Dis claimer: that says it all
WARNING TIME: angst, blood, death and depression
Catherine did her best to ignore Ezio while she made cheese sandwiches and cut some fruits for a fruit salad.
"Well, you did say you were having me for dinner…" Ezio grinned. He was leaning his lower back on the counter next to Catherine, his arms crossed over his chest, and his ankles crossed.
Catherine hummed louder.
"I mean, sure, if you're so attracted to me, you could have just asked…" Catherine dammed that grin on his face.
"Give me the spoon" Miley frowned at Ezio.
"No, I don't want the cutlery to get dirty." Catherine muttered.
"You don't have to pretend you don't like me…OOF!" Ezio felt something hit the back of his crossed ankles and slid down to the floor.
"Shut. Up." Catherine continued cutting fruit.
"You know, the view ain't so bad from down here." He eyed her butt. "But I prefer staring down your front."
"That's it." Catherine threw the knife on the counter and handed Miley the wooden spoon. "Miley, he's all yours."
"Oh, Dio…anything but the brat." Ezio sighed from the floor.
"I'm not a brat!" Miley lunged at him and started kicking and biting and clawing at him, all the while screaming profanities.
"What's going on?" Derek entered the kitchen, Leonardo in tow. He was a bit flushed, and Leonardo had a goofy grin on his face.
Catherine let Miley answer for her.
"Wow." Derek sat on a chair by the table. "You sure pissed her off."
"Get it off me!" Ezio protected his face.
"I'm not an it!" Miley shrieked.
"Okay, little lady, go get your sister and wash your hands." Catherine picked Miley up and dumped her on the hall leading to the garden. She came back in and saw Derek and Leonardo making out.
"I don't want any of that in front of Miley or Anny. Restrain yourselves to holding hands." She held her finger in Derek's face.
"He started it…" Derek mumbled.
"And get off his lap." Derek obeyed, mumbling all the while.
"You're just jealous you're not in my lap." Ezio had hoisted himself on a chair and pulled Catherine down to sit on his thighs.
"Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again." Each word was followed by a spoon to Ezio's head.
"Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow." Ezio said after each hit. He snatched the spoon from her and held it out of her reach. "Ever heard the expression 'Love hurts'?"
"Catherine?" Miley was fidgeting by the door.
Catherine ran to her sister. Whenever she used her whole name, something wasn't right.
"What is it, Miley?" she knelt in front of her.
"I-I can't f-find Annab-b-belle…" Miley sniffed. She held a pink bunny up. Annabelle's bunny.
"What?" Catherine took the bunny in her hand and ran outside, the men and Miley following her. "Annabelle! Annabelle!" she looked frantically around "Anny!"
"Cazzo!" Ezio was inspecting a hole in the hedge.
"Annabelle!" Catherine shoved Ezio out of the way and scrambled through the hole. She ended up in another yard. On the other side of it, was another hole. She ran across the lawn, Ezio and Derek hot on her heels, Leonardo having stayed behind to calm Miley. When they reached the other side of the hedge, they were in a maze of narrow streets.
"Annabelle!" Catherine called. They heard a child crying to their right. Following the sound, they ended up in a very short back alley that ended in a dead end. Not five feet away from them, was a templar, holding his sword to Annabelle's neck. Her face was white from fear and wet steaks were left behind her tears.
"Cat. Cat." She sobbed.
"Anny, everything's okay now, I'm here." Catherine crouched down and started to edge towards her.
"Don't even think of coming nearer." The templar put the blade closer to Annabelle's skin. Derek pulled Catherine away.
"What do you want, templar?" Ezio growled.
"It was so easy to find out who were your friends. You're very sneaky, but I saw you with this whore and her sister." The templar nodded to Catherine. "I was going after the loud one, but this little bunny was much easier." He shook Annabelle by her hair. "I want you to see what I am going to do to all your friends and family."
"NO! Annabelle!" Catherine tried to lunge at her sister, but Derek held her back. His cheeks were wet and his eyes were red.
"You bastard!" Ezio activated the hidden blade and stabbed the man's chest before he could lift his sword.
