[A/N]: Thanks for reading! Feedback is always welcome!

Sorry again about the delay on chapter 30. I thought I had posted it last week, but I was mistaken, so it was posted yesterday.

Chapter 31

Unlike Ezio, Leonardo was thrilled with the result of the experiment.

"I can't believe it!" he exclaimed. "It worked! It really worked! You flew, Ezio! You flew!"

"Si, but not very far," Ezio grumbled as he paced across the room.

"Well, what were you expecting?" Leonardo asked with a sympathetic chuckle. "The machine wasn't designed for distance."

"But distance is what I need, Leonardo! There must be some way to fix it or add something to it or-"

"Alright," Leonardo stopped him, "let me go over my plans here. Maybe I can find some way to extend the duration of the flight." As he made his way to his desk, there was a knock at the door, followed by the entrance of Antonio.

"Ezio! My men tell me Carlo has the poison. We must hurry."

Ezio made introductions. "Antonio, this is Leonardo, the master inventor…who built this…this…pezzo di merda."

"Hey!" Leonardo overheard with a frown. "It's not the machine's fault, it's mine." When he looked up, his expression softened to meet his guest.

"Pardon the mess…Antonio, was it? I've heard a bit about you. Er, nothing too personal. I understand you are a man of many secrets, like Ezio."

"Piacere, Maestro," Antonio bowed. "I have heard of you as well."

"Where is Rosa?" Ezio asked just before she walked through the door.

"Making sure we were not followed," she explained as she closed the door behind her. "How are you, Leonardo?"

"I've been better," Leonardo answered truthfully. "Merda! I've checked and rechecked my blueprints. It's just impossible! I don't know how to extend the flight. Ah, che idea del cazzo!" He crumpled up a piece of paper and flung it into his fireplace and sat heavily in his chair.

"Flight? Wait, is he talking about his bat?" Rosa asked.

"Do you mean to tell us that's your plan?" Antonio asked incredulously as he looked at the battered contraption.

"It was my plan," Ezio explained. "We tested it, and it's not getting anywhere near the Palazzo."

"You tested it?!" Rosa yelled. "You could have been killed! What the hell were you thinking?"

"I told you she wouldn't like it," Leonardo mumbled to Ezio.

"And you let him do it?" Rosa snapped at Leonardo.

"In our defense, it is well designed" Ezio interrupted. "I've sustained more injuries from you than from that machine."

Antonio unsuccessfully tried to suppress a snicker at this.

"Oh, you think this is funny too, do you?" she turned to him, then back to Leonardo. "If I can't trust you to keep Ezio safe, maybe I should throw that stupid machine of yours into your fireplace with its blueprints," she threatened. "If it's distance you want, I'm sure the ashes will make it across the city!"

"Ashes?" Leonardo thought aloud for a moment, then turned back to observe the crumpled paper in his fireplace. Its remains were hovering gracefully above the flame.

"Eureka!" he exclaimed as he leaned back in his chair with a smile and a laugh. "Of course! Genio!"

"What is he doing now?" Antonio asked. Ezio shrugged as Leonardo kissed Rosa on the cheek and returned to his desk.

"Heat rises," he explained. "It needs fire! Heated air under its wings will lift the machine…"

"Leonardo," Ezio interrupted. "What good is one fire going to do?"

"Not one fire, Ezio," he corrected. "A dozen. Built all across the city! Enough to carry you from here all the way to the Palazzo Ducale."

"How?" asked a skeptical Antonio. He walked over to a map of the city that Leonardo was presently sketching. "Oh, capisco! My men could do that, but you're forgetting about the guards."

"Don't worry, I will take care of them," Ezio assured.

"Excuse me," Rosa chimed in. "I think you're also forgetting the possibility that this machine might get Ezio killed."

"It has been tested," Leonardo reminded her. "It seems we've worked out the kinks."

Antonio agreed to have his men light fires in the places Leonardo mentioned once Ezio had gotten rid of the nearby city guards. When Ezio finished this task, he met back with everyone as they prepared the machine for another launch from the rooftop. Rosa was seated atop a lower rooftop nearby, unwilling to assist them.

"You're still not convinced this will work," Ezio guessed as he joined her.

After some time in thought, she asked, "How did it feel the first time you used it?"

"Sturdy…and easy to maneuver. The only trouble was distance, and Leonardo seems to have that figured out."

"You realize what you did was stupid and dangerous?"

"Yes."

"And you realize I am worried now."

"Yes, I was hoping that would be the case."

"And why is that?"

He leaned into her and, her cheek in his hand, kissed her on the lips. They held the kiss for a few moments until Antonio called to them.

"Because according to you, I ruined this moment the last time you were worried," he explained as he darted off.

[A/N]: You may have noticed that I've added a cover image (hopefully it worked). As I mentioned, I had the opportunity a few weeks ago to visit Venice (among other cities) and watch a sunset. Across from the main island, there is another tiny island called San Giorgio Maggiore, complete with a beautiful church and bell tower. I was from the top of this tower that I took this picture (with my phone). It may very well be my favorite place in the world.