*brings huge tray to block the tomatoes and such* I am so, so sorry that this took me so long to upload. I have had a crazy time with my laptop. It died. And took my hard drive with it. It was very sad. Anyway! It's here now! This chapter is pretty much a filler; plus, I wanted to expand on this tension going between Ezio and Aria. I hope you all enjoy it!

Disclaimer: Yada yada yada.. I don't own Assassin's Creed. Just Aria.

Thanks to everyone that reviewed (and favorited and alerted! BTW - the hits for the story went from 5,601 to 8,000+! My jaw hit the floor when I saw that!):

Commentaholic: *You should totally write an AC story! I love this genre; something about Assassins is just too cool :3. Honestly, I've never really understood that either but hey, whatever Ubisoft wants, lol.*
RandomDoughnut: *I don't know if you'll need the tissues for this one (maybe in the one after next ;) ;) ;) lol)*
NightRose1831
MasterAetos
WolfAngel75
Kudomeya
Shelleythesnail: *When I saw that part in the game my first thought was like, 'Aria is going to be super upset!' hahaha! If you love these Ezio and Aria moments, you should definitely enjoy this chapter (I hope!)*
Anna Cahil
nadae
shibai
Alice
kimaurameshi

If I Surrender

Chapter 9: Second Chances

After I wandered the city from corner to corner, I found myself in a rowdy bar. Pulling my hood a little further down on my head, I took a seat in a darkened corner and watched the antics of all the people. Men were trying to coerce the bawdy looking women to their beds as well as courtesans trying to woo the men out of their money, raising their prices as they realized how intoxicated the men were.

"Cosa desidera da bere?" A woman approached me from the bar with a gentle smile, swaying her hips as she made me way over to me.

I waved my hand lazily, "Whatever is the strongest." I dropped quite a few florins on the table, not really knowing what that would get me. "Keep them coming." The woman smiled and took the florins almost immediately before turning and walking back to the bar. I watched her pouring the drinks before my mind drifted back to Ezio. Even with my trek around the city, I had not seen him since the incident with Cristina.

How could I have been so stupid? I shook my head to myself and fought the urge to cry. I scowled fiercely; I am an Assassin. I will not have my feelings acting up on me like this. Then I sighed, realizing that I was having one hell of an internal conflict.

"Here ya are, darling." She laid a rather large cup of a vile smelling liquid in front of me before smiling and walking to another customer. I eyed the cup suspiciously as I took a small whiff of what was inside. I grimaced at the smell but took a large gulp of it anyway. Coughing quietly, I noted that it tasted extremely bitter and like almonds. I turned my eyes to the growing crowd in the more open area of the bar; I couldn't see what was happening because of all the people but I could hear shouting and laughter. As I finished up my drink, I could see a few people handing florins to others.

Another drink was laid in front of me but I paid no mind to the woman as the crowd was beginning to part. I could vaguely see a small ring that looked pretty similar to the training ring back home. Two shirtless men were circling each other with their fists raised. I started to rise and go over to the ring but stopped as the room spun slightly. Sitting back down, I glanced back to the drink wondering exactly how strong it was.

"Come on!" I yelled to the man circling me. He was handsome and the sight of him without a shirt on was enough to make even my mouth go dry. It made me think of all those hot summer days when Ezio and I had been training; he would always take off his robes and tease me relentlessly. I shook my head, trying to clear the fuzziness that the alcohol had brought. I wasn't exactly sure how I even got into the ring and as I swayed, I hoped that I wasn't about to get my drunk ass kicked. I reach up and felt the hood on my head and sighed, relieved that I hadn't been stupid enough to reveal myself.

Men were crowding around the ring with their courtesans on their arms. Each of them eyeing me critically. A part of me knew that all the bets were against me; no one expected me to know how to fight and yet… I felt like I was on fire; like any amount of pain would not phase me in the slightest. I felt invincible.

No coherent thought passed through my mind as I watched my opponent. He was smirking and taking his time with attacking me, obviously thinking that I was not a threat. He paused in his circling and leaned over the wall to kiss a courtesan, smirking as the rest of the men cheered him on. I rolled my eyes in disgust and growled. I tried my best in my inebriated state to remember my training and soon became cool and collected. My hands were hanging to the sides limply but I was ready nonetheless.

"What… Are you scared?" There was a slight edge of laughter in my tone; I couldn't seem to get rid of it.

"Not at all." He answered as he turned back around, still smirking. Then he swung; My mind barely registered this but my body seemed to know what to do and I merely stepped back. He swung again and I ducked. It was a swing and miss situation for quite some time; I laughed harder and harder each time he missed me. He was getting tired, his swings more sluggish and I took my chance.