The man tried though, to bring the blade higher, to deflect the attack, but in the process, cut a gash to Annabelle's throat. As he stumbled backwards, the gash was made deeper.
"Annabelle!" Catherine watched as Annabelle fell as if in slow motion. Blood fell in an arch as the body fell sideways to the floor. She wrenched herself from Derek's arms and caught the small girl before she hit the floor.
"Anny! Anny! Annabelle!" Catherine's cries echoed even in her own ears. She was deaf to everything else, the only thing she felt, more than heard, was the slowing rhythm of Annabelle's heart. She tried to talk, but only a rude, gurgling sound escaped her throat.
"Anny, it's gonna be fine, Anny, stay with me, Anny, I'm here." Catherine tried to keep the tears out of her voice, since she couldn't keep them from her face. "Anny, open your eyes, Anny, look at me." Catherine started screaming. "Annabelle! Annabelle!" she clutched the small body in her arms, and wept into the little neck. She could feel the warm blood on her face getting colder, and cried more.
Derek was fighting WW3 with himself to at least not sob out loud, but defeat was near. He took advantage of his strength over Catherine and pried her away from their sister's dead body. He hiccupped when he touched the cold little arm. Ezio and Derek supported her up and started walking her back. Ezio would be back for the body later.
"Heh." The templar wheezed, clutching his chest. "Make sure you bring that whore every time we kill someone. She makes a great show."
Ezio didn't even have time to respond. Catherine took the templar's sword from the floor and straddled the man's chest. She started hammering the rounded hilt of the sword on the templar's face. Blood squirted everywhere, and there were crunching noises coming from beneath her fist. The man's yells soon tuned into incomprehensible blubber and gurgling, until he finally went quiet. Catherine kept hitting the man for almost twenty minutes after she was sure he was dead.
Ezio finally thought she had had enough time to vent for now and grabbed her arm. He tried to pull her up, but it seemed her body wasn't obeying her. Ezio bent up and picked her up bridal style. She grabbed his collar and wept into his shoulder. She was staining his white robe red, but neither cared. Derek took the blood stained bunny and followed them to Leonardo's.
When they were inside, Miley stared wide eyed at Catherine's blood smeared face and dress. Then her eyes trailed to Derek's hands, where the bunny was being held affectionately. Derek hugged her and started whispering to her. Ezio looked at Leonardo and nodded to the stairs. The artist took them both upstairs. Ezio carried Catherine to the kitchen and sat her on one of the chairs. By now, she had calmed down, and was only hiccupping, a loose tear falling from time to time.
Ezio brought the bucket of water next to Catherine. Inside was still the rag they had used this morning to wipe off the paint. It had slightly tainted the water blue, but it would do. He knelt in front of her and wrung the rag to get rid of the excess water.
"Hey." He whispered to her as he washed the blood off her face.
She looked at him with empty eyes. Ezio had the feeling she was looking right through him.
"I should have watched her better." She whispered.
"No, it wasn't your fault." Ezio took her hands in his and squeezed them. He felt no response.
"I could have watched her better, I could have seen that man, I could have brought her inside the house, I could have…have…saved her." Catherine looked into Ezio's eyes. He had the impression she was looking for something to hold on.
"No, you couldn't. No one could. Don't blame yourself." Ezio let go of her hands and held her arms.
"It's all my fault. First mom, then dad, and now Annabelle. It's all my fault."
"Catherine, NO." Ezio shook her. She looked alarmed at him. "Stop blaming yourself, there's nothing you could have done, you would just have gotten killed too, did you want that? What about Derek and Miley, were you going to leave them?" Ezio said firmly.
"No." she whispered and turned her head to the side.
Ezio dunked the rag back into the water and continued to scrub her face. then her hands. When he finished, he took her to her room. He opened her closet, took one of his white shirts he had left in this room's closet and put it on her mattress. He respectfully turned away and waited for her to get dressed. When he heard her mattress squeak when she sat on it, he turned to face her. He kneeled in front of her again and helped her lay down.
When he exited her room, Leonardo, Derek and Miley were all in the hall. They looked lost. Ezio was ready to bet he did too.
A/N: please don't kill me!