Okay one more chapter to go! I know this one may seem to move at a faster pace, but that is because I am ready to move on to the next story. I can no longer move the plot around on this one and frankly, it needs to be tied up. The next chapter is the last one and after that I start with the next book which will bring us to Venice. There will be a lot more struggles in the next story as this one was about the formation of love and how naïve two people can be about marriage. The next story deals with the absolute truths of marriage and the reality of making a marriage work. So, there will be a lot of serious subject matter. I am also opening up questions about the story in general to be answered at a later date.

Ask me anything about the story!

To Cranetreena: Thank you for your review!

Ezio had avoided his wife the rest of the night and into the morning after seeing her blue outline in the grasp of an equally bright red enemy. The anger that he felt upon seeing what he saw and hearing her shaking voice plead with the man who held her was indescribable. He could only feel a white-hot rage burn within him to the point he did not really know if he was in control of his actions then. Of course, he was going to kill the poor stronzo anyway, but he had planned to do it the more traditional way. Ezio almost enjoyed feeling the man's neck snap and the other part of him did not care. It had become more or less normal for him to take a life at this point.

As the sun rose over the horizon, he was lucky enough to catch the cries of a newborn child, which soothed his anger a little. The gratification that he had saved the lives of Lorenzo's family, but his own as well made him realize that he could not stay angry. With that realization came another, he had inadvertently saved the life of his own unborn son or daughter. Ezio had not really thought about it since leaving Firenze, as a matter of fact, he avoided it completely. Not because he did not like the idea of having a child, he had thought about it before, but it was a distraction. He needed to focus in order to do what needed to be done, but the thought was in the very back of his mind.

He needed to speak with his wife, wherever she may be in that moment. He had gone to her room up on the second floor and found it empty with only the door to the balcony open. She was likely sitting out there as she normally did in the mornings. The assassin knew his wife well enough to know her routines no matter where she lived, so he removed his weapons and robes before making his way out on to the balcony.

Contessina was sitting on the bench with a bowl of water and what smelled like witch hazel on the small table next to her. Ezio watched her as she dabbed a wet cloth on the cut that was left from the encounter, she had with the men he killed. Guilt rose up from the pit of his stomach as he realized he should not be angry with her because she was doing what she thought was right. Lucrezia had explained the situation to him after the fact, but it still did nothing to dampen the anger he felt. It was only at that moment he realized he was angry because this was the second time, she had put herself in harm's way.

She hissed when she pressed the cloth on her neck finding a delicate spot that was a little deeper than the rest. The sound caused him to step forward which drew her attention to him. Contessina gave him a pained expression as she removed the wet towel and set it back in the bowl. He may have been disappointed with her actions, but he had every reason to be even though she had no idea he knew about their child. Ezio sighed before moving to sit next to her on the bench and then putting his finger under her chin so he could see the full extent of the damage done. Contessina tensed up when he put a finger on the edge of the cut to see how deep it actually was.

"How bad is it?" She asked him not knowing the real damage done. She had done her best to clean it, however she could not see it. He said nothing when he reached for the wet cloth and wrung it out before applying it to the cut. She hissed again when he rubbed the dried blood off of the edges of her sore flesh but stayed still. "I don't like that you aren't saying anything." She told him and he stopped before giving her a hard look.

"I'm trying not to say something I may regret later." Ezio said after a moment of silence upon realizing he was at least a little angry over the situation. Riario's assassin could have slit her throat right in front of him if he had not been close by. Not only that, but he had not known that she had been injured.

"You are angry with me." Contessina said as she started to pick at the material of her dressing gown. "I suppose I deserve that anger for rushing into danger again." Her voice was timid, as though she were expecting him to berate her for her careless mistake, only he did not have the heart to do so. He wanted to, but he could never stay angry with her. "Ezio, I know I put myself in danger again. I know I could have been killed and that I am lucky that it didn't happen, but I could not stand around and do nothing."

"And you thought a rosary was more important than your life and the life of our child?" He realized he had just admitted he knew, but he was also putting it out there for her to realize. Ezio watched as she moved away from him with a shocked look on her face.

"You knew?" Her brows creased in confusion and the young man sighed before placing the cloth back in the water. Ezio looked out over the gardens with his hands falling into his lap while he tried to figure out how he felt in that moment. "How could you know?"

"Riario had spies watching you the whole time." Ezio looked back over to her with a defeated gaze at the prospect of taking what should have been a joyful moment for the both of them and turning it into something else entirely. "They knew you were with child the moment you showed signs and the news found its way to him."

"How did you find out?" She looked down at her hands before putting them on her slightly rounded stomach and that was the moment it became a little more real for Ezio. He reached over and grabbed one of her hands.

