Author's Note- There's a few things I want to say.

First of all, thanks to everyone who continues to review, you never fail to put a smile on my face.

Second, sorry for the slight delay.

And third, to those who don't know, I continuously post and receive fanart for this story. The links to everything are in my profile. Also, the dream at the end of the chapter was inspired by a wonderful image by Jael-Kolken over at deviantArt.

And, fourth- Enjoy :)

"Does it work?"

Leonardo looked up from his work with confusion as we burst into his workshop. I was slightly winded from the long run from the Doge's palace, but my enthusiasm caught up with Ezio's quickly. Even if the idea to use Leonardo's flying machine to get into a heavily guarded palace was one of the most suicidal plans I'd ever heard.

But then again, as we'd realized so many times, suicidal plans were our specialty.

"Does what work?" Leonardo asked, expression aghast with confusion.

"The machine!" Ezio waved at the masterpiece hanging in the corner of the room. Leonardo didn't seem to understand why his voice was so loud and urgent, looking between us and the machine with bewilderment.

"I...I don't know…it's just an idea, really. It hasn't even been tested yet, Ezio."

"Well then, let's test it!"

Immediately, Leonardo shook his head, planting his hands on his hips. "Absolutely not! It's too dangerous! One would have to…jump off a tower to do that! Where can you find someone mad enough to do that?"

I grinned. If he thought that some mere technicality like eminent death would stop Ezio, oh, he was sorely mistaken. The assassin crossed his arms and smirked. I admired his guts, moxie, insanity, whatever you wanted to call it. If only for the suicidal streak we shared.

"Leonardo, I think you just found your madman."

I sighed quietly. "Ezio, you're insane, you know that?"

He glanced at me, his grin widening. "Why yes, mia bella, I do know that."

Leonardo was getting more excited by the moment, though. Smile widening and eyes flashing, he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. As strange and ahead of his time as he was, he would probably never ask anyone to jump off a tower for him. But when a willing volunteer came along, he didn't spend much time making sure Ezio was okay with it. I checked the clock - the Templars had almost three hours on us, but that was not enough time to get a decent poison off the streets. Especially with most of the thieves and outlaws on our side.

"Va bene! Where shall we do this, then?" Leo asked enthusiastically, already beginning to take the machine apart so it would be easier to transfer to a tower. I helped him out, having learned where the pieces attached during one of his earlier lectures. When hanging around the shop during my downtime, it was easy to get the artist talking, especially about his inventions.

Ezio thought about it for a moment. "There are guards on the roofs everywhere, and I doubt they'll let us do this..."

"The Thieves Guild doesn't have any guards around," I put in, "Antonio made sure of that."

"A little far from the Palazzo, but if this works, it won't matter...Alrighty, here we go..."

---

The sky looked gray, as if an ill omen to the coming events, the damp wind chilling me to my bones. The machine was quickly reconstructed with the help of a few thieves. A sort of runway was built for it as well, hanging over the district. And with every moment, I was getting more and more nervous. I suddenly couldn't remember just how well the testing worked out historically. Of course, I certainly wasn't going to tell Ezio that. This was his only chance of getting into the palace, after all. It was too late for second thoughts.

I vainly tried to warm my hands up with my breath, frantically rubbing them together. Ezio, bless him, quickly moved behind me, draping his cape around my shoulders, and I gave him grateful nod and smile. He wanted to help assemble the machine as well, but Leonardo quickly shooed him away. He wouldn't let me help out, either, though he allowed me to hold it up for him until it felt like my fingers were only remaining attached to my hands because they were in one big block of ice.

"It's ready," Leonardo finally stated after an hour of double and triple checking that everything was properly installed.

"Tell me again how this thing works?" Ezio sniffed. He seemed to be getting slightly nervous about it, as well.

"Have you ever watched a bird in flight? As I told Eden, it's not about being lighter than air, it's about grace and balance! You must simply use your body weight to control your elevation and direction, and the wings will carry you."