As he swung again, I let my body do the work and I almost gawked as I flowed around his body as if I wasn't even intoxicated. My eyes zeroed in on the spot that my father had shown me; he said that it would stop a man dead in his tracks. I watched as my own hand flew out and jabbed him hard in the back and true to my fathers words, he froze. Laughing hysterically, I casually placed a single finger on the back of his head and pushed gently. He fell face first onto the ground and didn't move afterward. The crowd grew quiet before they broke out into cheers. I bowed, ungracefully and took all the bags of florins being passed to me.

I made it back to my table to find another drink waiting on me and without any thought, I reach forward to grab it. As my fingers ghosted near the side of my drink, I felt someone grab my wrist roughly. My reaction was a little delayed due to shock before I stood up and held a dagger to his neck. I recognized honey colored eyes instantly and lowered my blade but still tried to pull my wrist out of his grasp.

"Mio dio, Ezio! You s-scared the hell out of me." I slurred as Ezio let go of my wrist and planted his hands on his hips. Oh no, I thought to myself, not the mothering stance. I cringed away and waited for the speech to come. Mario had the very same stance when he was upset so this couldn't be going anywhere good.

"You're drunk." Ezio stated with no emotion in his voice and I couldn't see straight enough to see how his face really looked.

"How nice. I didn't know you cared." I hissed, suddenly remembering why I had came to the bar in the first place. I turned away and reach for my drink again but Ezio was much faster than I and grabbed the cup away from me, holding it just out of my reach. I jumped trying to reach it but Ezio persisted in keeping it away.

"I think you've had enough, bella."

"Vacagare."

I said loudly, causing quite a few people to turn and look at the two of us strangely. Ezios' eyes widened and I kneeled over from laughing so hard at the surprised look on his face. Suddenly, I was off the ground and being thrown over a hard shoulder. "Let go of me!" I yelled and pounded my fists against his back but was Ezio didn't say a word as we went out into the cool night air. Ezio took off running and the bouncing was enough to make me stop fighting and wrap my arms around his waist, praying to God that I wouldn't get sick.

I heard a door open and then shut and I looked up as best as I could hanging upside down and noticed that we were back at Leonardos'.

"Ezio! I was getting worried… What's wrong with Aria?" Leonardos' panic stricken voice rang out in the large study. I suddenly pictured how strange I must look hanging over Ezios' shoulder and couldn't resist from laughing. I heard and felt Ezio sigh heavily as he turned his body to where I could see Leonardo. I smiled sheepishly before giving a small wave, causing Leonardo to laugh heartily. "She must be very drunk; this is the most emotion I've ever seen her show."

"It's been a long night…" Ezio began tiredly but Leonardo held up a hand to stop him.

"Say no more. Buona notte, amici miei." Ezio gave a small goodnight before he turned and began his way to the spare bedroom. As Ezio was closing the door, I noticed that a large tub with steaming hot water was placed in the room. Leonardo is truly a saint, I thought to myself excitedly as I imagined the warmth to come. Without warning, Ezio threw me onto the bed before sitting on the edge of it and pulled off his boots. I laid there for a second; the room was spinning faster than I could handle when I felt Ezio take a hold of my foot and start unlacing my boots. I sat up too quickly, pausing to calm my stomach before I pushed his hands away and did the work myself.

I could feel Ezios' eyes burning into me but I curled up and rested my head on my knees before I dared to cast a glance his way. He had his arms crossed over his chest in an intimidating manner that made me want to run away just so I wouldn't have to participate in the conversation to come. I opened my mouth and then closed it again when no words would come to me; what could I say?

"What were you thinking going into such a place?" Ezio said in a reprimanding tone that made me feel extremely guilty.

"Nothing." I managed to say after struggling with myself. Ezio leveled his gaze with mine and raised his eyebrow in disbelief. I looked away from his honey eyes and stood, swaying slightly and ripping my arm away from Ezio when he touched it and tried to steady me. I refused to look his way as I stumbled to the tub. "I want to bathe; please leave."

"No."

I stared at him in utter disbelief. "What do you mean, 'no'?" My voice raised slightly in anger that I wasn't able to hide.

He laid back onto the bed and put his arms behind his head, smiling cheekily. "Just no." I clenched my fists before turning sharply and crossed the room to grab the privacy screen. Ezio jumped up and helped me move it when it almost fell on me because of my clumsiness. I pushed past him a bit more roughly than I intended but I was past the point of caring. "Are you upset with me?" I heard Ezio say from the other side of the screen as I slipped off my robe and threw it over the screen, laughing as I heard a tiny thud and a sound of protest.

