit his lip thought, his mother must be upstairs lecturing them to no end.

"Annetta….." He began as curiosity got the better of him.

"Yes?"

"Did Lightning really break Vieri's wrist for touching her?" he asked her. This threw her off for a bit.

"uh…" Before Annetta could say a word someone interrupted catching everyone's attention to the entrance of the kitchen entrance.

"Lightning broke Vieri's wrist!?"

-/-

"Mi Amore! We are home!" cried a happy to be home and very exhausted Giovanni with his son Federico in tow. They expected to be greeted by Maria or Claudia as usual but they heard no greetings or the sounds of pounding feet coming their way. This worried them as they took in the sound of absolute silence around them. What caused such a thing?

"The house is very quiet….." stated by Federico as he rubbed his chin in thought.

"Quiet? It is very quiet, but not completely silence." Giovanni said as he looked to where the hallway leads to the kitchen.

"I still hear nothing father…." Federico said with a annoyed pout. Giovanni rolled his eyes to his eldest.

"You're trying to hard to listen to what is not there. Try listening to what is there." he said as she began to walk a head a little. This made Federico frown a bit. His father always tried to incorporate his training to just about anything from finding a lost sewing needle to balancing a stack of heavy journals. His father really needed to ease up on the training!

"Okay….I am listening to what is there…..and…" he paused as he heard whispers coming from the kitchen as they walked closer to it. By the sounds of it, they were gossiping like usual…..But by the sounds of it, the topic there were speaking of was…more urgent and…..horrific?

"I hear the staff gossiping…but-"

"But?"

"…..They seem more jumpy and excited about what there are talking about." Federico answered his father.

"Do you know to what they speak of?" Giovanni asked him. Federico concentrated a little more and soon the jumbled voices were getting more clear to him. Soon he was able to hear Annetta's voice and the other's voices as well.

'I was there in market! I was getting some of the flour that Maria wanted me to get so she could bake and heard the sound of some fighting after purchasing it. Curiosity got the better of me and walked up to where the crowd thinned a little. Big mistake on my behalf, because when I got there I saw Vieri's hand traveling up her short dress. I never seen anyone move so fast! She grabbed his wrist and broke it!' He heard one of the maids speak of a woman in the market. By the sound of her voice, she was terrified and awed by this woman, who had the galls to break Vieri's wrist. He would love to meet this woman and shake her hand, for putting such a man in his place. They mentioned a short dress, so perhaps it was a prostitute that did it? This made it all more amusing for the older Auditore son.

"It seems that a prostitute broke Vieri's hand" Federico said with a slight smile. He concentrated a little more and soon heard his little brother's voice.

'Did Lightning really break Vieri's wrist for touching her' He heard his brother say. This made his mouth gape and open his eyes. His mouth opened and he could not stop the words that left his mouth.

"Lightning broke Vieri's wrist!?"

-/-

I figure I change a few things, don't know what yet but I know for certain…I will not show Desmond and the others in this story. It be….to distracting and not go with the plot. I hope I did this update proud ya guys.

R&R