I let the machine down carefully, and hid my hands under my armpits. The palace was partially concealed by the fog and distance. But red flickers of guards' torches could still be seen. I tried to use the houses below to calculate the distance, only to quickly come to the sad conclusion that it was just too far away.

I bit my lip, moving closer to Ezio. "I don't think you can make it to the palace," I spoke lowly, so only he could hear me. He raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

"It's...well, it doesn't have the build to fly for too long. I could be wrong, of course. But..."

"We're running out of time, and we won't know until we try," he replied soothingly.

"Just...be ready for a crash landing, alright? You can't save anyone if you're a pancake," I reached up to pat his head, more for my reassurance that to mock him.

"Well, buena fortuna, Ezio," Leonardo cut in, reminding us that time was of the essence. "You are about to hopefully make history. Go with God."

"What he said," I shakily smiled. "Don't die, m'kay?"

"I'll try my best," he seemed to swallow hard. Throwing a glance at the Doge's palace, he climbed into the machine.

I helped Leonardo strap the safety belts around him once he climbed under the wings. I didn't like the idea too much - it would keep him inside the machine well enough. But if it crashed, or began to sink in one of the canals, then he'd go down with it. Ezio did not complain about anything, trusting Leonardo's intelligence and designs. But he still held onto the controlling board for his dear life, careful to maintain the position.

Even with the worry, I couldn't help but feel excited. Never, in my entire life, did I dream I'd ever see the original da'Vinci flying machine in flight (or fall). Leonardo told me most of the theories behind it better than his preserved notes and various school teachers could. And as we all knew, Leo's enthusiasm was contagious. So the more he told me, the more I wanted to see it work.

And it did! Ezio heaved the machine, and pushed off the runway with a lot of force, making the wood of the improvised runway creak loudly. But the air picked up the wings. Instead of plummeting to the ground, Ezio glided forward.

"It worked! It worked!!!" Any more and Leonardo would begin to jump up and down like a thirteen-year-old girl when the newest Twilight movie hit the theaters. I joined in the general insanity, laughing along with him, though my humor diminished slightly. For as both of us expected, Ezio began to lose height, slowly gliding lower and lower. I think I heard his loud swearing, as well...

---

"You flew Ezio! You really flew!!"

Leonardo flapped his arms adorably, but Ezio was not amused. I was laughing quietly at his disgruntled and irritated expression. Despite the situation, once I made sure Ezio was alright, I couldn't help but stifle giggles and snorts, something that made him even more annoyed.

"Yep, our Eagle of Florence became an actual flying eagle," I mischievously grinned. "Italy will remember this day for the next five minutes, and then think 'What the hell was he smoking?' only to forget about it."

"I didn't fly far!" he grumbled, ignoring my comment.

"Well, what did you expect? The machine was not designed for distance!" Leonardo seemed to be a little put out with the negative response, but remained as excited as ever. "Alright, let me look over the plans, maybe I can find a way to extend the duration of the flight..."

Antonio suddenly burst through the door, looking frantic. "Ezio! My spies tell me that Silvio has obtained the poison and handed it over to Grimaldi!"

All humor went out the window immediately.

"Antonio, meet Leonardo, the inventor that created this piece of..." Ezio kicked the machine as he paced. I was about to protest, but I was interrupted by the inventor himself, who pushed away from the table, nearly shouting in an unusual flare of temper.

"It's no good! I don't know how to extend the flight! Stupid fucking idea!" He swept the papers into the fireplace, falling into the armchair opposite of it. All three of us glanced between each other with confusion. Then he suddenly jumped up again, and all of us flinched slightly. "My God! Eurika! Of course! Genius!"

"What is he doing now?" Antonio asked with even more bewilderment, unused to dealing with Leonardo. I narrowed my eyes and waved at him to be quiet, listening to Leo muttering under his breath.

"Heat rises…how did I not see it before?"

"Eden, could you translate?" Ezio turned to me as my eyes widened in amazement.

