A/N - Holidays and life events have slowed things down a bit. Also working out glitches with my new beta kb0 who has been extremely helpful in improving this brief Interlude. The next installment will be a regular chapter. Thank you all for reading and for your support. I truly do appreciate you all. Still not JKR.

Interlude One – What Happened in Florence

"Ciao, caro. You have not come to visit me today," Carina remonstrated glacially. "Had not Ginny, Fleur, and Tonks stopped by earlier, I would never have known you were here," her voice dropped a bit as she finished speaking.

The look in Carina's eyes was one of utter devastation, and it ripped through Sirius like a fiery blade. "Carina, bella..." he began.

"No, no more excuses," Carina practically shouted, hands waving wildly.

Before Carina could say anything further, Sirius had the presence of mind to throw up a Muffliato so they wouldn't attract too much attention.

"Carina, cara, you need to hear me out. I erred. I completely mucked up. I should have informed you we were coming. And once we arrived, I have not had a single free moment of time," Sirius asserted, trying hard to remain calm. "I'm not trying to excuse my failures, only trying to explain the situation."

Carina just glared at him, uncertain as to how to react. Sirius had actually apologised to her. She couldn't remember that having happened, ever. Sirius Black was not one to admit he was wrong, even when he clearly at fault. That alone deserved some consideration.

Perhaps she had misjudged the situation. Abruptly she became aware they were standing in the middle of the street. Italians were passionate people, however, she had no desire to make a spectacle of herself, nor did she want become a topic of conversation over supper.

She was just about to suggest they move their discussion somewhere else, when a silvery wisp bounded up to Sirius and murmured something. It was too low for Carina to catch the words, but she thought she recognised the Patronus as belonging to Remus.

"Remus and the others will be back in an hour. Do you have time to spend with me now? We can go somewhere more private, and I can tell you about my day," Sirius asked hopefully. He held out his hand.

It took only a minute for Carina to make up her mind. This new Sirius intrigued her, and she dearly wanted to know what had transpired earlier in the day. Procyon's explanation had been rather sparse on details of the debacle.

Still sporting a disgruntled mien, Carina took his hand and led him out of magical Florence. Once in a deserted alley, she apparated him away to a secluded spot on her family's estate. She wanted no witnesses to their discourse. Discussions with Sirius tended to get quite heated, in more ways than one.

Sitting herself down on a fallen tree trunk, she motioned for Sirius to do the same. The small clearing on the hillside, afforded a spectacular view of the Tuscan countryside.

Gazing out over the valley, she folded her hands in her lap and stated, "I am willing to hear you out."

Sirius arranged himself on the other end of the log and regarded her profile. Her beauty still astonished him. He wanted nothing more than to have this vibrant, stubborn woman back in his life. Choosing his words with care, he began.

"It was only this morning that Harry asked me if we could run errands today. As I said before, I could have, should have, alerted you to the fact that we were coming. For that I am most dreadfully sorry."

Sirius stole a look at her in an attempt to judge her reaction, but was unable to tell anything from her impassive expression. "I also knew weekends were to spending time with family. As much as hoped to run into you today, I knew the chances of actually doing so were rather slim." He paused briefly, as if to allow her to respond, but heard only silence in return.

With a sigh, Sirius resumed his explanation. Apparently, this was was going to be harder than he hoped. "I had already arranged to meet with Viktor Krum to discuss some business matters with him. Upon our arrival, Bill and I headed off to meet with Viktor. Then came the fracas with the men who were following Viktor. We are assuming they were Death Eaters."

A shudder ran through Carina at those words, but he still could not tell what she was thinking. "Once Signor Russo finished with us, Harry insisted I accompany him on an errand. If you want to know more about it, you will have to ask Harry." He smirked. The image of Harry explaining the evening's errand to his godmother amused him no end.

"We were on our way back, when we ran into you again. So you see, I haven't had a free moment since arriving here in Florence." His voice dropped. "I hope you can forgive me. I truly did not intend to slight you, and I realise it would have only taken a moment to send a message off to you. A serious lapse of judgment on my part. I was truly hoping for a chance to see you again today. And, despite the fact that you are vexed with me, I am very pleased to be spending time with you."

Carina sat in silence, hands twisting restlessly in her lap, and pondered Sirius' words, her eyes trained on the ground. His explanation was perfectly reasonable. Her reaction, on the other hand, was not necessarily as reasonable.