"Volpe had a spy in Riario's camp who overheard everything." He locked eyes with her. "They were going to kill you as well." Contessina blinked and then looked away in shame as if she realized that she had needlessly told her captors that the family had left the villa for Genoa. They knew the family was there and she was part of it. "Contessina?" He squeezed her hand as she started to cry. She kept rubbing her stomach with her other hand as if she were trying to comfort the child.

"I'm so stupid." Contessina's tears glistened in the light as she looked out over the garden. Ezio watched as her hand went up to her mouth so she could stifle her cries, but it did not help her case at all. He pulled her over to him setting her in his lap and held her close as she leaned her head on his shoulder. He cradled her the best he could as her feet rested on the seat of the bench.

"You are not stupid." Ezio kissed her forehead. "You are brave, compassionate, and reckless, but you are not stupid." He hesitated for a moment before putting his hand on her rounded abdomen. "I hope that our children inherit that from you." She put her hand over his and smiled through her tears.

"I hope they inherit your stubborn nature to go along with that." She said leaning to kiss him on the cheek. "And your strength." And then on the mouth before pulling away. "And everything I love about you."

"Even the things you don't like?" He smiled back at her before putting his forehead on hers and wrapping his other hand in her long blond hair.

"Even the things I don't like." She told him before he kissed her. All the anger he had disappeared the moment he laid eyes on her, but there was the residual disappointment that was slowly ebbing away with each kiss. "Ezio?"

"Si, Amore?" He moved his head away from hers to give her a questioning look. He was certain he knew what she was going to ask him next.

"Do I still need to write a letter for you to come and get me?" She said with a smirk and he chuckled in response not expecting the question. He put his forehead back on hers before kissing her again.

"We can leave tonight if you wish." He told her as they sat on the bench. "Can you ride in your condition?" He asked her in concern not knowing if a pregnant woman could withstand the ride back to Monteriggioni.

"To be honest, I would rather ride a horse than ride in a wagon or a carriage." Contessina said rubbing her thumb on the back of his hand that was still placed over the spot where their child laid. "The roads are terrible."

"I will have to find you a horse that is gentle enough for the journey back." Ezio thought about the grey mare he rode in on and the fact that he had lost Orgullo. The grey mare was gentle enough in temper, but she was also flighty and not ideal for a woman in delicate condition. He knew Contessina could handle any horse she rode, but he wanted her to be comfortable.

"Miguel knows a man who brokers horses." She mumbled into his neck. "Ask him to find a nice horse for me to ride to Firenze." At this point Ezio was fully aware of his exhaustion and hers as well. He did not feel like moving from the spot they were in or even trying to stand up with her in his arms. He felt like if he did, he would fall back down on the bench.

"Alright." Ezio mumbled out as his eyes closed and his head started to lean back against the wall. Within a few moments he was sleeping soundly and Contessina was not far behind.

Contessina stood in the stables waiting for Miguel to saddle the horse that came recommended for her by the broker. It was a mare of golden color that she had never seen before with a cream-colored mane and tail. On her forehead was a star and a snip on her muzzle that reminded Contessina of the sunrise. On her back legs was two white stockings, making the mare look as lady-like as possible for an equine. She looked fairly gentle and laid back, which was perfect for Contessina's needs. The mare was also at a decent height, probably as big as the bay gelding in Firenze.

"Tito said she is a Spanish bred horse; an Andalusian is what they call them." The moment he said Spanish, Contessina's mind went to the old bay gelding, Orgullo. The fine horse that Ezio rode everywhere and to see him sitting on the gray mare was different. She wondered where the gelding was and why he was not there with his master. Contessina turned to where her husband was as he sat on the gray waiting for Miguel to finish saddling the other horse. "They call her color palomino, Signora. My father had a horse like her once." Miguel said patting the mare as he led her out of the stall. "The color of the sun."

"She is beautiful." Contessina said as the Spaniard grabbed the mare's reins. "I shall have to think of a name for her later. If my husband lets me keep her." She looked back at Ezio with a smile. The assassins seemed to be more interested in looking at a letter that he had discovered on one of Riario's men. She cleared her throat loudly to catch his attention and he snapped his gaze to her.

"Mi Dispace, Amore, what was that?" Ezio said folding up the letter and putting it in one of his saddle bags for safe keeping. She gave him a half glare before moving to the left side of the horse.

"It's nothing, I was just wondering where you were." She said before putting her foot in the stirrup and pulling herself up onto the palomino who stood perfectly still. Contessina fixed her green riding dress the best she could finding it getting a little harder to hide her pregnancy with that particular dress. She had to admit that finding a comfortable position was harder than last time. "You were somewhere in the clouds I suppose."

"No, I was reading something." Ezio kicked his mare closer to the door of the stables. "You should call her Alba." He told her as he walked past her and out the door. Contessina smiled as she followed him into the night air.

