I hope everyone is still hanging in there. I know I am.

Quick note on this chapter, I had the hardest time with the last third of this one. I had literally no motivation to sit down and write the darn thing. I had this image of things being completely from Contessina's point of view in a very important scene for Ezio's character. I hope it came out like I wanted it to, and it translated well to you guys.

The ride to Firenze from Monteriggioni was more uncomfortable than Contessina remembered it being the first time. Her sturdy little gelding was keeping pace with Orgullo as they made it to the east gate of Firenze a little after dusk. The lamp lighters were out with their lanterns and torches as the gates opened to them with the removal of Contessina's hood. It seemed the Firenze guard still remembered her face even though it had only been over a month or so since she left.

Ezio rode beside her as she made her way to Palazzo Medici, but he was not going to stay there. He had told her he would be going to meet with Volpe somewhere near the Ponte Vecchio and Poliziano would be joining them later. Ezio did not speak to her much throughout their ride to Firenze and she guessed it was because he was still upset that she was leaving for Pistoia. She appreciated that he felt that way only because it told of how much he really loved her, but she did not excuse his lack of speech. Before they parted ways, she was going to make sure that he was the only one who could make her feel the way she did.

As Contessina and Ezio came to a stop outside of the Palazzo Medici, one of the guards took the reins of her gelding as her husband got off of his. Ezio went to her and helped her off of her horse as the doors opened to reveal Poliziano in all his stoic glory. He bowed to her as one of the men lead her little gelding away before she turned to her beloved. The look on his face was surprisingly passive, but the turmoil in his eyes spoke volumes.

"I am not leaving until you come to say goodbye to me in the morning." She told him. The cowl of his hood kept his eyes hidden from everyone else's gaze, but she could see them perfectly as he was debating with himself. "Ezio, what is it?" She asked him; putting a hand on his cheek and he leaned into it.

"I am worried that Riario is going to find out about Pistoia." Ezio's voice was heavy with worry about the situation. From all that they knew about their foe, he was cunning, and he had his own party of spies who were just as cutthroat as he was. "Do not send any letters with the Medici name on it, like we used to do."

"I do not intend to write unless absolutely necessary." Contessina said with a smile before reaching up to kiss him. "I will be safe and if it comes to it, I can at least defend myself." She said before lifting up her dress to reveal the dagger that Giuliano gave her tucked in her boot.

"That is not what bothers me." He glided the back of his gloved hand on her cheek and then looked at Poliziano who was waiting for her to step inside the Palazzo. "I will see you in the morning." Ezio said leaning down to kiss her before getting on his horse and trotting away. She watched him for a few moments before she heard someone clear their throat behind her. Turning around she saw a man in clergy robes with a silver cross hanging around his neck and a smirk on his face. He looked so much like their grandfather when he was younger it was uncanny.

"Carlo!" She ran up to him and embraced him tightly after not having seen him in so long. The last time she remembered seeing Carlo di Cosimo de'Medici was in Roma four years prior. "I missed you."

"I did too." He let her go taking a step back to look at her. "You have grown up." He said with a content look on his face. "Your father would be proud."

"I do not know about that, Carlo." She said with a small smile before walking in the palazzo where she saw her aunt standing there. Lucrezia Tournabouni stood there with all her regal glory intact even after her son had been murdered by the Pazzi family. The older woman had not changed since Contessina had last seen her in Roma around the same time she had seen Carlo. "Zia." Lucrezia smiled widely upon seeing Contessina and opened her arms for the young woman.

"Mi cara." The embrace was as warm as Contessina remembered, similar to Maria's motherly affections. The blond guessed that Lucrezia had come from Roma with Carlo, or the other way around as Carlo had been imprisoned there for no good reason. "Are you going to Pistoia?" The older woman asked as they pulled apart from one another.

"Yes. My husband doesn't agree to it, but he would not keep me from seeing my mother." Contessina said as Lucrezia began to walk towards the stairs. To say she did not miss the decadence of the Palazzo was a lie as she did long to see the many statues in the gardens where she grew up. "He is not at all pleased with the current circumstances that Firenze is in."