"Heat! Hot air goes up, and it can probably-"

"If we light a fire under the machine-"

"Then it can lift it up-"

"Dio mio, there's two of them," Ezio sighed in a doomed fashion as Leonardo continued to expand on the idea, and I eagerly picked it up.

"What is one fire going to do?" Antonio was clearly not in a very optimistic mood at the moment.

"Not just one! Many fires, all throughout the city! They can carry you to the palazzo!" Leonardo explained quickly, drawing small circles on a map of Venice, creating a path. Antonio looked over his shoulder, and finally nodded in understanding.

"What about the guards?" Ezio asked, and I raised an eyebrow. "Okay, obvious question. Then let's get on it! Antonio, can your thieves build the fires as I get rid of the guards?"

"Of course, though most of them will be busy elsewhere. My spies tell me that there was a curious shipment of colored powder in little tubes that just arrived from China. God knows what it is, but it must be valuable, they're taking such good care of it."

"Fireworks," Leonardo threw over his shoulder.

"What?"

"I'll explain later," I put in. "For now, let's just get everything set up. I'll help fix the machine up a bit since you broke some of the left wing, and you won't fly very far with it broken. Wait!" I caught Antonio's sleeve as he began to leave, "Those fireworks, do you know where they're kept?"

"Yes, they are still on the ship."

"If you can, get your hands on a few of them. If we time everything right, they can make a distraction for the entire city!"

"Do you know how they work?"

"Yes!"

"It's a plan, then!"

---

That night the city was sunk into a frenzy. The thieves ran over the rooftops like a stampede of wild horses, building the bonfires and ready to light them as soon as sun rolled back into its cradle. Ezio's sleeves were stained with blood again when he made his way back up the familiar tower, where Antonio watched curiously as Eden helped Leonardo finish the last touches. Unlike the first time, the artist didn't complain about her helping him, as they needed to get everything done quickly.

"And there, it's ready," Leo stated. "Antonio, are you ready to give the signal to your men?"

"Absolutely."

Eden took a step away from the machine, having just finished replacing a piece of frame work. Then she looked up at Ezio, smiling as Leonardo was having an urgent conversation with Antonio. "Yep, as ready as it will ever be." Her brow was furrowed with worry however, and she suddenly reached up to hug him. He accepted the embrace almost too enthusiastically. "Don't you dare die, you hear?"

"A bit more confidence would be nice," he reminded her. For a moment, he forgot that there was a Doge that needed saving, and even that Antonio and Leonardo were a few steps away. He didn't want to let her go.

He felt her chuckle. "I'll set off the fireworks when you get near the palace. Just give me five minutes to get in position, and go. I'll meet you at the Seta when you get out." She finally stepped out of his arms just as Antonio coughed, reminding both of them that there were still rather important things to be done. Ezio hurried to take his eyes off her, realizing that he was staring. She saluted, picked up the satchel with the fireworks, and speedily climbed down the tower. Then she gracefully jumped down to the rooftops, breaking into a run towards the Ducal Palace.

"There are archers out on the roofs tonight, Ezio," Antonio warned as soon as she was off, "Avoid those arrows, or this will be a short flight!"

"I just wish I could use my sword while flying this thing," he waved before climbing into the machine once again, mentally counting off the five minutes until he set off.

"Well, you still have your feet free," Leonardo mused, tightening the straps, "If you manage to get close enough without getting an arrow through the skull, you can kick them off the building."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ezio smirked.

As the sun completely disappeared, sinking Venice into the night, the time given to Eden ran out, and Antonio threw a bright white handkerchief off the tower. One by one, they watched as the bonfires were lit up. Creating a clear path above the city, they led to the barely visible silhouette of the palace, his target.

Ezio kicked off the building, as he did last time. This time, he was ready for jerk, and then the heavy dip of the machine, which held along the air. Leonardo did a brilliant job on the invention - it found the airstream as easily as a bird would, making him glide through the air.

