Bellarosa sat at the edge of the wooden platform extending from the roof of the tower. Her legs dangled dangerously off the edge. She was in the process of polishing her precious stiletto, a long, thin and deadly weapon, when she heard a light scuffling noise behind her. She knew, even without looking, that the Assassin had arrived. Light footsteps began sounding behind her; the Assassin was walking towards her.

"I know you're there," she called out. Her voice betrayed none of the fear that was stirring in her heart, a skill she had practiced- and perfected- since she was a child. The footsteps stopped. Discreetly, Bellarosa slid the stiletto back into her sleeve.

"Where did you get this letter?" Ezio demanded in a low, he demanded in a low, harsh growl. From the faint rustling of paper, Bella surmised that he was holding the letter in his hand.

"From your father. Who else?" As she said this, Bellarosa pulled herself onto her feet. Come on Bella, you got this, she whispered to herself in her mind. She turned and walked towards Ezio so that their faces were about a foot apart. She was shorter than he, so she had to look up slightly to face him. This allowed her to look up his hood. The bristling anger in his brown eyes almost made her falter, but she stood her ground.

"When did you get it?"

"The year right before he was executed, along with your brothers. You were seventeen at the time; I was just two years younger than you, and in desperate need of guidance. A fifteen year old girl and her child sister make easy targets for Borgia guards."

"Why were they after you in the first place?"

"I believe I have the right not to answer that question."

Ezio's eyes narrowed. He shoved the letter into his pocket and clenched his left hand, allowing his hidden blade to slide out into the open. "Tell me!"

Bellarosa took care not to change her expression, but her fingers curled inwards, ready to extract the stiletto from her sleeve at a moment's notice. "No," she replied. She mentally congratulated herself for not letting her voice waver.

Ezio looked like he had half the mind to attack her there and then, but he restrained himself. To Bella's relief, he withdrew his hidden blade. "What do you want?" he growled.

"I already told you. I want an alliance between us; that way, we can accomplish twice as much as either of us could alone, and we wouldn't get in each others' way."

Please accept, please accept, Bella prayed in her mind. Logically, it was a realistic proposal- but then again, Ezio was not thinking logically at the moment.

"And why would I need help from a lying witch like you?"

The insult stung, but Bella was secretly grateful that he'd refrained from using stronger vocabulary. "Well, for starters, you didn't do so well during your attempt to rescue the Doge in Venezia."

"I killed his replacement. Venezia is better off now because of it."

"Perhaps."

"Well, if you think you could have done a better job, where were you when Carlo Grimaldi was leading the Doge to his doom?"

"I was tailing a Templar courier who was carrying letters from Rodrigo Borgia himself. I never go after large targets unless I'm certain I can eliminate all witnesses; unlike you, I cannot afford to have my face slapped onto the front of every wanted poster in the city."

Ezio still looked angry, but he had calmed down somewhat. He took a deep breath before speaking again. "Even if your intentions are good, how do I know that you are experienced enough not to get yourself killed the first time you actually go after a significant target?"

Bellarosa braced herself for what she had to say next. "Take me with you the next time you perform an assassination. Let me prove myself."

Ezio considered her words for a while. Bella stood, motionless, but brimming with anticipation. Would he accept her? Or would he say no? Suddenly, the thought struck her; why did she care so much what this man, this stranger thought of her? True, if he decided to reject her and tell his friends in the Brotherhood about her, she'd have to lay low for a while, but it wouldn't be too much of an issue, right? She doubted that he'd try to attack her, and even if he did she could easily escape; she knew the back alleyways and streets of Firenze better than any thief. So why was she worried?

Because, for once in her life, she didn't want to be alone. She wanted someone with whom she could share this part of her life freely. Someone who, unlike her sister, could carry a conversation with her. Someone who, unlike the Russos, didn't grimace and change the subject whenever she wanted to tell them about her past. Someone who understood her thirst for revenge, the hatred that she felt towards the Spaniard.

Bellarosa blinked. Mio dio, when did she become so soft?

In her private confusion, Bellarosa almost didn't hear what Ezio said next.

"...Va bene. My next mission is to break up a Templar meeting and assassinate all those involved. We only have one lead, but by tailing him we can reveal the exact location of the conference. I expect the are to be heavily guarded- which is where you can help."

Bella sucked in a breath. It had worked!

"Meet me near the Santa Maria Novella tomorrow, at four o'clock... Bellarosa."

He said her name not as a friendly gesture, but like a challenge. Bella, a little piqued, nodded curtly. Without speaking further, the Assassin stepped around her and made his way towards the wooden platform from which he would take his leap of faith.

Bellarosa suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, and one more thing," she said, turning around. Ezio, now perched on the platform, twisted his head a little.

"Yes?"

"Give me the letter."

"What?"

"Your father's letter. Give it back."

"Why should I?"

"Personal reasons." In truth, Bella was afraid that Ezio might tell one of the other Assassins about her, and use the letter as evidence. That was something she simply couldn't allow.

Ezio turned away from her again, as though he were calculating his options.

"...I think I'll keep it."

Bella's heart stopped beating for a moment.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, I am going to keep it. Ever since the execution, my family has been trying to scrape together everything we can from our past lives. I'm afraid your letter is no exception."

"But-"

"Rest assured, I can give you my word that no eyes will read it but my own. However, if I find that you are not the ally you say you are, I will hand it over to the Brotherhood and tell them of everything I know about you, along with a detailed description of your face. If that happens, every whore, thief and mercenary in the city will be hunting you down- and you will not be able to hide, no matter what you do."

Bellarosa's deft fingers unlatched the casing hidden in her sleeve as she lunged forward, but by then the Assassin had already launched himself into the night air. She was left alone at the top of the tower, clutching her stiletto and cursing out loud. Why oh why did she let him gain the upper hand? She had been careless, showing him her face the first time they'd met, now letting him take the letter- idiota, idiota, idiota!

She knew that Ezio would be long gone by now; perhaps if she'd leapt off the building and given chase earlier on she could have caught him, but she'd wasted time drawing her weapon. Her only choice was to meet him tomorrow, at the appointed place and time.

She clocked herself on the head with the knuckles of her left fist. Idiota!

Ezio sat in his room again, staring at his father's familiar handwriting on Bellarosa's letter. He regretted having to threaten Bellarosa like that, but he just couldn't give up one of the last remaining writings his late father had left. Still, he had meant every word he'd said. The first time he'd met Bellarosa, she had told him that she had her reasons for revealing herself only to him and not the rest of the Brotherhood. That in itself was enough to cause suspicion; he had to be wary around her, no matter how cruel it meant he had to be.

Ezio yawned- he hadn't realized how tired he'd been until now. What a day! He got up and took off his outermost armor, laying them on a chair next to his bed. However, he was too tired to remove his Assassin's robes before sprawling onto his bed and falling asleep immediately.