"Neither am I." The older woman said as they began to walk up the stairs to the second floor where Contessina would find her room. "Lorenzo was called away to the Signoria earlier so I do not expect him to return for a while. In the meantime, you must rest. We have a long ride in a carriage tomorrow." Lucrezia said as she let go of her niece.

Contessina politely said goodnight to her aunt before going to her old room, which was still in the same condition she left it in. As pristine as it was, there seemed to be a light layer of dust on the vanity and window seal that had gathered in her absence. The candles had not been lit so she walked out the door to grab one from the sconce on the wall before returning to light the wax pillars. She removed the dagger that was in her boot before unlacing her riding boots and removing them. Then she began to work on the laces of her dress before removing it leaving only her white shift beneath.

She did not know how she was going to make it through her time in Pistoia without Ezio sleeping next to her. The thought of it made her feel so alone and cold, but at the same time she wondered if being apart from him would make her fires burn more for him. Turning back the covers on her bed, she thought about leaving the window open just in case Ezio did come to her. She hesitated at first thinking he would be occupied with strategizing, but it could not hurt to leave the window slightly open for him. He could walk in the front door if he wanted too, however he was not going to alert those watching the Medici for Riario of his presence yet. She decided to leave a window open for the sake of hope. If Ezio wanted to come to her, he would. If not, he was going to see her off in the morning. Climbing in the bed, she blew out the candle on the table next to it before trying to fall asleep.

Returning to Firenze so soon after finally bringing Contessina back to Monteriggioni with him was not something Ezio wanted. In fact, he would rather her still be in bed at home instead of in the city that gave her nothing but misery. However, it was Contessina's choice to leave for Pistoia and he was not going to be the husband who forced his wife to stay put. Not only that, but the woman was stubborn and did not like to sit around fiddling away at nothing. She would find a way to get herself involved as she did in the two years that they were apart. This was perhaps the more annoying part of her personality in some ways, but at the same time he loved her for it only because it did provide use.

Ezio could only imagine what the future had in store for the two of them as he walked through the dark streets of the city he was born in. The sound of his horses' shoes clopping on the cobbled brick was loud enough to draw unwanted attention to him, but he really did not care. He knew who was following him and who they reported too, yet chances are that person was going to appear out of the shadows at any moment. The assassin stopped for a moment hearing footstep on the rooftop above him running in the opposite direction. Something was off.

Taking Orgullo's reins, Ezio threw them over the gelding's neck and sent the horse off to a spot nearby. It was time to find out exactly who was on the rooftops at this hour and he had an idea who it was. He knew Riario had spies within Firenze watching the Medici's every move and he also knew that they were also keeping watch for his return as well. Ezio wasted no time in scampering up the building to his left to get to the open air of Firenze's rooves. He could do with an old-fashioned run across the rooftops as he once did several months ago and for most of his life. He was lucky to have caught sight of the man running away in such a hurry that he slid on one of the tiles.

"It never fails." Ezio said as he pulled himself up and started to casually walk in the direction where the man had fallen onto his backside. There seemed to be a look of terror in the man's eyes when he saw the assassin creeping towards him like a ghost. "Someone is always running away from me."

"No! No! Stay away!" The spy scrambled on to his feet and started to run again when Ezio pulled a throwing knife from his belt and sent it flying into the back of the man's calf. He cried out in pain as he slipped on the tiles again and fell on his back banging his head in the process. "Please, I am just following orders." He whimpered as Ezio came closer and kneeled down beside him.

"These orders are to spy on the Medici, correct?" The assassin said grabbing the handle of the throwing knife sticking out of the spy's calf causing the man to wince in pain. Ezio was going to use pain to get answers and this was not the first time he had done this.

"Si!" The spy cried out in pain. "He is waiting for the Medici to make the next move." Like a game of chess and Lorenzo had the advantage by keeping himself in one spot. There was also one thing that Lorenzo de'Medici had up his sleeve that could change the outcome of everything. "He wants to know if Lorenzo intends to call for the Council of Ten." With the Signoria dissolved and the Council of Ten reinstated in times of war, Lorenzo would have total control of Firenze.

"More like when he calls for it." Ezio said pulling the knife from the man's calf. "How many spies are watching the Palazzo?" He asked wiping the blood off of the throwing knife and then slipping it back in the empty slot on his belt.

