Silver and Gold Chapter 4, an assassin's creed fanfic

1498 Venice

Carlotta rolled her eyes as she watched her children try to dress themselves, they were so silly sometimes. She picked up a few of their toys, and some of Leonardo's things from the floor and placed them on top of the table; she needed her own home. Between the hyper active and excitable twins, oh and the artist, a constantly exasperated Salai and steady supply of people wanting commissions she was finding life a little hard. She needed to ask Ezio if he would help her get a little apartment, especially as Leonardo was ready to move on to a new location, or a place in Monteriggioni? Mario had often extended the offer and the boys loved their great uncle and their grandmother, oh and Claudia was just the most exciting aunt in the entire world. Yes, she liked that idea.

"Matteo, Gio, hurry up or your uncle Antonio will get your father to do something ridiculous again." Like fly into the Doge's palace in one of Leonardo's machines – sure that had been so many years ago but really? He could have died! "Gio, what is that?"

"One of uncle Antonio's lock picks, I picked it last week after he gave us our lock picking lesson – I was going for his money but this was easier." Carlotta's jaw dropped, Antonio and La Volpe were teaching the boys such bad habits,

"Well...just...be careful with it, looks like a giant needle." She tied her purse to her hip and beckoned to the boys, "Salai, make sure Leonardo eats today! I will be back later." Tiny hands took hers and the three left the work shop.

1511 Open sea

Devrim kissed the top of Giovanni's head, they were hidden away in a lifeboat covered with its protective top, no one would disturb them and the filtered light was soothing. He was laid out comfortably with Giovanni resting on top of him, his fingers playing with silky strands of hair as the Italian talked about the morning his family was attacked. The first time he'd spoken in nearly a week...

"I want to talk to you." Giovanni said quietly as he grabbed the Turk's wrist.

Devrim stopped and eyed the hand on him, a slight tremor in the fingers, "O-of course, I am just happy to hear your voice again," He reached for the other's face and dropped it miserably when Giovanni pulled his head away, "Sorry..." The other had been jumpy since their little incident, no one but Matteo able to approach him easily.

"No...I am, I have this ridiculous fear inside me and I want to tell you." He had heard his brother and Devrim arguing about him; Matteo wanted to never speak about the issue again, to sweep it under the carpet but Devrim said talking about it would help – that it needed to be out in the open or the panic attacks could get worse. Giovanni didn't want to fear being touched his whole life, when the scar had been bitten it didn't hurt, it was strangely sensitive and it was simply a memory that made him lash out. "Let me tell you what happened – You can help fix me."

"You are not broken."

The boat rocked lightly and they both sighed, this was cosy, they didn't need to claw and grind against each other to be together, something peaceful like this was just as satisfying, "What happened next?" Devrim asked as his arms tightened a little around the other, letting him know he wasn't alone and that he was not going anywhere.

Venice

She was lost, Venice was a maze at time and she'd been so distracted with the boys that she'd taken a wrong turn. They were next to the canal in a run down part of the city, she could hear the busy markets but they had wandered far from it, "Angeli, hold Mama's hands tight, we are going back the way we came."

"Mama, are we lost?" Matteo asked in an unsure whisper, he didn't like this place. His mother let go of his hand and crouched down a little, kissing his head and telling him they were going to be alright before kissing the end of Giovanni's nose. The boys smiled bravely for her and they began to back track.

"Salve, madonna," a man's voice was heard before he appeared before them, four more men behind him blocking the way out of the dead end. "What is such a pretty thing doing here...are you taking the little boys somewhere?" They spread out until the men surrounded the little family, each man filthy and obviously the usual cut throats that ran a muck in the city. "Why not let us take the boys out of the way and we can help you with directions?" A snicker echoed around her as she brought the twins closer to herself, little arms wrapping around her waist as the boys realised they were in trouble, she knew those arms were Giovanni's; he always held onto her when he was frightened. Matteo would cower in close but he never clung, he was trying to be brave like his father.

He glared at the men before looking at his brother's frightened eyes and then up at his mother as she held tighter to his hand. "If you do not leave us alone, you will be sorry." The men laughed at him, throwing comments to each other about him being 'too big for his boots' and if they should piss themselves in fear. A pull on his hand put him off balance and he fell into his mother. They were trying to take his brother. "Let him go!"

"Mama!" Giovanni's grip faltered on his mother's dress and he reached for Matteo's outstretched hand.