Why was she so bothered by the thought he had been here in Florence and not contacted her? Perhaps it was her own inadequacies rearing up and tormenting her again after so many years. She hated feeling this way, like a love-struck teenager unsure as to whether or not the object of her affections returned her feelings. And yet, wasn't that the heart of the matter? She had never stopped loving Sirius. Whether or not he still cared for her was another question. She was no longer secure in her love for him and his love for her. And she desperately craved that assurance.

Lifting her head, she tucked a dark strand of hair behind her ear, and spoke from her heart. "I do believe you, caro. And I forgive you. I ask your forbearance. I should not have reacted the way I did earlier."

"Carina, cara, I'm not upset with you," replied Sirius. "I more upset I caused you such distress." He gazed out at the view, the trees swaying gently in the wind, the darkening sky, and inhaled the rich scent of earth and growing things, steeling himself for what he knew had to be done.

"Carina, I think it is time for us to talk. Truly talk. So much has happened since we saw each other last. We are no longer the same people we were when we pledged ourselves to each other. I think we owe it to ourselves and our son to try and see if anything can be salvaged from the shambles we have made of our lives."

Carina listened in silence, body tense. She knew he was correct, they were not the same optimistic young lovers with stars in their eyes, despite the death and destruction surrounding them on every side. Yet she could not help but hope Sirius was not trying to dismiss her, to put an end to that part of his life, that he still cared for her as a lover and not just as a friend. Yes, she knew he would always stand by her, as the mother of his son, but she wanted more than that. She wanted all of him. As much as it terrified her, she knew it was time.

Scooting himself closer to her, Sirius reached out with one hand to caress the softness of her hair, whilst the other unlaced her fingers, and gently cradled her hand in his.

The two spent the next three quarters of an hour baring their hearts and souls to each other. Sirius did not shy away from the poor decisions he had made that led to his spending twelve years in Azkaban, and Carina finally unburdened herself to the man she had so grievously wronged for so many years.

At times it was painful, embarrassing, humiliating, even, yet both knew the time for unvarnished truth was now. Only in exposing their past would they be free to pursue their future, whether it would be together or apart.

Sirius wiped the tears from her eyes, and held her closely, whilst she shared the difficulties and shame she suffered being found to be with child whilst yet unmarried. Whilst her family had been unswervingly supportive she knew she had brought dishonour to them and could not escape the feelings of guilt which continued to plague to this day. Her family had done much to preserve their honour by arranging a hasty marriage, yet, she could not help regret the choice she had made.

Slowly, and with a great deal of difficulty, Sirius revealed aspects of his time in Azkaban he had shared with no other. He also confided the guilt he continued to battle for his part in choosing Peter as secret keeper, and his decision to pursue him, rather than remove Harry from Hagrid and disappear. He refused to wipe the tears running down his face, doing so would acknowledge their presence, and he was still too much of Black to show weakness.

Finally, Sirius confessed, "I have missed you so much, cara. It nearly drove me wild not knowing what happened to you. I didn't know if you were dead or alive, happy or sad. Nothing. Your silence was killing me." His voice was thick with emotion.

"My time with the Dementors made everything worse. They have left a permanent mark on me. I am damaged. No longer whole. Perhaps irreparably so." He stumbled a bit, not wanting to continue, but knowing, if the was to have any hope for a future with this woman, he must. "I have nothing to offer you. I am simply a broken man who does not wish to live without you anymore."

Sirius' last words hung heavy in the air. As his words drifted off into silence, he realised he had yet to tell her he loved her. Debating with himself whether to add to what he had already said, he decided to wait on her response. There would always be time for words of love. Then he was assaulted with the memory of the years of separating. He could not not tell her. He could, would, wait no longer.

Reaching out with his other hand, he tilted up her chin. "In case I have not been sufficiently clear, I love you Carina Conti. Always and forever. I want you in my life. As the mother of my child. As my wife. Any way you are willing. Please, please..." his voice faded off into nothingness. Not daring to breathe, he stared down into her eyes.

Carina lifted her hand and covered his. "Sirius, amore mio. It has always been you. Even when I was married, it was always you. I have been with no other man. I could not. If it were up to me, I would marry you right now, this minute. But there is Procyon to consider, and I cannot just abandon my family. They have stood by me and cared for me, and for Procyon. I owe them so much." She dropped her eyes, staring at her dust covered shoes. "If you truly mean to marry me, you must speak to Zio Cosimo first and receive his permission. I want to do things correctly this time."

"Cara, you have made me the happiest man tonight. I will speak with your uncle as soon as I am able. It will not be tonight, but soon." He pulled her closer, bent down, and, at long last, kissed her.