"Only two." The man said throwing up his hands in defense as Ezio grabbed his shirt and pulled him up to stand. "They watch both entrances to the Palazzo." The spy was very forthcoming with information hoping to survive his encounter with the Assassino of Firenze. The ghost that comes in the night to kill those who have wronged him.

"Bene, I can make quick work of them." The assassin smirked as he let go of the man's shirt. "As for you." He said watching the man tense up as he awaited to hear his fate. Ezio had debated on sending the spy in front of him back to Riario, but there was one more thing he wanted to know. "Tell me what Riario knows of the Medici outside of Firenze?"

"He believes them to be in Roma, which is why Lorenzo's mother has come to the city." This made sense. Clarice would have likely sent Lucrezia if she could not be at Lorenzo's side, but at the same time, they must have seen Clarice leave. "We saw them leave through the south gate the day they left." Most likely a decoy, but that was a good way to throw them away from Pistoia. Ezio searched the man's fearful eyes to see if there was a hint of dishonesty and there was not, however, he could not let him go alive.

"Thank you for the information, but I cannot let you go back to Riario." Ezio said before stabbing the man in the chest with the hidden blade and walking away. "Requiescat in Pace." The sound of the man's body dropping back onto the tiles did not phase Ezio in the slightest because he knew that if the spy were to go back to Riario, he would have another excuse to find the Medici. Up ahead of him standing on the same roof was Volpe, who seemed to always appear at the opportune moment.

"Security has been lacking in Firenze lately." The master thief said as the assassin walked up to him. "Riario's spies are everywhere and so are Borgia's." That was a given since the two templar's were working together to gain control of Firenze and its republic.

"I did not come to Firenze to kill spies or fight a war." Yet, that was exactly what he felt he was going to be doing as long as Contessina was in Pistoia. He took in a deep breath before looking towards the Palazzo della Signoria where it seemed the meetings had been dismissed. "What else do I need to be aware of?" Ezio asked his friend while still looking in the distance.

"Some of the Signoria do not agree to what Lorenzo is proposing to do. They want him to do as Sixtus asks, but he will not." Volpe said putting a hand on Ezio's shoulder. "Lorenzo is not the same as he was. Giuliano's death has made him crave not only vengeance, but power."

"Contessina told me this would happen." The younger man said recalling what she told him about her grandfather and the ways of the Medici. "I did not want to believe her at first because Lorenzo has done so much for my family in the past, but I am starting to see." He had his doubts about Lorenzo's motives for the Signoria.

"He is not a bad man, Ezio, just ambitious and a visionary." If only that were all. Volpe patted the younger man's shoulder before walking away. "Come, tell me what must be done." Ezio followed the thief across the roof before explaining why he was in Firenze to begin with and how Contessina needed to get to her mother in Pistoia without being followed.

"I think I have a plan in mind, will you help me?" Ezio asked Volpe before they climbed down back into the streets below where his horse stood patiently waiting for him.

"You need not ask when Contessina is involved." There was a grin on the older man's face that told Ezio all he needed to do was say her name and Volpe would likely fish the moon out of the sky for the woman. The first thing Ezio needed to do was eliminate the spies around the Palazzo Medici.

There was no sleeping for Contessina. It must have been a little past midnight when she found herself walking in the garden. She was too anxious about the journey to Pistoia in the morning and even more so without her husband sleeping next to her. The air was very humid which promised rain within the next few hours, and to support that claim there was not a star in the sky. She wanted Ezio to go with her, but she knew he was not going to because there was the chance one of his targets would show themselves. He was not going to pass up an opportunity to take them out.

Strolling around with her mind elsewhere, she failed to notice the shadow creeping across the rooftops watching her. It was not until she heard the sounds of running across the tiles above that made her suck in a breath. Then there was the sound of another set of footsteps running after the first which caused her to turn around looking for whoever it was. Contessina's heart was beating faster by the time the footsteps stopped and then a body came crashed down to the ground almost in front of her. She was not expecting it, so she gasped and put a hand over her mouth to stifle the small yell that had made its way up her throat. With wide eyes she stared at the body in front of her not recognizing who the man was, but definitely knowing who killed him.