"So, you are letting me keep her?" She looked back at Miguel who was smirking and then waved goodbye to her. She smiled before pushing the polite mare up into a small trot. Alba was a good name for a horse of golden color.

"I hope so, I paid a good price for her." The assassin turned around in his saddle and gave her a grin. If Contessina ever doubted he loved her before, she had little reason to now. She patted the mare's neck as she trotted up to the gray mare. "She fits you."

"I love her already." Contessina gave the mare another pat on the neck and then asked what had been on her mind for a little while. "Where is Orgullo? Is he in Firenze?" The silence on Ezio's part told her everything she needed to know. The bay gelding that loved to have his ears rubbed and scratched was no more and her husband mourned the warhorse. "I'm sorry." She said looking down at the reins in her hands.

"There is nothing to be sorry for." The tone of Ezio's voice held indifference, but his body language said something else. He missed the old horse, but he was not going to let it deter him from the present where he needed to make sure they arrived in Monteriggioni without injury. "There will be plenty of horses in our lifetime to love and let go, he was the first of many that I will not forget." The blonde's heart ached at the thought of losing something she loved, again. She believed that losing Orgullo was the equivalent of Ezio losing a dear friend and that made her tear up.

She remained quiet for a while and at one point stopped telling Alba what to do when the horse had steadily followed the gray mare. The ride was going to be much slower than what Ezio was probably accustomed too, but he did not seem to mind. Instead of a day and a half to get from Pistoia to Firenze, it was going to take at least two. Contessina had a feeling that Ezio knew a way to avoid any trouble getting into the city and when they reached the first barricade, she was correct. He pulled her into the forest that lined the Arno to keep the both of them out of sight. They were lucky enough that they arrived a little past midnight.

He put a finger to his lips and dismounted his horse before telling her to do so. Following his instructions, they walked the horses past the blockade and then walked for another mile before coming to the river gate that he had left out of going to Pistoia. The gate was much harder to open from the outside than it was on the inside, but he managed to do it enough to let the horses through. Contessina pulled her mare in and moved out of the way so that Ezio could close the gate without any trouble.

"Where are we going now?" Contessina whispered to Ezio who mounted his horse and motioned for her to do the same.

"Leonardo's." He told her as he watched her struggle in exhaustion to get up on the golden mare. He could tell that Contessina was uncomfortable and by the way she kept putting her hand on her belly, he knew there was something going on in there. "We can rest there for the night."

"At least until morning." She said making it clear she did not want to be in Firenze any longer than needed and Ezio nodded his head in understanding.

When they made it to Leonardo's workshop, they lead the horses into the courtyard to the side where a wagon full of hay sat for them and of course. The two mares squealed at each other for a moment before deciding that Alba was the one in charge. Ezio rolled his eyes as Contessina grabbed on to his arm and dragged him to the door. She gave the door three brisk knocks before the door opened to reveal a slightly surprised artist who had obviously not gone to bed yet. Leonardo looked at the two exhausted people on his doorstep for a moment trying to figure out if he was seeing things or not. The artist shook his head to clear his mind before moving out of the way to let the couple in.

"Forgive me, my friends. I was not expecting the both of you." Leonardo said putting his hands together and then motioning to the table where wine sat in a pitcher. "Wine?" Ezio and Contessina looked at each other for a moment before nodding. "Right...uh, give me a moment to find another glass." Contessina watched as her friend moved to another table and shifted through the mess on top to find another glass.

As Leonardo shuffled around to find a clean glass, the blond began to remove her cloak before her husband jumped in to help her. Contessina looked at him with gratitude as Leonardo approached them with a clean glass for her. She took it in her hand and allowed the artist to pour a little wine having not noticed how her dress did not hide her current condition. Of course, she was sure that Leonardo would notice eventually, but not when he was in a state of blissful ignorance to their situation.

"So, what brings you here?" Leonardo asked as he set the wine pitcher down on the small table next to the two chairs, he and Ezio usually sat in by the fireplace. Contessina found her way over to the couch beside the chair where her husband rested in.

"I am taking Contessina back to Monteriggioni." Ezio took a sip of wine before handing Contessina her cloak so she could lay down. "But we needed a place to rest for the rest of the night." The artist eyed the blond woman on the couch finally noticing something off with her.

"You need not ask, Ezio, you are both welcome here any time." Leonardo smiled wide having picked up on Contessina's secret. "I supposed it is dangerous on the road right now, especially since Contessina is in a delicate condition." Ezio almost spit out the wine he was drinking and Contessina giggled in response as the assassin tried hard not to inhale the wine.

"Did Volpe tell you?" Ezio glared at his friend who simply waved it off with a happy look on his face. The younger man coughed as he struggled to gain his composer.

