After his promotion to Master Assassin, Ezio led his father, Uncle Mario, his siblings, and Niccolo back to Leonardo's studio. The Apple was safe in a pouch on his belt.

"We're home!" he called as he entered the studio. "And we brought guests!"

"Papa Ezio!" Annabella ran up to them. She'd grown so much in just two years, gaining confidence while still keeping her humble, modest core character. She hugged Ezio as was customary when he returned from a long day. "Who are these strangers?" she asked politely once she pulled back.

Giovanni had a radiant grin on his face. "I'm your Grandpa, little one."

"Papa's papa?" She asked curiously.

"Yes. And what's your name, little one?"

"Annabella Auditore da Venezia," she answered immediately.

"Ah, a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Your Papa's letters didn't mention how pretty you were," Givanni said with wry charm.

Annabella blushed. "Thank you, Grandpa. And who are the other two?"

Mario grinned down at her, aware his blind eye could be frightening to certain children. "I'm your Great-Uncle Mario!"

"Okay. Nice to meet you," she gave a little curtsy. She turned to Niccolo. "And you?"

"This is Niccolo. He's the Mentor, the boss of all the Assassins," Ezio explained. He got the sense Niccolo wasn't good with children and decided to spare the man having to talk to a 5-year-old.

"Okay. Papa Leonardo cooked dinner. But I don't think there's enough for everyone," she said plainly.

"Don't worry, Annabella. Papa Ezio warned me this morning that we'd have guests. There's plenty for everyone," Leonardo said as he came out of the kitchen. He kissed Ezio without a care for anyone watching. Niccolo raised a brow but otherwise didn't react, and the Auditores were used to the sight.

They all sat down for dinner, the Auditore siblings catching up with their father and uncle, Annabella asking questions about certain subjects they brought up. Niccolo kept a silent presence. After dinner, they chatted over wine for an hour until Ezio heard the nearby clock tower ring 9. "Time for bed, Annabella."

"Okay," she said, going up to their room. She undressed herself and Ezio tucked her into bed, making sure she had Irma. She still loved the doll as much as when she first got it, she just didn't feel the need to carry it around the house. He left her after her eyes closed and she started snoring. Her ability to fall asleep in seconds still astounded him.

Ezio went downstairs and pulled out the Apple, its golden metal glimmering with an inner shine. "Let's discuss what to do with this."

Leonardo stared at the relic of the First Civilization. "Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating."

"What does it do?" Claudia asked.

"It allows whoever wields it to control the minds of anyone who looks at it. It's also a repository of infinite knowledge. Altair got the design for the Hidden Pistol back in the 13th century by peering into its depths," Ezio explained.

"Such raw power is inherently dangerous, to others, and to the wielder," Niccolo mused.

"So, can we ask it a question?" Leonardo asked, eager as a little boy faced with a wrapped Christmas gift.

"What did you have in mind to start, my love?" Ezio asked

"How about… how the Earth goes around the Sun?" Leonardo offered.

"You mean the Sun around the Earth," Mario corrected, eying Leonardo like he was mad.

Ezio cleared his mind of everything but the one question, and grabbed the Apple.

The Piece of Eden glowed from within, emitting a high bell-like sound at the edge of their hearing. Ezio let go after a few seconds.

"My head hurts," Ezio groaned.

Federico wordlessly offered some wine. Ezio sipped it, the pleasant burn of alcohol distracting him from the pain in his brain unlike any headache he'd ever experienced.

"So? How does the Earth go around the Sun?" Claudia asked, more than willing to believe Leonardo when he said something.

"It's a force called gravity. Smaller objects are pulled towards larger objects. But speed and movement are factors. The Earth is caught in a spin around the Sun, gravity making it so it's falling AROUND it rather than toward it. Though we're actually moving just a little closer to the Sun each year. It's very confusing. And it's a constant pull. It's how even though the Earth is round, we all get pulled back to the ground."

"The Earth goes around the Sun AND the Earth is round?" Mario asked as his entire worldview was shattered.