My demeanor changed as I thought back to what happened. "Oh, no. Of course not." I said sarcastically and heard him grumble in frustration. I sighed as I lowered myself in the water and let the heat work on my sore muscles. Ezio grew quiet for a time and my head started to clear up a little, instantly making me regret my lack of control; I had drank with my father and his men before but never enough to change how I acted. I washed myself off, using the scented oils that Leonardo had placed in the room; I was so lost in my never-ending thoughts that I almost forgot that Ezio was in the room causing me to jump as he spoke again.

"Won't you tell me?"

"No."

"Aria…"

"No."

The screen was suddenly ripped away and I shrieked as I tried my best to cover my exposed body by drawing my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. Ezio wasn't wearing his robes anymore; just a simple tunic and pants but he still looked as handsome as ever. Wait. Did I really just think that? He came to the tub and kneeled down beside it; I was surprised when he didn't even look away from my eyes to look down at my body. He reach out and touched my cheek but I flinched away, looking at him angrily.

"What do you want me to say, Ezio?" I hissed and turned my head away from him. "I heard everything you said to Cristina; there is nothing I can or want to say to you."

"Cristina?" Ezio sounded surprised and that caused me to look over at him. He looked sad but, also, a little confused. "Is that what this is about?"

I blushed and looked away, suddenly feeling like a child for acting in such a way. "Just forget it." I whispered, hoping that he would leave me to my thoughts. He didn't move from his spot and that made me frown; why did he make this so damn hard?

"Did I make you jealous, mia cara?" Ezio asked with a smooth purr in his voice. I watched as his fingers traced over the water, moving ever closer to my body. I glanced back up at Ezio and saw that he wasn't looking at me with his usual teasing gaze rather his eyes seemed more tender than I had seen them before. I didn't know what to say; yes, I did feel jealous but there was no reason to be. I held no claim over Ezio and I never had. So, I didn't say a word; just simply stared at him before looking away.

I felt his finger run along my jaw before he placed it under my chin and forced me to look at him. I resisted at first, not wanting him to see how upset I was at the moment but relented and allowed myself to look at him. Ezio cupped my face and ran his thumbs over my cheeks making me realize that I had been crying and I tried to pull away in embarrassment. He held my face a little tighter and I paused in my movements as I saw him lean forward.

His lips ghosted over mine as he moved to kiss away the tears from my cheeks and I was sure that my face was blood red by that point.

"Ezio." I whispered in exasperation and tried to lean away again but was surprised when he pressed his lips against my own. I froze, unsure of how to react; I hadn't ever kissed anyone before… At least, not willingly. Ezio pushed against my lips with his own a little harder and I couldn't help but close my eyes and enjoy the sensation. As I relaxed, I could feel Ezio smile against my lips and I felt a chuckle resonate in his throat. He broke the kiss but didn't move away, choosing to rest his forehead against mine instead.

"Are you still mad at me?" Ezio asked cheekily when I finally opened my eyes and looked into his own. I reach forward and grabbed the collar of his tunic and held him close to me.

"Let me tell you one thing, Ezio." His smile faltered and faded to confusion as he saw the dark anger in my eyes. "That may work on every other girl but I assure you that it will not work on me." I pushed him backwards and he landed on his back; I jumped out of the tub and pulled the privacy screen in front of me as I put on a tunic and pants that Leonardo had let me borrow before Ezio had even sat up. I was walking out of the room by the time Ezio had gotten to his feet and called my name. I ignored him and continued my way to the study where I could get some peace and quiet.

I stepped into the study and began to walk over to the table to sit and think about everything that had happened when I heard some muffled noises coming from the far corner, near Leonardos' preferred working space. I walked a little further into the room before I spotted Leonardo and his assistant passionately kissing; Leonardo had the other man pushed against the wall and their hands were roaming over each others bodies. I gasped and turned around; apologizing quickly and I heard a quiet whisper followed by Leonardos' assistant flying out of the room at a speed that I would not have thought possible for a man of his stature.

"I didn't know anyone would be in here." I explained as I turned back to Leonardo, who was straightening his clothes. His cheeks were tinged a light pink as he smiled awkwardly at me and rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. "I'm really sorry."

"Do not worry about it." Leonardo said, quietly, not quite meeting my eyes. He kept glancing at the door, over and over. He crossed the room and sunk into his plump armchair that sat with another in front of a nice fireplace, covering his face with his hands. I went over to him and went down on my knees before taking his hands and holding them in my own. Leonardo was still blushing and he seemed confused by what I was doing.

