Assassin's Creed II characters and references (c) Ubisoft
Kiara and all other OCs (c) me

It had been two days since the Auditore's frantic flight to Monteriggioni, and everyone had settled in, more or less. However, now that the danger was over, the tension, confusion, and anger over the sudden revelation about Giovanni's secrets had surfaced fully, making life all but miserable for everyone.

Mario had been astounded that Giovanni had kept the Assassin legacy from his children, and finally pulled his brother aside.

"I don't understand, fratello." Mario said as they entered his office, "Why did you not tell your children of their heritage? Of our heritage?"

"I thought I could protect them," Giovanni answered quietly. His knee had been braced, but he was currently using a crutch to keep his weight off of it until it healed completely.

Mario snorted, "Protect them? You know better than most how cruel this world can be, Giovanni. No one should have to see what we have, to train the next generation of our lineage to be killers, but they have to learn how to survive. That is how we protect them. You and I knew exactly what our heritage was from the time we were old enough to understand it."

Giovanni was silent for a long moment, a faraway look in his dark eyes. "Mario, when Maria and I discovered that she was expecting our first child, I promised myself that I would raise our sons the same way father raised us. But right before Federico was born, I was sent on a mission to eliminate a Templar target. Things became ugly and a young boy was murdered for no reason"

Giovanni put his face in his hands, "To this day I can still see him, lying in the street, shot down by the Templar's own command. I was so enraged that I lost my senses and I killed the man as brutally as I could."

Mario cringed, knowing how his younger brother prided himself on his self-control. Giovanni took a deep breath and continued.

"I never spoke to Maria of what happened, but it haunts me to this day. When Federico was born I was so proud, but I could still see the boy and the blood on my hands. I didn't want that kind of life for my son." Giovanni ran his hand through his hair with a heavy sigh, "But, it would seem that kind of life found him regardless."

Mario took a minute to absorb what he had heard and then put his hand on Giovanni's shoulder.

"Giovanni, I know you only want the best for your children, but in order to protect them, we must train them to take on our work and the work of our ancestors. The world will never be safe as long as the Templars seek to control it."

"Yes, I know. I will speak to Federico and Ezio."

"What of Petruccio?"

Giovanni shook his head. "Petruccio may never completely recover from his illness."

"I see." Mario clapped his hands together, "Now that we have that established, what are we to do with Kiara?"

Giovanni looked at his brother, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I have my concerns about this young lady."

"Concerns?"

Mario frowned slightly. "Yes. I find it very hard to believe that she was somehow brought here by the fabled Apple, particularly when that Piece of Eden has been missing for hundreds of years."

Giovanni sighed, "I know it sounds absurd, but she had knowledge of the Templars, Assassins, and Pieces of Eden. I could not leave her on the streets when she knew all that but had no idea of where she was."

"And yet she conveniently discovered the plot against you."

Giovanni's brow furrowed, knowing what was going through his older brother's mind. "Mario…"

"I'm just exploring all options at this point."

"Kiara is not a Templar!"

"There are too many coincidences! Was anyone with her when she 'discovered' this information?"

"Well, no, but—"

"But nothing. I want to keep an eye on her."

Giovanni ran his hand over his face in aggravation. "You cannot be serious! I've used the Sight, Mario, and Kiara is no threat."

"I will believe it when I see her myself. I am going to the outskirts of Monteriggioni to see about the few farms we have out there. Until I return, she is to stay inside the villa."

Giovanni stormed into the room, or as best he could with the crutch, growling under his breath.

"Of all the ideas he could have come up with, that had to be the one he chose!"

"Giovanni?"

The man sighed heavily as Maria walked over, "It's Mario, he thinks Kiara might be a Templar,"

Maria's brows knitted together, "Why?"

Giovanni carefully sat down with a soft groan, "He thinks that there were too many coincidences and he doesn't believe that Kiara was suddenly whisked here by a Piece of Eden."

Maria mulled this information over in her thoughts for a few moments. Yes, it was difficult to believe, but after the few months that Kiara had spent with them, it was impossible to see the young woman as a danger to them. Maria sat down next to her husband.

"You made the right choice by bringing Kiara into our home, Giovanni, regardless of the circumstances. I trust your judgment."