But, unfortunately, others noticed the flight as well. Oh course he knew better than to hope that the roof archers were stupid enough to mistake him for a giant bird. But it still became an unpleasant shock to his determination when he heard them yell to each other in fright.

"What the-! Shoot!!! Shoot the flying demon!!!" The situation would almost be comical if they didn't mean business. As he made his way from one fire to the next, smaller flames filled the air like on a Carnivale night as the flaming arrows shot everywhere. He swiftly changed his weight and direction, dodging them. Leonardo explained once that he made sure the machine was a bit more resistant to fire, just in case. But a few of them would still send him plummeting to the ground.

Leonardo's theory worked wonderfully. As he began to lose height when he approached the next bonfire, the warm air picked him back into the sky. After a minute of dodging arrows, the controls became more familiar, and he was even beginning to enjoy the feeling, the adrenaline pulsing through his veins.

However, as soon as Ezio neared his destination, the archers around the roofs opened continuous fire, making it extremely hard to avoid them. A few thudded into the wooden frame of the machine, and it caught fire. He was loosing altitude.

Suddenly, the night became as bright as day as something cracked, flew into the air, and exploded into a thousand sparks with a loud sound not unlike Eden's gun. The arrows ceased as many people looked up in alarm, staring with shock at the fireworks.

Ezio wanted to look as well, but quickly realized that he did not have the luxury. He was very close to the roof of the palace now, though he couldn't even hope for a soft landing anymore. Letting go of the controls, he wrenched himself free of the belts and buckles that kept him inside, pushing away from the frame and rolling over on the rough roof of Palazzo Ducale. Once the world stopped spinning, he realized Leonardo's masterpiece continued on without him. Skidding and screeching on its way, it knocked a few guards off the roof, once again became airborne when it reached the end of the line, and then fell out of sight. He then heard a loud splash.

Sorry, Leonardo, he winced as he imagined what became of the machine. The fireworks fell to the ground, the sparks disappearing into thin air before they could reach the roofs.

"What was that?" The Doge's voice echoed in the courtyard. Creeping towards the edge of the roof, Ezio scanned the walls with his eyes, looking for the source. Mocenigo was sticking out of the second story window, not far from below Ezio, looking around wildly. And he wasn't the only one - the many guards that patrolled the inside of the palace were frantically looking around and up to the roof, trying to figure out what in the devil just happened.

Grimaldi appeared beside the Doge. From what Ezio could see, he was twitchy, nervous, and jumpy, just like the last occasion that he saw him. "Probably just kids, with firecrackers. Come, let's finish the game." Ezio realized that he had maybe two minutes to get to the window and stop the assassination before it was too late. He barely waited for the guards to get back to their patrols, and launched himself down to the balconies, acrobatically jumping around the perimeter of the courtyard. Time was running out, and he could hear the heavy ticking as if he was climbing inside a clock tower. He remembered what Eden told him the day before - Cantarella would have a delayed, but lethal effect. He may have already been too late...

"No! Don't drink it!" he gasped out, tumbling through the wide open window of the room, making both men freeze, and look around to him wildly. Ezio realized with a shock that the wine in the Doge's cup, which was still in his hand and near his mouth, was already half finished.

"You're too late, Assassin," Grimaldi stood up abruptly, "The Doge is dead." Mocenigo didn't seem to understand, looking back and forth between the two men, when suddenly, the cup dropped from his hand, the remaining poison spilling all over the expensive carpet. His hand flew to his throat, his gasp labored and ragged, as if his breath stuck in the windpipe. The Templar looked at him with a hint of regret as he tipped over the King on the chess board. "You should have listened to me."

Ezio sprang up as the Doge began to fall to the floor. He yanked Grimaldi by his collar, right before he could leave the room and holler for guards. He coldly decided that his death would make up at least in part for failure to save Mocenigo.

He heard yelling from the door which Grimaldi left open, and realized he had only moments before the guards would come to figure out what was happening. Dropping the corpse down onto the floor, he muttered a fast prayer. As he snatched the wallet off the now former Templar, the Doge pointed an accusing finger in their general direction.