"What is going on out here?" Lorenzo's voice came out of nowhere. He had most likely heard the footsteps running across the roof as well and not far behind him was Lucrezia. He stopped when he saw the body on the ground in front of Contessina. "Contessina?" She did not say anything as Lucrezia moved closer to her and grabbed on to the blond who was visibly in shock.

"It is one of Riario's spies." Ezio's voice came from above and everyone looked up at him. "There were two of them watching the Palazzo." He said before making his way down from his position and going to stand next to the body.

"Of course." Lucrezia said holding on to Contessina who instantly relaxed when she saw her husband standing there. He briefly looked at her with apologetic eyes before squatting down to go through the pouches on the man's body. "We should have known he was watching us in some way. Even in Naples he has his eyes on us." The older woman said standing close behind Contessina.

"There are more of his men watching the gates." Ezio said pulling a small book from the inside of the man's doublet and reading it. "It's a list of people coming and going from the Palazzo plus every person's habits." He stood up and handed it to Lorenzo who hesitantly took it upon finding out they had been closely watched this entire time.

"Everything down to the moment we retire in the evenings." The Medici man said flipping through the booklet seeing times, dates, and names. Contessina looked over to her cousin seeing his face go from passive to disturbed beyond anything she had ever seen. "This invasion of privacy will not go unpunished." He said closing the book harshly. "Both spies have been killed then?" Lorenzo looked to the assassin.

"Si, and three more. One on the rooftops near the Piazza della Signoria and two at the West gate going to Pistoia." Ezio told him. There was an air of urgency before Lorenzo called for the guards to have the body removed from the garden and then he made everyone move indoors. "Riario believes your family is in Roma, which gives us the advantage." The young Auditore said as he walked beside Lorenzo.

"How so? I would not risk the bastard finding where my wife and children reside during this chaos." Contessina heard her cousin speak as Lucrezia stayed close to her when they entered Lorenzo's study. She knew her cousin was doing what he could to protect his family and Ezio was going to do the same to protect her.

"A decoy." Ezio said moving over to the map of Firenze on the table in the middle of the room. He had picked up two small figurines from Lorenzo's desk and put them on the map to help explain what he had in mind. "They expect a carriage headed for Roma to leave by the south gate in the morning and plan to follow it." He said putting the lion figurine on the south gate. "But if Contessina and Madonna Lucrezia were to leave earlier through the west gate, then they could get away safely." The younger man said putting the bird figurine on the west gate.

"You are playing to their expectations." Contessina spoke up catching her husband's eye. "Where are you going to get a second carriage?" She asked him to wander how they were going to travel. She knew Lucrezia was not well enough to travel by horse and so did Ezio.

"Madonna, I do not want to impose on you, but would you be willing to disguise yourself?" Oh, her husband was smart. Contessina narrowed her eyes at him knowing exactly what he was asking of Lucrezia and she knew exactly what her aunt would say to that.

"You want me to send my mother out there disguised as a commoner?" Lorenzo said almost raising his voice, but Lucrezia smiled at her son with a humoring glint in her brown eyes. She walked over to Lorenzo and put a hand on his arm.

"Lorenzo, if it gets us safely to Pistoia then I will do what it takes." Contessina was slightly taken aback by her aunt's willingness to go by Ezio's plan and then again, her aunt was the adventurous type. "I take it we will be riding in a farmer's cart?" She said looking to Ezio who nodded.

"I will follow for as long as I can." Ezio assured the two women while Contessina had no doubt he would ensure their safety as much as possible. The only thing that bothered her was the weather. Lucrezia was a hard woman, but she was not fond of the rain.

"Then it is settled. We leave as soon as we can make ourselves ready." The older Medici woman said with a smile on her face knowing she was going on a new adventure in a rather strange way. "We pack light. One trunk for the both of us." She said grabbing Contessina's arm with a smile on her face.

"Ezio, I'm not entirely sure this is a good plan. It seems so..." The blond said looking for the word but could not figure it out. Lorenzo interjected for her, but not with the right word.

"Unnecessary." That was not what she had intended, and she saw Ezio's face change and there was a slight hint of anger in his eyes. He stood up straight to level with Lorenzo when no one but Giovanni Auditore had ever done that before. In that moment Contessina knew that Ezio was no longer bowing down to the Medici and that was also the moment she realized he was holding his own. She could see Lorenzo's demeanor change from slightly annoyed to almost respectful and there was a glint of familiarity in his eyes.