"No, I noticed when I was pouring the wine." If Contessina did not know any better, she would say her artist friend was beyond joyful about this news. "I notice these things because it interests me." Of course, it interested Leonardo, he was keen on the human body in the first place and Contessina knew he was intrigued by the growth of new life. "I am happy for the both of you." He raised up his own glass. "To new life."

"To new life." Ezio and Contessina said in unison before looking at each other. They only had a few hours to rest before they had to leave again, but at least they were able to rest. If they were lucky, Monteriggioni's gates would be in sight by late afternoon the next day.

The pale light of day had barely made itself known when Ezio dragged his wife through the east river gate. She was exhausted by this point and he knew that if he continued to let her ride her mare, she would likely fall off. Instead of riding the gray mare, he pulled himself up on Alba and then pulled Contessina up to sit in front of him. With his arms wrapped around her, he tied the gray mare's reins to the saddle, and they walked along the banks of the river as far from the road as possible. They rode east for a few miles until they crossed the bridge going south to Siena which lead directly past Monteriggioni. By this point Contessina had fallen asleep and so the pace was slower than Ezio liked, but the blond needed the rest.

"Where are we?" Contessina's voice pulled Ezio from his thoughts as they came to the small village of Bargino. She lifted her sleepy head from his shoulder allowing him to loosen his tight muscles.

"Bargino." They had only been riding for five hours at least, but the summer sun was not going easy on them at all. "How are you feeling?" He looked down at her and took a moment to put a hand on her stomach.

"Better." She smiled at him before he went back to making sure the gray mare was not picking on Alba again. Every now and then he would see the palomino's ears pin back as the gray mare attempted to test her. Ezio was sure the palomino would kick his horse, but she never did. "Can I have my horse back?" He did not hesitate to stop the mare they rode on and dismount allowing Contessina to take control of her horse while he mounted his.

Contessina had never been so relieved when they had picked up the pace enough to get them within sight of the towers of Monteriggioni. Despite the uncomfortable position she was in, Alba was a smooth horse that carried her with the upmost care. When the blond saw the towers of her home, the mare seemed to be just as excited to see them too. Ezio almost had to keep up with Contessina only because his own horse was not as keen to be running. However, when Contessina rode through the gates, the villagers seemed to be in a state of disbelief upon seeing her. It was as though she had never left.

The blond could barely contain herself when she saw Carlotta running down the steps with Claudia close behind her. Contessina slipped off of her horse and ran to embrace the two women she had missed over the time she was gone while Ezio rode up with a less than enthusiastic welcome. The sound of Fiona's yells as she ran up to Contessina from the crowd that had gathered around the blond had done more than ease her heart. Fiona grabbed Contessina around her hips and hugged her tight. Ezio watched with a content smile on his face as the village came to greet their mistress as she become known as.

"So, tell me Nipote, how does it feel knowing you have a child on the way?" Mario asked as he sat on the railing near the training ring later that night. Ezio could not deny that he was terrified and happy at the same time, but there were also some complications.

"The timing could be better." Ezio took a sip from the bottle of wine he had stolen from the rack in the kitchen, not without a verbal warning from the kitchen maid. "It has me thinking about how my father dealt with being an assassin and a father." The thoughts had been crossing his mind all day.

"Giovanni did what he could, I suppose." Mario said as he leaned up against the railing. "He thought by keeping his heritage a secret he could spare you and your siblings from the dangers of being an assassin." Ezio handed him the bottle before he continued. "I never had the opportunity to raise children, so I cannot say the same, but I suspect I'd have the same reaction."

"I do not want any of my children to go through the pain of losing their family." It was probably wishful thinking on his part, but Ezio knew it was going to happen anyway. At some point he was going to die and leave them behind, but it was better than having be bury a child. He was sure Contessina had the same fears, only she had not voiced them yet. "My father did what he thought was right and I suppose I have to do the same."

"That is all you can do as a father." Mario put a hand on his nephew's shoulder in comfort. "I know you will be a good father, Nipote, because you have learned from us." Ezio did not know whether to be afraid or thankful of that thought.

"Grazie, Uncle. I know I can always count on you for advice." He smiled before reaching out to take the wine bottle back from Mario who smiled in appreciation.

"Anytime, Nipote." The jovial man said looking out at the quiet village. "I can just imagine things being a lot different here in a few months."

"How many feasts are you planning, Uncle?" Ezio took a sip of wine and then chuckled at the somewhat innocent look on Mario's face.

"One for the announcement, another for each month until the child is born, and one for when the child is born." Mario said with a sparkle in his eyes as he jested with his nephew. "I'm only jesting. Just the one after the child is born."

"Good." The younger man said hopping off of the railing and walking up the steps to the villa. "Good night, Uncle."

"Good night, Nipote."