"You - killed me - You!"

Ezio glanced at him with sorrow. "I'm sorry. I tried to stop him," was all he said; he didn't have any time to linger. As the guards poured in through the door, he jumped out of the window and back up to the roof. From there, it was only a leap away from the roofs, and his escape.

---

~I had to tell parents that their children were dead before. When you're in a gang, people come and go, and more times than not, into the ground. It was always hard to watch them stare at me like it was some sort of sick joke until they realized that I was not kidding. And then when they broke down into tears, begging me to tell them that I was lying, that it was not true.

"Hello." The woman looked at me with curious, haunted eyes. I licked my lips nervously, resisting the urge to turn around and let the police handle it. "Are you looking for George? He's not home."

"I know."

"I'm sorry?" she didn't seem to understand my grave expression, or my sad tone. "Listen, can you leave your phone number or something? He can call you when he get's home."

"He's won't come home."

"What? Is that a threat?"

"No. It's a fact."

It took her a minute to fully realize my words. It took another for her husband to come see what was going on. And five more for them to believe me. Another one for me to say that I was sorry, and leave.

I was not sorry. At least, not for the dead. Did I feel sorry for the drunk of a father, or the beaten mother that was afraid of saying a word against him? Did I feel sorry for the boy that thought he could make it right by selling drugs and shooting others?

No. You get tired of feeling sorry for them. You get tired of seeing the exact same story repeat itself over and over.

I did feel sorry for the innocent little girl that saw it all happen, though. Who now wouldn't talk to even her own mother, staring in front of herself, her eyes huge and terrified hours after the event. People like me were already stained in blood head to toe. But she was not even familiar with the concept of hurting others until that day.

None of it was fair.~

---

A few servant girls were knocking on Adel's door loudly, one carrying a tray of food. I raised both eyebrows in surprise as I came closer.

"What's going on?" I asked Luca, one of the thieves that was left behind to hold down the fort. He looked at me, and scratched the back of his head wearily.

"The girl locked herself inside. They've been trying to feed her for the entire day, but she won't come out."

"So just pick the lock."

"I tried," he confessed, "But I think she managed to barricade the door, or jammed it somehow."

"Let me try." I gently pushed one of the servants away from the door, and leaned closely to it. I couldn't hear her inside. "Adel! It's me, Eden. Can you please open the door?" I waited for a moment, but nothing happened. "Please? Antonio will be angry if we have to break down the door."

Slowly, I heard shuffling on the other side, and the sound of something being dragged away from the door. It opened, though just a crack to reveal the little girl. There was still soot on her, the ends of her hair burnt, and she wore the slightly torn dress from before. She looked up at me with red eyes, her little mouth pursed. I slipped in, taking the tray of food away from one of the girls, telling them I'd handle it.

"Don't you want to eat?" I asked, but she shook her head. Once I was in, she went back to what I assumed was her original position - sitting at the foot of the bed, hugging her knees to her chest, and rocking back and forth. I set the tray down onto the bed, and came to crouch by her. "Adel..."

"I know…" she sobbed, interrupting me. I was taken aback.

"What do you know?"

"That mom is…" tears streamed down her cheeks again.

"Who told you that?"

"No one..." she was speaking so quietly I had to lean in to hear. "It's like a feeling…like falling…and then..."

They say that little children were more perceptive. Now, I could see why.

I didn't know what to say, so I just picked her up, hugging her close to my body, and sat down on one of the armchairs. She hid her face in my shoulder, her small frame trembling as she continued to cry, my silence only confirming her feelings. I ran a soothing hand through her hair, and looked out the window, over the houses and streets, where the palace could be seen.

It was a painful blow. Three innocent lives lost and another ruined. And all because of us.

---

Palazzo della Seta greeted him with grave silence. He wasn't surprised to find out that the entire city had heard of the Doge's murder within minutes. Rosa greeted him with a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, though Antonio was nowhere in sight. And neither was Eden.