"Gio! Let him go! Leave him alone!" Arms came around the woman and dragged her from the children, "Get the fuck off me! I swear you will regret this! Matteo! Giovanni!"

"Mama!" They both yelled as they held tight to one another, the men trying to separate them but failing as the boys used their teeth and feet against them. "Leave her alone!" Giovanni yelled and plunged Antonio's stolen lock pick into a meaty hand.

The man ripped his hand away and yowled as the metal tore more of his skin. "Little shit!" He pulled the metal out and grabbed Giovanni around the waist, his fist knocking Matteo aside and to the floor. Giovanni struggled seeing his brother holding a bloody nose but soon ceased as he felt something hard and cold against his throat, Matteo's eyes widening in horror was the only thing stopping the younger twin from renewing his struggles. "You had to make things hard, all we wanted was your money and maybe a little fun with your mother – you little brats had to act up though; did your father not teach you any manners!"

No one had dared to move, Matteo spat a mouthful of blood onto the stone, his face and clothing stained red with blood, eyes looking only at the blade on his brother's throat. Carlotta stood frozen even as hands groped at her, the material of her dress being torn hardly an issue when her baby was in such danger, "You can have the money...Dio...y-you can have me just let them go, they are children, just let them go and you can have whatever you want..." She didn't care what happened to her as long as the twins were safe. "Where will they go? Just let them go...please."

They looked at one another, the men deciding on the course of action, having Giovanni by knife point had made the situation a lot quieter and the woman was compliant – and they were just kids. "You can go, kid." Matteo looked over at his mother helplessly and then to his brother, "I will look after this guy so your mother does not give us any trouble and if they behave you can have them back later."

"No!" Matteo yelled as he stood unsteadily, his vision fuzzy from the earlier strike, "I am not going!"

"Matteo!" Carlotta snapped at him, her heart breaking at the hurt look in his honey eyes, "Matteo," She said it gently this time, "Find Papa, tell him we will be home a little late..." This loosely translated to; find your father so he can teach these thugs a lesson. "Please go...I will look after your brother because Gio is going to be a good boy..." She glanced at her youngest, he was sniffling unhappy at being separated from them both but he nodded as best he could with the knife still on him.

1511

"So he went, he really did not want to leave. He had cried and practically begged Mama not to make him leave but they got impatient and threatened me again...so Matteo ran. I think he ran into one of Antonio's men and from there they worked on rescuing us." Giovanni shifted his body so that he was laid out along Devrim's side, one hand cradling his neck gently, it felt as if it were throbbing maybe it was his body remembering the ache of serrated skin, the other arm was slung carelessly across the Turk's waist, his head resting on the other's chest, "They were like wolves, tearing at her clothing as they laughed and jeered...if I could have saved her – I would have! I would have fought them..."

Devrim frowned to himself, "I know you would have, you were only seven though, you had a knife to your throat...there was nothing you could have done." How easy it was to blame yourself for something; how often had Devrim argued with his father that he couldn't fight sickness, that it wasn't his fault and that he'd done what he could for their family? "You did not let them hurt her – I am certain if you could have you would have gnawed at their ankles if that was all you could do."

"If I had not angered that bastard then he would never have thought to hold me hostage. She did not fight them, did not even yell at them as they...they..." Giovanni felt a comforting hand on his back, Devrim didn't need to speak to let him know he didn't have to force himself and that he understood this was hard. He couldn't tell him...not about how those men beat and raped his mother in front of him...she didn't make a sound and it was all for him – to keep him safe. "I could not stand it...and I thrashed, I just wanted to help her and I did not even notice when I slipped."

Devrim's eyes opened a little wider, "Slipped?" he had always assumed the cut had been on purpose.

"Si, I kicked him in the groin and he dropped me, the knife was not very sharp and I think that is the only reason I survived...they all had gone quiet...and I remember walking towards Mama, but it was slow and I couldn't breathe properly, I fell down and there was a scream." The Italian bit his lip in thought, had he fallen into the canal? Or down a step? Either way he had lost sight of everyone for a long moment, "The next thing I know Papa is holding me." Giovanni felt Devrim sit up, his hands making him do the same and then he was staring into unhappy, silver eyes.

"Giovanni." it was such a disappointed sound, "There is an awful lot missing there. You saw more than that, you told me that your father 'realised' you were there the first time you told me about your scar. When did he arrive? What happened between you falling and your father picking you up? What did he have you stay silent about?" Giovanni looked away, his body pulling away instinctively but Devrim just held him tighter, "What about this...Diavolo? That is a demon? Or a devil or something, evet?"