"Yes, and look where that's brought us," the man replied, somewhat bitterly, "Ezio and Claudia have not spoken to me in two days, Petruccio is ill again, Kiara has not woken yet, and now I have to somehow convince my brother that our young friend is not a threat!"

"You and he never did quite see eye to eye," Maria mused, gently brushing Giovanni's hair back.

"Yes, that's why I left Monteriggioni in the first place," he grumbled.

Maria couldn't help but chuckle softly; she remembered the rivalry that had existed between the two brothers. "Well, it seems to me that once we get this mess with Kiara taken care of, you and Mario will have to put your differences aside, we are going to be living her after all."

Giovanni sighed, but took her slender hand and kissed it. "You are right as always, mia cara,"

It's strange how the mind works when the body has a fever. I was aware of time passing, but it seemed to speed up and slow down. Voices floated around me, some I recognized, and others I didn't. The real world and my imagination merged to create a kind of limbo that I often found myself floating in. Dreams, nightmares, and memories all drifted together, but I was too tired to really care.

Finally, I slowly regained full consciousness until I found myself lying in an unfamiliar room. The air smelled like a mixture of herbs, and I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. I started to push myself up, but stopped when a sharp pain shot down my arm. I relaxed with a groan, realizing I had forgotten about my injury.

Once the pain went away, I carefully turned my arm to inspect it. It was still there, so that was definitely a plus. The wound was bandaged snuggly, but it felt hot and sore. I relaxed again, waiting for my brain to catch up with everything else. It was then that I became aware of a familiar weight around my neck. With my good arm, I reached up and smiled in relief as I realized that somehow I was still wearing my dad's necklace. As I contemplated my current state of affairs, I heard soft footsteps just before the door opened and a woman with blonde hair entered.

"It is good to see you awake, signorina Kiara. I was beginning to think your fever was not going to break."

"Who are you?" I was still too out of it to bother with manners.

The woman smiled kindly, "I am Maroné, a healer here at Monteriggioni."

Monteriggioni…yeah, it was staring to make sense now.

Maroné walked over to me, "Can you sit up?"

"I guess I'll find out,"

With her help, I was able to sit up even though I still felt a little lightheaded. When I mentioned it, she smiled again and told me that was normal, and that it would go away soon. She unwound the bandages on my arm, and I couldn't help but wince when I saw the injury.

It was still red and swollen, making it painful to the touch. Yellow puss was visible both in the wound and on the discarded bandages, and it even smelled nasty! It took a lot of effort on my part not to gag.

"The swelling is going down," Maroné said matter-of-factly, "that will make it easier to wash out."

If that was improvement, I sure didn't want to know what it had looked like when it was at its worst.

Maroné got up to get whatever it was she needed to use, leaving me to inspect my surroundings. The room I was in was fairly small, but comfortable. Other than the bed, small table, and chair, there wasn't much in the way of furnishings. A nearby window was open and I could hear birds singing outside.

Maroné returned with a bowl of water, a rag, clean bandages, and a mortar and pestle. She went about cleaning the wound – which hurt – then she applied an herbal paste that she had ground up in the mortar – that stung – and finally wrapped my shoulder in the clean bandages.

"There, that wasn't so bad,"

I didn't quite agree with her, but I let it slide. Maroné stood and gathered her things. "I will tell Giovanni that you are awake."

"Is he alright?" I asked quickly, "He hurt his knee pretty bad,"

Maroné sighed, "I braced it as well as I could, but he has apparently hurt it in the past, so it may never be the same."

I sighed as she left and then carefully got to my feet. After a few wobbling steps, I made my way to the window, and breathed in the fresh air as I looked around.

So…this was Monteriggioni.

It was a modest town; made up of many buildings, both small and large. I estimated that I was on the second floor of one of the largest buildings within the stone wall that surrounded the town. A long set of stone steps led down to some kind of ring and then to the town itself. A flash of movement to my left caught my eye and I looked down just in time to see Ezio standing near the base of the building.

"Hey! Ezio!"

I waved with my good arm until Ezio located where my voice was coming from. When he saw me, his face lit up in a grin and he waved back briefly before he started climbing. I stepped back from the window as he crawled through.