"She's upstairs with the girl you brought in," Rosa told him quietly, somehow knowing who he wanted to see, "Second door from the stairs. But go see Antonio first, he's in his office." He nodded in thanks and headed up the white stairs, their marble shining in the darkness.

Antonio was not happy with the turn of events, but he didn't blame Ezio for the loss of the Doge. He was at least glad to hear that Grimaldi was taken care off.

Looking for Eden was easy enough once he focused. After the many months, he could attune to her easily, his intuition leading the way, even in complete darkness. Finding the door to the bedroom and about to open it, he suddenly heard quiet humming. Shifting his eyebrows together, he cracked open the door silently, and looked inside.

Eden was sitting in one of the armchairs, Adel cuddled up on her lap, her face hidden in the woman's shoulder. Singing softly, foreign words tying in with the notes, Eden's voice was far from the beautiful melodic wind chimes that some girls had. But it was quiet and familiar, the words gliding over his senses like a peaceful stream.

She looked up to meet his eyes, but her singing did not falter. The flickering candle light reflected off her face, deep sorrow in her eyes. Her voice became even more quiet, and finally, slipped into silence. She stood up carefully, and Ezio realized that Adel was asleep. Then she lowered her onto the bed beside them, bringing the covers up and running a hand through the golden locks of hair.

"Is-?" he began, but stopped when she put her finger to her lips, coming closer to him.

"Come on," she whispered, moving out of the room.

---

I'm not sure how we ended up sitting on the floor of the kitchens. With a nearly empty bottle of wine next to us, me sitting between his legs, my back against his chest, and his arms wound around my waist. We didn't talk for a long time, simply taking comfort in each others embrace. And of course, the alcohol.

"Aurora is dead," I finally whispered.

"What?"

"I saw her two hours ago. She had some condition that made birth hard for her. She barely survived Adel. It was risky for her to ever go through that again, she was too fragile. But her husband wanted a boy, even knowing about her illness. I guess I don't feel so bad for leaving him in that fire anymore."

I felt him hum. "The fire wasn't our fault, you know."

I turned my head slightly to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"Antonio's men checked the place out while we were busy with the preparations for saving the Doge. It was lit from all sides, definitely not by natural causes, but it wasn't because of us. Apparently Vincent Nevalle was involved in something that went over his head. He owed someone a lot of money, and when he refused to pay, he brought his family to Italy. I guess they found him even here. If you didn't save Adel, he'd be responsible for her death as much as his own."

The words brought little comfort, though, even if they soothed my conscience. "Wait, they burned down an entire building for some money?"

"Are you really asking me that question?"

I sighed. "I'm surprised to see that things are just as barbaric now as they are in the future. They weren't Templars by any chance?"

"I'm not sure. Why?"

"I'm scared of what would happen if Adel found out who was the reason behind her burns."

"You think she'll try to avenge her father? After the way he treated her?"

"You never know," I shrugged. "What will we do? She doesn't have anyone anymore. Maybe some relatives in France or something, though I somehow doubt it."

"She can stay here..."

"And become a thief or a whore?" I snapped, only to immediately apologize. "I'm sorry, it was a long day."

"Tell me about it..."

We sat in silence for a little longer.

"What were you singing?" he suddenly whispered.

"Just a song I know...I just couldn't help it. I can't sing very well, I suppose. At least not as well as I could when I was thirteen."

"What happened?"

"My initiation. There are always those sadistic bastards that will take advantage of me not fighting back, even though I was very tempted to." I paused, closed my eyes, and then turned my head slightly, leaning my cheek on his collarbone. "I'm sorry you didn't make it in time to save the Doge."

"As am I, trust me."

"We can still salvage the situation though, right?"

"I don't know. Marco will be very cautious when he's Doge. It'll be even harder to get to him, as he fully expects me to."

"We'll think of something."

"We always do. By the way, I found something you might like to see." He suddenly shifted, lifting his arm off my waist and putting a scroll into my hands.