"I already knew." I spoke quietly, squeezing his hands gently in what I hoped came across as comfort and Leonardo sat up a little straighter with wide, questioning eyes. I stood and shrugged, going over to the other armchair. "When I was gathering information, I heard what happened the year Ezio left for Monteriggioni. I'm glad you were acquitted."

"Si, I am as well…" Leonardo hesitated and then turned towards me quickly with a panicked expression. "Does Ezio know?"

I shook my head as I pondered the question. "I do not think so. At least, if he does then he hasn't said anything to me about it." He would have thought that it was none of my business, I thought to myself not voicing the opinion to Leonardo in case it made him worry even more. "I don't think he would judge you, Leo. Even thought he can be a real jerk; he is very understanding."

Leonardo nodded after a moment of quiet contemplation then reach over and grasped my hand in his own. He smiled cheerfully and his blue eyes were alight with a gentle happiness. "You are a very good friend, Aria."

I smiled back gratefully as I pushed my damp hair out of my face. "I haven't ever really had a friend before." I said back to him as he leaned back into his armchair.

"What about Ezio?" Leonardo asked with a curiosity that I had come to learn was all his own. "Are you not friends?"

I sighed and leaned back in the chair a little further. Leonardo sat forward a little but didn't say a word; he was always so patient. I threw up my hands in a random gesture in front of me. "I don't know what we are anymore." Leonardo smiled understandingly and waited for me to continue. I took a deep breath and fought off the urge to blush. "Sometimes I feel like we are… But, other times I feel like we're more than friends. Although, I felt like a complete stranger to him today."

"How so?" Leonardo asked quietly. His assistant came back into the room and Leonardo gave him a sly smile when he thought I wasn't looking, causing the man to become flustered when I asked him for some tea.

"After seeing him with Cristina…"

"Cristina Vespucci?" Leonardo interrupted and smiled sheepishly when I looked at him sharply and shrugged. How was I supposed to know?

"Yes, it is Vespucci." A deep and rather calm voice came from the doorway. Leonardo jumped slightly, not realizing that Ezio was there. I merely stared at him as he came into the room, pulled a chair out from the table and slid it over in front of us. It was turned around backwards with his arms thrown over the back in a casual manner. I tried my best to avoid eye contact with him but he was staring me down, giving me no choice but to look back at him.

"Leonardo?" Ezio asked without breaking eye contact and I was too caught up in it to really hear Leonardo answer quietly. "Will you give me and Aria a moment alone?"

"Of course." Leonardo said, polite as ever and stood to leave the room. He glanced back at me from behind Ezio and gave me an encouraging smile. I could also tell what he was thinking by the look on his face: tell him! I gulped silently as I refocused on Ezio, who seemed very impassive at the present moment. How could I tell him? Would there be a point? I'll have to leave to be married eventually,

"I'm sorry." Ezios' voice sounded strained and I saw a tiny break in the strong composure he was holding. He looked so lost, so confused. I was speechless; why would he be sorry? "I didn't mean to hurt you. Cristina and I have always had a strange relationship…" He drifted off, seeming a little unsure of how to continue. He almost continued to speak before I held up my hand.

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, Ezio; I understand." In truth, I really didn't understand but that doesn't mean that I wanted to hear the whole history of Ezio and Cristina.

"You must let me make it up to you, mia cara." Ezio pleaded as he leaned over the back of his chair to grab my hand. I grimaced at the name as leaned back into my own chair. Ezio reluctantly let my hand slid of his before withdrawing his hand again.

"Please… Don't call me such things."

Ezio gave me a charming and disarming smile. "And if I wish to?"

"Then… I guess you can." I stumbled through the words, beginning to feel more and more nervous by the second. He chuckled before standing and coming to my side. He held out a hand for me to take before laughing at my bemused expression.

"I want to show you something, if you will allow it."

I rolled my eyes before placing my own hand in his.

"Where are we going?" I asked as Ezio lead me through the streets of Firenze. I looked towards the sky, trying to judge the time. The sky was tinted lightly and I realized that it was almost daytime. I usually don't stay up this late, I thought to myself as my gaze went back to our intertwined hands. Our fingers were laced together in an intimate way that made me yearn to tell Ezio how I was feeling. But I didn't and we continued our way to wherever Ezio was leading us.

Ezio stopped suddenly, causing me to crash into him. I started to say something about it but stopped as I saw what Ezio was pulling out of his tunic with his free hand. A long strip of cloth. What the… ?