"I-I...did not see..." A harsh shake had him wanting to escape the life boat, he couldn't talk about this, he didn't want to remember it after trying so hard to forget it. "I was a child, I do not know what I saw...I do not want to talk about this any more!"

"You need to."

"What good will it do?"

"You want to freeze up every time someone touches this," Like lightning, Devrim pinned the other to the bottom of the boat, the distress of the other helping him. The Turk slowed at the last moment, his lips touching barely to the scar, letting his breath wash over it as he placed the tiniest of kisses along the abused skin. Giovanni shook under him, forcing himself to hold fast and not strike out, he could do this...and Devrim wouldn't try to hurt him. "How can I begin to love you if you hide yourself from me? You came to me...you wanted to tell me – not your brother – me. So please...I will not think you mad or judge you...I will not even speak if you wish it..."

Giovanni let out a sad sob.

Venice

Matteo burst into Antonio's office,a few thieves behind him as they rushed in after the child, "Papa!" He saw Ezio sat by the fire, at first he was surprised but then Matteo saw how his face changed to an almost panicked look, "Papa..." He was crying hard, the tears mixing with his bloody face as he reached bloody hands up towards his father. Ezio picked him up easily, checking the boy over for something other than a broken nose.

"Where is your mother? Where is Gio?" Matteo wailed louder as his father asked, and somewhere between his crying and need for comfort, was able to briefly tell them what had happened. Ezio handed the child to Rosa and left with inhuman speed. Using his eagle vision, the assassin tracked the small trail his son had taken to find him, anger growing every time he found bloody hand prints on the walls or where Matteo had spat up. His memories drifted to his father, his brothers, as they were hung, the way there bodies had been left like rubbish in the street – he had sworn never to let his family get hurt again. Going as far to hide what he was from the twins, never wanting them to follow his path.

And then he was there, holding Carlotta as she bled heavily onto the ground, the pool slipping off the stone and into the filthy Venetian waters. There were bodies strewn around him, savaged. Some had been gutted, their entrails pulled out of their bodies, severed fingers, hands and at some point, entire limbs were laying close by, some still twitching. He could hear the gurgle of two of the thugs who were barely still alive near to him and he nearly shook as he surveyed the gory scene. What had torn then to shreds? Surely this wasn't a human...even ten men couldn't do this? Tear limbs off and gut five men...crush skulls. "E-Ezio..."

He turned his eyes to hers, the macabre scene forgotten as he looked at her, "I am here, I...I should have come sooner – I should have picked the boys up myself...You will be alright. We will get you to a Dottore and - "

"Ezio, no." She gasped painfully as he tried to lift her into his arms, he set her down again and she gave him a strained smile, "I am going to die...I can feel it...is Matteo...?"

"He is going to be fine, you know it will take more than a broken nose to take him down. Gio is bound to be alright." He looked around but didn't see the child, he had to be close by – probably scared out of his mind. "You have to let me take you to help."

Shaking her head, Carlotta held him tightly as she started to feel weak, her vision darkening around the edges. "Gio...He...they...Oh, Ezio, they cut his throat...they killed him..." She stared mournfully at where she had seen him fall, "He was trying to get to me, even after they had cut him...he tried to get to me and he fell into the water!" She felt the man freeze, his eyes following hers and his head was shaking from side to side in disbelief.

"No..." He murmured to himself, "No." Holding her tightly as her body began to slip from his grasp, Ezio felt cold, he had failed her and he had failed Giovanni.

"Ezio, you have to look after Matteo for me, promise me?"

"Carlotta, you will live...let me take you from here and...and..." He didn't know, he would find his son's body and they could bury him, he would make sure she would survive this and lock his family in a tower somewhere? What could he do? "I promise I will take care of you all,"

She smiled for him again but there was no real happiness there, "I love you, I know you could never feel the same but it was nice...for a little while..." And then Ezio felt her body going limp, he couldn't gather her closer to himself without literally crushing her but he needed to do something – say something, anything! Her eyes were closing but just before they faded of life, he saw them brighten and a last relieved breath left her. In their reflection, Ezio saw the last thing she had seen and when he looked over to the steps leading into the water, he could see Giovanni watching them both.

When Ezio returned to Antonio's there was a skilled doctor waiting, they took Giovanni from him and he could only watch as they took him into a prepared room. Matteo had been patched up already, his clothing changed and any trace of blood washed from him, the older twin was hidden behind Bartolomeo's leg, staring at Ezio as if he were a monster. "W-where is..." He was shaking too hard to speak properly, eyes the largest Ezio had ever seen. But he knew what his son wanted to know.