"This power, the ability to know the answer to any question… it would drive weaker minds insane," Giovanni said worriedly.

"Your son seems to be surprisingly proficient at handling it," Niccolo commented.

Ezio wasn't going to explain the whole second life thing to a man he'd just met. "I've read the Codex extensively. Altair spoke of the methods he used to interact with the Apple."

"I see. Speaking of the Codex, our ally in Forli has a map of the remaining pages. Once all the pages are gathered, the secret hidden under the ink will reveal itself," Niccolo stated.

"Now, to answer the original question, what do we do with the Apple?" Ezio asked.

"There's very few men I'd trust with this kind of temptation. You're one of them, Ezio, and you seem to have an idea of how to properly wield it anyway. I will entrust it to you, with a warning: if you ever use its power to rob another person of their free will, you will be marked for death by every Assassin in Italia," Niccolo said as serious as the plague.

Ezio nodded. "You have my word, I will guard it well and use it only for information. I will not use it even in self-defense."

Niccolo grinned. "And that is why you get to keep it."

Giovanni, Mario, and Niccolo left for the inn where they'd secured rooms. The residents of Leonardo's studio went to their respective rooms. Ezio stored the Apple back in his pouch, the thick cloth hiding its light. He cuddled Leonardo and they listened to the sound of Annabella snoring.

"You're going to have me use it constantly, answering every question that ever popped into your head," Ezio said into Leonardo's back as he held his lover against his front.

"Not if it gives you pain like it did earlier. I'll limit myself to one question a day," Leonardo promised.

"Is that all?" Ezio chuckled. "We could change the future, you know. You could write books explaining the scientific knowledge and principles it will reveal to us. You could spread and disseminate ideas decades or centuries ahead of our time. You'd be credited as the brightest genius to ever walk the Earth."

Leonardo hummed. "I like the idea of sharing knowledge that would otherwise not be discovered for generations. We could solve so many problems and spare people years upon years of suffering because the solution hadn't been invented yet. What we could do with medicine alone… But you'll be the one using the Apple. Why won't you be the one writing the books?"

"Because even though the information is being shoved into MY mind, I still believe you'll understand it better," Ezio chuckled.

They drifted off to sleep after that.

It took over a week to pack everything in anticipation of their move to Monteriggioni. Annabella took the move in her stride, content so long as she was surrounded by family. Giovanni, Mario, Paola, and la Volpe took an earlier boat, eager to return to familiar territory. The Auditore siblings did most of the heavy lifting getting all their baggage from the studio to the ship carrying them to Forli. Claudia waited before boarding the boat, only coming on when Ugo arrived. Claudia explained in no uncertain terms that they were getting married in the church in Monteriggioni.

"Well, I suppose the thieves' guild will find a use for him," Federico shrugged.

"And I'm sure this engagement has nothing to do with the fact you haven't bled for two months," Ezio said dryly.

Claudia and Ugo both blushed. "We're getting married before the baby's born. It won't be a bastard," Ugo said in their defense.

"Are you getting married because you love each other or because you think you have to? I'd rather the baby be a bastard than raised by two parents who don't love each other. But that's just me, it's ultimately your decision," Ezio shrugged.

"A little of both, Ezio. We were going to do it eventually. The baby just… sped things up," Claudia said, refusing to back down.

"Then I wish you two and my future niece or nephew all the best," Ezio said with a grin, hugging the two lovers.

They cast off. Annabella quickly got seasick. Ezio and Leonardo comforted her as she heaved over the side of the ship. A boring three days later, they arrived at Forli to find they had a welcoming committee. Caterina Sforza herself waited at the dock, six loyal-looking guards behind her as well as a couple attendants.

"Well, well, look who it is," Caterina said as Ezio walked down the gangplank.

"Madonna," Ezio bowed.

Annabella, clutching Leonardo's hand, came up behind Ezio. "Papa Ezio, who's this?" she asked.

"Annabella, this is Caterina Sforza, the Lady of Forli. She runs the city like the Doge runs Venezia. She's also a friend of the Assassins."