"Do you want Riario to find your family?" Ezio asked in a tone that Contessina had never heard out of him. He seemed older than a young man on the cusp of nineteen and it surprised her. This was incredibly different from the time he killed Uberto Alberti in the courtyard of the Santa Croce.

"No." The Medici man said backing down and letting out a sigh realizing that the young man in front of him was more like Giovanni than he expected. He had to praise Ezio for standing up to him when no one else did. "You are more like your father than I thought." Lorenzo said with a small smile before looking to Contessina and his mother. "Gather your things and find a suitable disguise, you will be leaving tonight."

Sometime long before dawn, Contessina stood with Ezio at the west gate of Firenze as Medici men loaded up a small horse drawn wagon with a single trunk. She did not know how they were going to make it to Pistoia in such a fashion with Lucrezia's health not being what it once was. The cart was at least covered to keep them out of the rain if the weather turned like she predicted, but it was small and the person driving it was one of Volpe's thieves dressed as a simple farmer. Contessina wore her green riding dress with her wool cloak around her shoulders while Lucrezia was wearing close to the same thing.

"I will follow until I think it is safe." Ezio told her before grabbing her hand. "I still don't like that you are leaving me." The shoe was on the other foot this time. Instead of him leaving her behind, she was leaving him, and she almost felt a little satisfied in that, but at the same time she hated it. She put a hand on his cheek and smiled sadly.

"I don't like leaving you either, but I want to see my mother before she is no longer here." Contessina said knowing she was going to miss him more than she thought possible even though he was going to be within her sight for a while. She did not want to watch him ride away from her when they separated. He leaned his face down to kiss her before walking over to the cart with her.

"I understand." He said helping her into the cart before helping Lucrezia. The older woman seemed to be pleased with the way Ezio treated Contessina and smiled graciously.

"Grazie, Ezio, for making sure our family stays safe." The older Medici woman said as she settled into the cart with a smile while not letting go of the young man's hand. "You have grown into a handsome and noble young man, just like your father." She squeezed his hand and then winked at him before turning to Contessina. "You are both very lucky."

"Thank you for your kind words, Madonna Lucrezia." Ezio said bowing to her before making his way to his horse and climbing up before leading them out of the gates. The road to Pistoia would take at least a day at the slow pace they needed to go in order to not draw attention. That was the last thing they needed. He followed them after a while, keeping eyes on Contessina's tired form as he rode in the darkness.

Contessina had fallen asleep sometime later in the early light of dawn when Ezio made them stop. He wanted to say goodbye to her before he turned back to Firenze feeling they were at a safe enough distance. He had ridden up ahead of them a good distance to see if there was any sign of trouble, but the quiet of the countryside said all was well. They had to be close to San Martino where they could stop and rest when daylight made its appearance. Ezio was sure they would be fine from there without him and so he rode up next to the cart before getting off his horse.

"Contessina?" He said reaching in to put his hand on her cheek and her eyes blinked open. He hated letting her go on without him, but he did have a list of names to keep an eye out for. She sat up, looking at him with tired eyes.

"What is it?" She asked him before he gave her another kiss. Contessina knew this was where he was going to turn away from them and go back to Firenze. She saw that the sky was getting lighter through the grey clouds above and realized dawn was very near. Pulling away from him she sighed. "I don't know how long I will be in Pistoia for, but I can promise that as soon as I am able to, I will come back to you." She said putting a hand on his chest.

"I know." He said putting his hand over hers. "Do not write to me unless you have to. I don't want them to find you or your family." He was very sure that Lucrezia was watching them with a knowing smile on her face at seeing how much they did love one another. "Will you be able to handle things without me?"

"I'm more worried about Firenze surviving you. Try not to get into too much trouble." She gave him a smile before leaning up to kiss him again. Why was leaving so hard?

"I love you." He said when they parted. The words sounded so sweet coming from him and Contessina found herself wanting to hold on to him, but she had to let him go.

"I love you, too." She said as Ezio moved away and climbed back on his horse before galloping off in the direction of Firenze.