"Mi amica piccola, you live!" Ezio exclaimed as he caught me in a burly bear hug, nearly lifting me off the ground.

"Gaa…" I groaned against his shoulder, "Ezio, I can't breathe…"

He pulled back only to place dramatic kisses all over my face, complete with sound effects. I fought against his hold, giggling madly as I turned my head to avoid his lips.

"Ack! Ezio, don't! Stop it, stop it!"

Ezio complied with one final kiss to my forehead, and there was genuine relief on his face. "We were worried, Kiara. You were very sick."

"How long have I been out?"

"Almost two days."

Two days…wow, that explained a lot, including the almost painful emptiness in my stomach. Ezio stepped back and I got a good look at him. Gone were the fancy nobleman's clothes, now replaced by worn leather breeches and a plain white shirt. He had kept the leather braces that he normally wore on his wrists and his boots looked like they were more heavy duty. I noticed that the cut on his lips had healed for the most part, but it was still going to leave a scar.

Ezio carefully touched the bandages on my arm. "How is your arm? Does it hurt?"

"Not too bad," I replied, "It's just sore…and gross."

Ezio chuckled at me and I had to defend my opinion. "Well, it is! And while we're on the subject, how is your arm?"

Ezio shrugged, "It's not as bad as it looked. In fact, I didn't even need stitches."

"What about Federico and your father?"

"They're fine, Kiara. But…" Here he paused, and the look on his face made me worry.

"But what, Ezio?"

"Petruccio has fallen ill again."

I gasped, "Oh no, is he going to be alright?"

Ezio shook his head helplessly. "No one knows. He hasn't been this sick in a long time,"

"What about everyone else?"

"Mother is with Petruccio and Claudia is sulking. Oh, Kiara we, um, we're having problems with that horse you like so much."

"You mean Storm?"

Ezio looked at me curiously. "That is what you called him?"

"Hey, I thought it fit."

Ezio rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Yes, I suppose. Anyway, he got away from us when we were attacked by the Pazzi – this is when you were unconscious – and we haven't been able to catch him since. He stays around Monteriggioni, but he won't let anyone approach."

"Does this mean you want me to try and catch him?" I asked slowly.

"He behaves for you and we haven't anything else to try,"

"Okay, I'll give it a try once I get let out of here."

Ezio smiled and suddenly stepped forward and hugged me warmly. "I'm glad you are feeling better, Kiara. Life would be dull without you."

I blushed a little, but that went away quickly when I realized that Ezio wasn't letting go.

"Erm…Ezio?"

"Yes?"

"You can let go now,"

His arms tightened around me and I could hear the self-satisfied, perverted grin in his voice. "Perché?" (why?)

I wiggled unsuccessfully against his hold. "This is a little awkward,"

"Perhaps for you…"

Okay, enough was enough. I was not going to let him get that kind of satisfaction from me. I grabbed at his side to push myself away, but Ezio reacted unexpectedly by suddenly squirming and making a funny noise.

Heeeey…

I raked my fingers down his ribcage, and that did the trick. Ezio yelped and jumped back like he had been burned. I started to laugh at this sudden revelation.

"You're ticklish!"

Ezio glared daggers at me, "If you breathe a word to anyone, I swear you'll regret it."

This was too good. The smooth-talking, macho ladies-man was ticklish! I had no intention of telling anyone, I wanted this little tidbit for myself. Ezio folded his arms across his chest and scowled.

"Cheater,"

I was still giggling, "I'm just evening the odds,"

At that moment, we heard voices coming down the hall and I recognized them as Giovanni and Maria's. I looked back to Ezio and saw that his face had darkened.

"Ezio?"

"I should be going. I'll come and visit later."

"Hey Ezio, wait, what's—"

But he was already out the window.

"—going on?"

The door opened a moment later and Maria bustled in and straight to me. "Kiara, thank goodness you're awake."

A fresh wave of relief washed over me to see the older woman safe, and I hugged her as tightly as she was hugging me.

"I'm so glad you're alright," I said softly.

Maria let go and kissed my forehead. "Thanks to you, mia cara. How is your arm?"