"...Mama...she...she is not coming back..." How did he explain? He crouched down and beckoned Matteo to himself but the boy his further behind the mercenary, "Matteo?"

"Ezio, maybe you should clean up first." Bartolomeo tried as gently as he could, obviously Ezio hadn't seen himself. The big man could barely see a spot which wasn't covered in blood on the assassin. Hardly a white patch on his robes and the man's boots would have to be thrown away – that amount of blood would never come out of the leather, "What happened?"

Looking down at himself, Ezio's eyebrows drew together in confusion, surely it was from holding Carlotta and Giovanni? Then again there had been such a mess from the men's bodies that he could of picked it up there...What had happened...? He had been following Matteo's trail and then...then he was holding Carlotta amongst the mess of human limbs. "Look after him for me." In his confusion he felt the need to check on Giovanni, maybe he had seen what had happened? "I need to check on Gio."

"Ezio, are you alright?" Bartolomeo frowned at the man, he was a little out of it to say the least, "Let the Dottore do his job. He is one of our best men."

"No, I need to be with him." With that Ezio headed toward the room he'd seen Giovanni carried into. The room was silent when he entered, the doctor sewing the ragged ends of skin back together quietly until he noticed Ezio, "Will he live?"

The doctor nodded, his body shielded Ezio from seeing the little body on the table, "The blade did not cut deep enough to sever anything fatal but it was dirty. Your son will likely get an infection, I will do what I can to prevent that...I can sew him shut, no problem, an infection may kill him though and..." He was pouring something over the wound as Ezio stepped closer, "and he is in shock, as you can see."

Giovanni was laid out on the table, his breathing shallow and his eyes open, unblinking even as he was treated, something that would have made most grown men scream.

"What can I do?" Ezio asked as he needed to help in some way, "How do we un-shock him?"

"I do not know. He keeps mouthing something...I can not hear it well enough."

Ezio stood beside his son and watched as pale lips moved quickly. Perhaps it was a good thing Giovanni seemed frozen, no one had to hold him down whilst he was treated and he hopefully couldn't feel the pain. He watched, unblinking, as he tried to decipher the words – no, word...he was sure it was the same word over and over until, 'Di' became apparent. Perhaps 'Dio', the poor boy had seen so much in the last hour that calling for God made sense. "Ezio...?"

It was Antonio calling him this time, once again someone was looking at his clothing in horror, "Ezio, you should wait outside...you are a mess and quite frightening to see right now. No doubt those bastards deserved what you did to them but seeing you like this will only frighten Gio more."

What he had done? He hadn't touched those men, they were already dead when he got there...weren't they? Something had torn them up before he'd gotten there and Giovanni must have seen it; it must have scared him into this state. "I need to know what he is saying, I need to help him."

Antonio grimaced, "He is saying 'Diavolo' and I am not surprised after all he has been through today."

1511

"That is all I can remember. I do not actually remember the thing I saw...the only image I have is a boot coming down onto one of our attacker's heads and...well you can imagine the mess it made." He was being held by the other as he cried, part of him not believing he was sobbing like a child in front of his love interest – Devrim must think him incredibly unattractive right now. Too much baggage to want to actually carry on their flirting.

"You honestly can not think who killed them? Your father was there...maybe he - "

"My Papa is good but even he could not do that to five men...he would not...He is not a monster."

"He would have been angry..." Devrim started slowly, "Perhaps not in his right mind. He ordered the silence on the entire thing..."

Giovanni sat back and wiped his eyes before glaring at the other, "No, he would not." He sounded so certain about it that the Turk dropped his line of thought before he upset him too much. "...I will not get better, will I? If I can not remember what happened to them...I guess I wasted your time..." He felt a little disappointed, though all the tension of the past week had melted from him, he would still have these attacks. "Why could you not just leave my neck alone and fuck me."

"Because I like foreplay too much." He saw a small smile on Giovanni's face and pulled him closer, "This was not a waste of time, you feel better and that is what I wanted more than anything else. You will remember one day but I really would ask your father what he saw."

"I will not get a chance, he will kill Matteo and I the second we get off this boat. So you should really get around to 'de-flowering' me as soon as possible."

"Maybe when there is less snot on your face." Golden eyes looked up at him in surprise and they both cracked up into childish giggles.