"Put this on your eyes."

"Why?" I looked at the cloth disdainfully. What would be the point of covering my eyes? I wondered to myself. Ezio sighed impatiently and released my hand to put the cloth over my eyes. I decided to humor him for a time and didn't protest as he checked to see if I could see. He grasped my hand again and rubbed his thumb against mine in a soothing manner as we continued on.

We walked straight for a little while before Ezio took a sharp left turn. We stopped again and Ezio turned, taking his hand away before placing his hands on my hips and pushing towards something. I felt out with my hands and realized it was a ladder. I turned my head to where I hoped Ezio was, my lips turning to a pout.

"You're seriously going to make me climb a ladder blind-folded?" I reach up to undo the bind but Ezio grabbed my hands and kissed me. It took my breath away because being kissed is one thing. Being kissed unexpectedly is something else entirely. I stood in shock when Ezio pulled away from me. He chuckled and pushed me back towards the ladder.

"Do not worry, mia cara. I will catch you if you fall." He purred into my ear and I took a deep breath, thinking 'you better.'

After a rather scary experience of climbing without my sight, I stood on the roof of whatever this was and waited for Ezio to join me. I didn't have to wait long before I could hear him coming to stand beside me. He lead me to another part of the roof and took a deep breath of air, sighing contentedly. He took of my blind-fold and I came face to face with the most beautiful sunrise I had ever seen. We were standing in a loft of the tallest tower in the whole city; The light of the sun was gleaming off every building and I turned to Ezio, feeling breathless.

"It's beautiful."

Ezio smiled back at me before looking back to the sunrise with a pensive expression. He leaned against the side railing. "Frederico and I found this tower many years ago. We would come and sit in this tower for hours upon hours just taking about whatever we could. My father found us here one morning, at sunrise. We were all silent and enjoyed the sunrise in each others company before he told us to return home.

"Frederico and I planned on bringing Petruccio once he was older but…" His head drooped sadly and I rested my hand on his back and rubbed in circles. He turned swiftly and took me in his arms and leaned me against the side railing. He began kissing my neck and along my jaw, causing me to shiver but I wasn't sure if it was in desire or fear. Memories were coming back to me strongly… every unwanted touch and kiss from the slaver was burned into my mind so harshly that I almost began to weep.

I kept telling myself that this was okay; everyone has a different way of coping and Ezio would never hurt me. His mouth found mine and he pressed his lips against it in hypnotizing ways; my knees were getting weak but Ezio supported me. And then his mouth opened against mine; I felt his tongue touch my lips and everything went black.

I opened my eyes a few moments later to find Ezio hovering over me with a concerned look on his face. I groaned and turned away, feeling so embarrassed that I just passed out from him kissing me.

"I knew that I was good…" He said playfully once he saw my reddened cheeks. I looked back over at him to glare half-heartedly, sighing as he kissed my cheek. I sat up from the cold floor of the loft and shook my head before resting it in my hands. Ezio sat up beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. He pulled me closer to him and I rested my head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry… That was so embarrassing." I spoke quietly.

"Don't be sorry, Aria." Ezio squeezed my shoulder and I smiled in spite of it all. "I am the first to kiss you, bella?" I stopped smiling and sat up straighter, worrying that I was going to have to recount that atrocious memory.

"I guess." I answered, refusing to acknowledge Ezios' questioning look. He poked at my side and smiled when I looked over at him, annoyed.

"You always give me strange answers when I ask you questions like this." Ezio stated and I bit my lip as I thought about what to say to that.

"It's not a happy memory, Ezio." I said finally after thinking about it. He nodded understandingly and didn't press the matter. I could have cried from the relief. "Maybe once were back in Monteriggioni, I'll tell you." He smiled and pulled me back to him and placed a chaste kiss to my lips.

"Come on." He said as he got up to his feet and held out a hand for me. "Let's get back to Leo's and get a little sleep before we have to head back to Monteriggioni."

I smiled, suddenly feeling even more grateful for having such good friends.

"Try not to pass out going down the ladder." Ezio joked. "Should I go first and catch you in case you do?"

And… then we're back where we started. I rolled my eyes and pushed past him to get to the ladder.

Thanks for reading my story! BTW: Aria is not forgiving Ezio for the whole Cristina incident just yet. She just wants Ezios' stay in Firenze more bearable.

Cosa desidera da bere? - What would you like to drink?

Mio Dio - My God.

Vacagare - Piss off.

Buona notte, amici miei - Good night, my friends.

(not sure if I have added this one yet) Mia cara - My darling.