I shrugged lightly, "It's not too bad, just a little sore."

"Good,"

I looked over Maria's shoulder to see Giovanni behind her. He was leaning on a crutch to keep the weight off of his injured knee and he looked kind of haggard, but his smile was genuine. He was also dressed casually, and in a way, it almost suited him better than the fancy clothes he had worn before.

Giovanni chuckled and motioned with his free hand, "Come here, I won't bite."

I grinned back and moved forward to accept his one-armed hug.

"It's good to see you alive, Kiara." He said as I stepped back, his hand on my shoulder. "For a while, we didn't know what would become of you."

I squirmed a little in embarrassment, "Sorry about that,"

Giovanni waved his hand dismissively. "What's done is done. You are alive and we are all safe." He looked to the open window. "Was someone in here a moment ago?"

"Yes, Ezio left right before you got here."

Giovanni's face fell, and he looked over to Maria, who was wearing a similar expression.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I'm afraid thing have not been going well since we arrived, Kiara."

"Your Assassin secret?"

A heavy sigh, "Yes. Federico knew a little, but Ezio and Claudia have refused to speak to me since we arrived."

I frowned a little at that. Yeah, I knew that this was earth-shaking for them, but that didn't mean they had to act so bratty about it. Didn't they realize how lucky they were? Now I understood why Ezio had left like he did. Giovanni continued.

"There's something else. My brother, Mario, is suspicious of you. He thinks…you might not be who you say you are."

My mouth nearly dropped open. "Why?"

"Please don't be insulted, Kiara," Giovanni said, "it's a natural thing for him to be cautious. As Assassins, we have to live that way."

"But you didn't think I was a threat," I argued, and Giovanni smiled just the tiniest bit.

"Do you remember that gift I mentioned?"

It took me a moment to think back. "You mean when your eyes changed colors?"

He nodded, "We call it Eagle Vision, or Sight. Only a few Assassins possess this gift; it allows us to discern between friends and enemies. Ezio and Mario have the gift as well."

I was a little confused, "It's that simple?"

"Yes, the Sight is never wrong."

I wanted to ask how it worked, but decided to take Giovanni's word for it. "Mario has this 'sight' too?"

"It's very unusual for two siblings to have Eagle Vision, but yes. Once he returns, he can use it and see that you are a friend."

I still wasn't totally convinced, but if that is what it took to convince Giovanni's brother, okay.

"How's Petruccio? I heard he was sick,"

Maria spoke up, "His condition hasn't worsened, thank God, and he's been surprisingly accepting of the whole situation, but it could be because he is not feeling as well."

"Can I see him?"

Maria smiled a little, "I'm sure he'd love that, Kiara. He's been asking about you constantly."

"Great! I'll go see him now."

At that moment my stomach growled very audibly and I cringed a little.

"Um…maybe after I get something to eat."

Maria showed me where the kitchen was and I wolfed down a few pieces of fresh bread before ambling off to find Petruccio. The villa was impressive, even in its run-down state, and I couldn't help but wonder what it must have looked like before it fell into disrepair. As I slowly explored the place, a familiar voice broke me from my musings.

"Kiara!"

I turned and grinned, "Federico!"

In a moment I was once again enveloped in a hug that had me standing on my tiptoes.

"What is with you guys and squeezing the life out of me?" I said jokingly once I could breathe again.

Federico ruffled my hair like he always did, "It's good to see your wit was not permanently damaged. How does your arm feel?"

"It doesn't hurt as long as I don't move it too much. How are you?"

"I've…been better. I'm having a difficult time absorbing all this."

Yeah, I knew how that felt. Federico continued.

"Kiara, you won't like this question, but did you know father was an Assassin?"

I felt the blood drain from my face before I could do anything to hide it. Oh crap. I had almost forgotten that I hadn't been exactly honest with everyone either. Apparently my stunned silence was all Federico needed as an answer; his eyes grew sad and I felt horrible. He turned to go but I grabbed his arm.

"Federico, wait, please let me explain,"

The young man turned back around and I couldn't bear the hurt look on his face so I looked down.