"You found another codex?" I unrolled it carefully, curious. And then my mouth just about fell open. I didn't understand any of the writing, of course. Even after Leonardo tried to explain his theory about the code, it just became way too confusing. But the sketches were plain as day.

"Look familiar?"

"That's - that's a pistol! Those things weren't around for like, another century!" I brought it closer to my eyes, examining the intricate work. "Altair was alive during the Crusades though. How is this possible?"

"I don't know. Do you think Leonardo can make one?"

"Leo is out of town," I said suddenly, looking back at him. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "He left as soon as he was finished admiring your flying. I think he said he was going to Milan."

"cazzo!...Do you think you can make one, then?"

I shook my head. "No. Without decoding the instructions, I'm afraid I can only waste metal. But, hey, when Leonardo comes back, maybe I can give him the bullets I have, and he can figure out how to make them."

"You're throwing caution out the window?" he mused.

"Well, it looks like he's ahead of time anyway, so what the hell? I trust him enough." I glanced back to the codex. "He'll be back in about a week or two. And I also heard that Carnival season starts soon, too. That should give you a decent cover, considering you're the most wanted man in Venice at the moment. Everyone thinks you were the one to poison Mocenigo."

"It doesn't matter," he sighed, "Whether or not people realize it was Grimaldi I was trying to stop. At the very least there's one less Templar in the world."

"Amen to that." I took another drink from the bottle, and licked my lips. "So then, what should we do until Leonardo is back?"

"Do you have any ideas?" he smirked, voice low and suggestive. That was meant to be a suggestive question, but I replied with an innocent joke.

"We can watch paint dry. I hear it's fun."

He laughed out loud, and the sound made me smile as well. At that moment, everything felt normal, like it did on those idle nights in Monteriggioni. There was nowhere to rush to anymore - we didn't know how long it would be before Marco Barbarigo was elected as the new Doge. Until we figured out a way to kill him, there was nothing else to do but try to gather our thoughts together.

"We never did get your Eagle Vision out, did we?" he muttered thoughtfully.

"Are you proposing we get back to that? It doesn't work, Ezio. I just can't channel it the way you do. Heightened senses are useless if I can't focus them."

"We have nothing better to do until Leonardo comes back to Venice. What's the harm?"

"Me straining my eyeballs seems pretty harmful. But fine, we'll do it your way." I twisted around to face him, kneeling in front of him, "But not today, 'kay? We both haven't slept for the past two days, so let's just call it a night."

"I'm not tired though," he stubbornly said, even as he yawned widely. I giggled lightly at how childish he looked, and he narrowed his eyes, glaring at me. "You know, I wouldn't laugh if I were you."

"And why is that?" I tensed on the inside slightly, ready to spring up. He seemed to do the same.

"Why! Because..." The next moment he tried to get a hold of me, but I jumped to my feet just in time, laughing quietly and running for the door. I heard him follow behind me, falling into the familiar game of tag. Pausing slightly at the corner of the staircase, I ducked under his arm, jumping the next flight of stairs and landing lightly on my feet. Someone looked out their door to find out what was happening, but seeing it was just the resident assassins behaving like children, he disappeared again.

Ezio finally tackled me when I was near the bedroom that Antonio oh-so-graciously gave to me for the time being, and swept my legs from under me. I instinctively threw my hands around his neck, and kicked the air. "Put me down!" I whined. But he just grinned, and carried me into my room, bridal-style. Except brides probably didn't generally kick and try to wriggle free, unless, of course, it was an arranged marriage to an old pervert. Then it was a given.

"Or we could get straight to practice, while it's still dark," he said as he deposited me down onto the bed.

"No! Somebody save me from the insane rapist!!" I half-yelled dramatically, flailing my arms in the air. He hurried to put his hand on my mouth, but I pulled away from it, and continued to wail. "I'm too young to die! Somebody! Please, help me!"

"Careful, or someone will take you seriously," he laughed, and I immediately stopped screaming.

"Oh, but this is serious business," I said gravely. He chuckled again and got up from the bed, turning to leave. But I stopped him. "Wa-a-ait a moment. Where do you think you're going?"