"Okay," she said, accepting the information with little fuss as she did almost everything.

Caterina's eyes were wide. "You're a father? I thought you were with a man."

"He is. We adopted her. Leonardo da Vinci, pleased to meet you," Leonardo gave a small bow.

Caterina eyed Leonardo up and down assessingly, then seemed to regard the three of them as a unit. "An unusual family, but a happy one I see. I wish you all the best." Caterina then gave her greetings to Niccolo and Ezio's siblings. She ordered her attendants to see that all their luggage be loaded into a cart pulled by two strong horses with the easy air of one in a position of power and well aware of it.

The Auditores (including Leonardo, Annabella and Ugo) and Niccolo followed Caterina as she led them to the city. "You're going to love Forli! The cannons in our citadel go back a hundred years."

"Forgive me, but I've never heard of a woman ruling her own city before. It's impressive," Federico said, flirting with her as he flirted with anyone with a skirt. Ezio silently thought that Caterina would eat his brother alive, and that he just might enjoy it.

"Well, it was my husband's before, of course. He died," Caterina said without a trace of mourning.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Federico said.

Ezio rolled his eyes. "Don't be. She had him killed."

"OH," Federico said, wide-eyed.

Niccolo spoke up "We discovered Girolamo Riario was working for the Templars. Making a map of the locations of the remaining Codex pages."

Caterina snorted. "I never liked the goddamned son of a bitch anyway. He was a lousy father, boring in bed, and a pain in my ass!"

Ezio braced himself for a flood of citizens fleeing the city… except that they reached the city gates with nothing amiss. It occurred to Ezio that with Rodrigo dead, he couldn't hire the Orsi brothers to retrieve the Apple. Huh, the first positive consequence from killing the man early had arrived.

They reached the citadel, where Caterina led them to their rooms. They ate at her own table that evening, with her and her many children. Girolamo might have been boring in bed but he had certainly been potent. The next morning, with the map of the Codex pages firmly stashed on Niccolo's person, the party of Assassins got on their horse or the cart and began the trek to Monteriggioni.

Annabella got seasick easy but she seemed to love riding in the saddle with Ezio. Ezio refused to go faster than a canter with a firm grip on her, but she seemed to love the speed. They reached an inn at nightfall, the same one they'd frequented on their trip to Venezia back in 1480. The innkeeper didn't seem to remember them, but then he must see dozens of people every week. They enjoyed the quality wine to make up for the subpar cooking.

The next day, they rode at a decent clip and managed to reach Monteriggioni just as the sun was starting to dip below the horizon. They received a hero's welcome, the sight of three Auditore apparently akin to royalty visiting. People cheered and clapped, women threw flowers from their second-story windows, the whole nine. They reached the Villa Auditore, which looked good as new and had red silk banners with the Assassin crest on them placed between the windows.

The whole family came out to greet them. Maria embraced Ezio and Leonardo, having been apart from them the longest. Then she peered down at Annabella. "Is this my granddaughter?" she asked excitedly.

"Hi. I'm Annabella Auditore da Venezia," Annabella said politely.

"Oh, yes you are! And I'm your Grandma! We're going to have so much fun together, I promise!"

While Maria cooed at Annabella, Ezio embraced Petruccio, and was introduced to his wife Isabella and their son Piero. The boy had been born hale and hearty, so it seemed Petruccio's sickness hadn't been inherited. They entered the Villa to find the walls filled with art, originals too if Petruccio was to be believed. They all eventually ended up in the dining room, the massive dining table finally filled to capacity with everyone in the family in attendance. They ate Tuscan fare, a shift after almost a decade of Venetian cuisine. Ezio was almost surprised when he bit into his bread and didn't taste salt.

Luckily, Ezio's great-great-grandfather had built the Villa to house generations of Auditores simultaneously. There were enough free rooms that Annabella could get her own room. Which meant Ezio and Leonardo could have a room to themselves again. Which meant they could have sex again, and not just a quicky snuck during one of Annabella's naps or when Claudia or Federico took her out. They kept themselves quiet, remembering how thin the walls were, but Ezio and Leonardo undeniably ravished each other that night.