"There's more." I mumbled, "I know more about Assassins than I should, that's why your father decided to take me in. Yes, my family is gone, but they never knew your family. I was brought here by accident by a Piece of Eden, your uncle or father can explain that to you better than me, and the reason I didn't tell anyone was because I didn't think you'd believe me."

That was only part of the reason, I didn't want to put anymore blame on Giovanni. I let go of Federico's arm.

"I'm so sorry, Federico."

There was a heavy silence for a moment, and then Federico took me by surprise when he stepped forward and hugged me again.

"Thank you for telling me,"

When he left, I rubbed my forehead in aggravation. I really needed to talk to Ezio, Claudia, and Petruccio so I could tell them the truth too, but even I knew it wasn't going to be that simple. Ezio and Claudia were already upset, and this information was not going to improve anything. I really didn't want to do this, what if they hated me for it? But they deserved to know the truth, no matter how painful it was.

I was too chicken to go straight to Petruccio, for some reason I was the most afraid of his reaction, so I went to find Ezio or Claudia first. They weren't in the villa so I ventured outside. The sun was warm and I took a moment to breathe in the fresh air before continuing with my search. I didn't have to look far; I found the brother and sister at the bottom of the steps, talking intently in low voices. When they looked in my direction, I was expecting smiles, but the cold looks I received instead caught me off guard. It was like they already knew…

Apparently finished with their conversation, Claudia started back up the steps and brushed by me without so much as a word, nearly bumping my injured shoulder. When she didn't respond to my questions, I turned to Ezio, who was also on his way up.

"Ezio, what's—"

"You should learn not to speak around open windows."

Oh…

"Did you think I wasn't going to tell you? That's why I'm out here."

Ezio turned to face me, his eyes hard. "Why didn't you tell us before, Kiara?"

"Would you have believed me if I told you that I was 'magically' transported here by some ancient relic that isn't supposed to exist?" I asked in exasperation.

"But you knew about father's heritage,"

I didn't answer and Ezio threw his hands up. "So now a stranger knows my father better than I do!"

Okay, that hurt. "Oh so now I'm just a stranger?"

"What else am I supposed to think? We don't know where you are from; we don't even know if you are who you say you are."

"So the last couple months don't mean anything?"

"I don't know anymore!" Ezio snapped back, his voice rising. "Everything I thought I knew wasn't the truth, how do I know that doesn't apply to you as well?"

"It doesn't!"

"Then prove it!"

"I was the one who overheard Uberto's plot, Ezio." I snapped, growing angrier by the second, "I was the one who took an arrow in the arm trying to protect your mother and younger siblings! Don't you dare accuse me of being a threat!"

On the outside I was mad, but on the inside I was hurt. How could he think I didn't care about him or his family? Ezio kind of backed down, but still looked frustrated.

"Why didn't father just tell us?"

"He was trying to protect you."

"Protect us? Look where we are! Our home is gone, Petruccio may not live, and now he wants Federico and I to take on this "heritage" we just found out about."

"It could be a lot worse!" I spat, "He could be dead, your brothers could be dead, you could be dead! I know what it's like to lose a father, Ezio, be grateful you still have yours."

I turned and stalked back up the stairs. I would later regret that last jab, but looking back I realize that I was jealous of Ezio. It didn't seem fair that the Auditore's had managed to escape their harrowing circumstances intact while all I had was my dad's necklace to remember him by.

I had hoped to get away from all that tension, but had no such luck. As I re-entered the villa, I saw that Giovanni had finally caught Claudia and was trying to reason with her, which was not going well.

"Claudia, please, listen to me—"

"No! You lied to us, papá!" Claudia cried, "I hate you!"

Giovanni flinched like she had slapped him and I couldn't help myself.

"Claudia!"

The younger girl turned on me, her eyes flashing. "You keep out of this! This isn't your family and you haven't lost anything!"

Claudia's word hung in the air for several seconds before I was able to speak again. It was bad enough having to take this kind of crap from Ezio, but to be slapped across the face with my past was more than I could take. Now I was officially pissed off. I stormed over and got right in Claudia's face.

"You think I don't know anything about loss?"

The girl looked a little bit scared, but I wasn't through.