"To sleep?" he raised an eyebrow at me over his shoulder. I swallowed hard, suddenly realizing I did not want to be left alone with my thoughts. He seemed to catch my expression, because he turned around with a sigh and sat back down. "Or I can stay here for a bit."

"Well, if you must," I whispered, curling up beside him. After a moment, I felt him lie down next to me, and run a hand through my hair gently. I found myself leaning into the familiar touch.

The treacherous part of my mind had taken permanent residence inside me, and I no longer denied it. I knew what those god-damned butterflies meant. No, not that it was time to buy a butterfly net. It was something I hadn't felt since I was with Alex. And that's what kept me in denial, really. I could at least be honest with myself, if not with him.

I was falling for him.

It was an admittedly pleasant realization, even better than the Leap of Faith. But I couldn't shake the foreboding feeling that I was about to hit the ground at full, disastrous speed. It kept dancing along the edges of my mind, no matter how hard I tried to banish it. But that could all wait until later. Right now....right now I could at least enjoy the fall.

I felt him lean down and place a kiss on my temple, causing my insides to churn with a warm rush of pleasure. Did he know that I was still awake? Or was I? Maybe it was just a dream...a very...very... strange...dream...

---

~The sun had long since settled behind the horizon, the stars coloring the sky, the full moon hanging over their heads like a lantern. The entire city of Firenze appeared as though it was laid out of the palm of his hand. His home, his world.

His life.

"It is a good life we lead, brother," Federico thoughtfully said, seeming to be thinking along the same lines. Ezio chuckled. There were always these times when their minds worked in sync.

"The best," he clasped his brother's hand in own, his smile dazzling in the moonlight, "May it never change!"

"And may it never change us!" Federico echoed.

Feathers….there were feathers falling from the sky. White like snow, weightlessly spinning in the air...

"Are you going to tell me why you want them, now?"

"I will," Petruccio replied with a secretive but gleeful sort of smile. Sounding so confident, as if he knew something his brother didn't, "In time."

Time? He used to think that the world would wait, that he had forever...why worry about tomorrow when today wasn't yet over? He never thought that his time was running out. He never dreamed that he would be too late to save them.~

He opened his eyes suddenly, and stared around him for a moment, as if expecting to find himself dozing off on the same tower, with his older brother sitting beside him. But he found a dark room, and Eden sleeping peacefully on his chest. The sense of loss, like so many times before, washed over him. Biting his lip to stop himself from groaning like a wounded animal, he let out a long, tired sigh. Months...months where the feeling was soothed by fighting and killing. But the pain still came to him in sharp nudges whenever he thought of his father...his brothers...his family.

Eden shifted in her sleep, and her hand suddenly found his, her thin fingers wrapping around it. He glanced at her with amazement. It never ceased to amaze him how well her instincts were attuned, even while she slept. Despite the deepest slumber, she always sensed danger, a new presence, or even someone's gaze. He smiled softly. If they could just figure out how she could retain that intuition while awake, she'd have no problems with Eagle Vision. But the sad thing about being conscious was that you thought. And thoughts did not bode well with intuition. When his father taught him, it came easily; he was fairly young, and believing in such things was almost a given. But Eden was an adult woman, and logic had taken over.

Logic. Was there any way to shut it off, if only for a few moments? Well, there was, of course one way... and it wasn't as though he was entirely against it, either, per say...

She'd just probably kill him for even suggesting it.

He looked up to the opposite wall, thinking. Things had calmed down and there was no rush anymore, so he could actually pause for a moment and think about what he was going to do. Leonardo would be back hopefully the next week, when the Carnivale began. He didn't want to trespass on Antonio's hospitality any longer than he had to, but he had no other place where he could lay low. The Carnivale itself would provide cover, if he could just find a mask, allowing him the freedom to find the Barbarigo.

Ezio moved his hand to rest on Eden's waist, subconsciously pulling her even closer to him.