Ezio and his family took a month long 'vacation' from Assassin duties just to reconnect. The wedding between Claudia and Ugo was a quick, informal affair, just an excuse to exchange rings and make their baby legitimate. Ezio realized he'd never gotten rings for him and Leonardo. The blacksmith was willing to work with gold and make two simple bands for the male couple. Leonardo almost cried when Ezio slid it on his finger. "With this ring, I thee wed," Ezio said before giving Leonardo a kiss that expressed all his love and devotion to the other man.

Leonardo had been well and truly replaced as master of the art shop. The man was willing to be co-owner with Leonardo, but Leonardo decided that he'd focus more on his engineering side, especially now that he had Ezio and the Apple. Ezio placed the Apple on the pedestal in Mario's office, which was swiftly converted to Leonardo's office. Every day, Leonardo would ask just one simple but insightful question, and Ezio would divine the answer through the power of the Piece of Eden. Leonardo decided to start with a subject that he'd had a serious interest in for years, flight. Ezio relaying one scientific truth after another, Leonardo started to gather the necessary knowledge to write THE book on flying. Which would be followed by THE book on anatomy, then THE book on mathematics, and so on.

Once the little rest to recuperate and reintegrate was finished, the five Auditore Assassins (Giovanni, Mario, Federico, Ezio, Claudia) all went out to hunt down the remaining Codex pages, using the map Niccolo had left with them before returning to Firenze. By Christmas, all 30 pages had been collected and translated by an eager Leonardo. The Auditore family enjoyed the holiday together, and then the next day the summons went out for every Assassin to assemble at the Villa Auditore for the reveal of Altair's secret message.

By the day after Claudia's birthday, everyone had gathered in the office, even Maria and Petruccio. They wanted to see what Altair had gone to such lengths to conceal. Using Eagle Vision, Ezio rotated the pages until they all formed a map of the world. A touch to the Apple on its pedestal, and golden light shot out, illuminating the invisible ink so that everyone in the room could see.

"What is this?" Paola asked, her eyes not comprehending what she was seeing.

"It's the world. Look, there's Europe, with Italia right there. That's Africa and Asia. And then there's those three other continents that we haven't discovered yet," Ezio pointed out.

"Or rediscovered," Niccolo tacked on.

"What are those symbols in certain spots?" Mario asked, his one eye still sharp despite his increasing age.

"They must be Vaults, like the one mentioned in the Codex," Leonardo postulated.

"So where's the nearest Vault, the one the Prophet is supposed to open?" Giovanni asked.

Claudia narrowed her eyes at the glowing map, heavily pregnant. "It appears that the Vault is in Roma," she observed.

"Two Pieces of Eden to open the Vault… the Papal Staff. It must be another Piece of Eden," Ezio said, drawing on his future knowledge.

"So we need to steal the symbol of power from the most powerful man in Italia and all of Christendom. Should be simple enough," Federico said ironically.

"Yes but who is the Prophet? Who can open the Vault?" Teodora asked.

"The prophecy written in the Codex said that the Prophet would appear when the second Piece, that is the Apple, was brought to the floating city, Venezia. Ezio seemed to 'appear' when he took off that helmet and dropped his disguise. Perhaps he is our Prophet," la Volpe put forward.

"Very well. I'll ride for Roma tomorrow. I'll plan my infiltration into Il Vaticano and how to acquire the Staff. While I'm there, I'll see about establishing a more permanent presence in the city. We don't want her to be reclaimed by the Templars. Rodrigo's death weakened them, but he still had many allies who shared his views," Ezio pointed out. "The Templars are headless, but they aren't gone from Italia quite yet."

"I'm coming with you," Leonardo said, no-nonsense. "You could be gone for months or years. Like hell I'll wait here with Annabella wondering if you'll ever come back again."