"I've lost my mother, my father, my home, and a very good friend! What have you lost, Claudia? Hmm? A big house, a comfortable lifestyle, prestige…is that it?" My voice rose sharply, "You haven't lost anything! You still have your family, I don't!"

I turned and ran, my eyes and throat burning with pent up emotions that threatened to break free. I felt angry, hurt, and guilty at the same time. Why was it that just when I thought things were going well, they always seemed to fall apart?

I ran as fast as I could until I reached my own private room. I threw the door open and sank down on the bed, my whole body shaking with sobs as I buried my face in my hands. I suddenly wanted my dad back so much it broke my heart all over again. I wanted nothing more than to feel him hug me like he used to, back when life was simple and his hugs made everything okay again.

I was crying so hard I didn't notice another presence enter the room until the bed shifted and a pair of arms wound around me. I looked up, slightly startled, and saw Giovanni looking down at me and his eyes were sad, as if he understood my hurt. He pulled me close and I gave in, turning my face into his shoulder and letting go of all my frustration and pain. As I sobbed, Giovanni rocked me gently as if I was his own daughter, murmuring words of comfort.

We sat there for some time, until I had no more tears left to cry. I felt physically and emotionally drained, but the weight in my chest was gone. As my sense came back, I realized that I was clinging to Giovanni for dear life and pulled away, feeling a little embarrassed as I wiped at my face with the back of my sleeve.

"Thank you," I mumbled.

Giovanni scooted back so I could have some space. "I apologize for Claudia; she's been so upset with everything that's happened."

I sniffed, I knew Claudia hadn't meant what she said, but it still hurt.

"There was no reason for her to lash out like that, however," Giovanni continued and I glanced up at him, "but I would like to make one thing clear; you've more than earned your place with us."

I sniffed again, "But you said Mario—"

"Mario can be as suspicious as he wishes to be," he interrupted, "that does not change anything. And while we're on the subject, Maria and I have been talking and we were hoping that you would consider becoming part of our family."

It took my meltdown-muddled brain a few seconds to fully understand what he was saying. "You-you mean like adopting me?"

Giovanni nodded with a small smile, "Yes, and you would take on the Auditore name, just like the rest of us."

I was speechless. I knew I was kind of part of the family already, but Giovanni was giving me the chance to make it official. I would be an Auditore, with a sister and brothers, a new mom and dad… it was almost too much to comprehend and my mouth started to run on its own.

"What about Claudia and Ezio? They're not too happy with me right now,"

Giovanni put his hand firmly on my shoulder. "This is your choice, Kiara, not theirs. I know I can't take your father's place, but—"

I didn't give him the chance to finish his sentence and hugged him tightly, probably startling him a little because I wasn't the type to just throw hugs on people. Once again I was floored by Giovanni's kindness.

"No one said you had to," I choked out. Holy cow, didn't I just get done crying?

I felt Giovanni's arms hug me back comfortingly. "I will do my best."

A family…I was going to have a real, whole family.

Fratello - Brother
Mi amica piccola - My little friend

A/N – Aaaand we're back! I'm so sorry for the wait but I've got two excuses: (1) writer's block (I kid you not, this chapter kicked my butt so bad), and (2) semester finals. But now they're over and I can get back to work. By the way, I was not making up the part about Mario having Eagle Vision, I just recently discovered that little bit of information.

For those of you who are Giovanni and Maria fans, I typed up a fluffy little song fic just for them titled Winter Night. If you have the chance, please read it and tell me what you think. I've been wanting to write something for that couple for some time now.

To all who reviewed, you are absolutely fantastic. Thank you for being patient with me!

Reviews
citgirl
Uchihaskitlz
Nikki1212
brittany
XxMusicAddictxX
La Bella Figura
MJE – Alas, I haven't played AC Brotherhood, or ACII…or even the original Assassin's Creed! I don't have anything to play them with; my laptop doesn't have the capacity and I can't afford an Xbox or Playstation (I don't even have a TV at this point). All I have to work with is watching walkthroughs on YouTube and reading Assassin's Creed wikis. I'm hoping that when I upgrade to a new laptop, I'll be able to play the PC versions. But that won't happen until next semester. *sobs* Not cool! (BTW, did they ever clear up who Ezio had kids with?)

~TKD Dragon