Bartolomeo chuckled. "A painter with his male muse. Perfect cover in a city like Roma."

"You're leaving again already?" Maria asked, put out.

"Sorry, Mother, but sometimes one has places they must be despite where they want to be. I'd love to stay safe and content here in Monteriggioni and raise Annabella in peace. But the Assassins need me in Roma, so to Roma I must go."

"At least take some money with you. You can buy a proper headquarters. Write me where it is, and I'll have the shops we own in Roma start sending their funds to you instead of here," Petruccio insisted.

"If you insist, Petruccio. Now, Leonardo and I have some packing to do." Ezio patted the Apple, and it stopped emitting its golden light.

Annabella was a bit upset to be leaving Monteriggioni and the whole family just as she was getting used to them. But she eventually just nodded and gave her "Okay," that said she wouldn't make a fuss. At least she would still have her Papas.

Petruccio's idea of 'some' money turned out to be 100 thousand florins packed into four heavy chests. Combined with Ezio, Leonardo, and Annabella's trunks and enough supplies for Leonardo to establish himself as a painter in Roma, the wagon was groaning from the weight. The three of them made their goodbyes to the rest of the family and then set out with the wagon on the week-long trip to Roma.

They drew some attention when they stopped at inns, two men wearing wedding bands and with a little girl who called them both 'Papa'. Twice, the innkeeper refused to take them. The first was convinced by paying double the fee for a room. The second started a fight with Ezio that was swiftly handled. Ezio decided to ride through the night and left Annabella and Leonardo to sleep in the wagon after that episode.

Finally, they reached the seat of Papal power, one of the oldest cities in the world, and their new home for an indeterminate length of time.

"It's so big!" Annabella marveled as they rode into the outskirts of Roma.

Ezio guided them by memory from his first life to Isola Tiberina, where he remembered a very kind innkeeper kept a place to rest for anyone who had money, no matter their character. "It's the largest city in all Italia, Annabella," he told his daughter.

"Also the oldest city. Over a thousand years ago, it was the capital of a great civilization! But like so many things, it eventually fell apart," Leonardo said energetically.

They reached the inn, and Ezio quickly negotiated a room for them with the innkeeper for the foreseeable future. Ezio personally moved each chest Petruccio had given them into the room, not trusting a passing thief to not be tempted. They spent the rest of the day just acclimating to their new room and making plans on what to do going forward.

The next day, Ezio sent a letter by courier to Fabio Orsini stating that he was very interested in purchasing his storage room on Isola Tiberina. Then he spent the rest of the day reacquainting himself with Roma, its buildings, the getaway routes, the guard patrols. He was glad to see that towers didn't bear the Borgia flag. Hopefully never. Cesare was only 13 and without his Father to help him get into positions of power, he might never become the threat he'd been in Ezio's first life.

Ezio got a reply from Fabio the next day, stating that he hardly remembered that he even owned the storage room and that after it was cleared he'd be happy to let it go for the low cost of 20 thousand ducats or equivalent currency. Ezio sent a reply that he would happily accept Fabio's generous offer and that he could have the money in florins delivered however the Orsini wanted.

Fabio Orsini himself came down the next day along with a couple strong men. He and Ezio met, shook hands, and Ezio brought out a chest that he'd carefully removed 5 thousand florins from, leaving the total inside at 20 thousand. Fabio had his men take the chest, not even bothering to count it, trusting in Ezio's character. "Tell me, Messer Auditore, what do you plan to use with the storage room? Once my family's belongings are removed, it'll ble nothing but empty space," Fabio asked.

"And therein lies its potential. I intend to run my organization's business out of it," Ezio answered plainly.

"What organization would that be?" Fabio asked.

"I don't suppose if I told you it was run by Niccolo Machiavelli that would mean anything to you?" Ezio posed.

Fabio's eyes lit with understanding. "Ah, I see. You're that organization. The one that killed Rodrigo Borgia."

"I actually did that myself," Ezio confessed.

"Then you have the gratitude of a great many people in Roma, myself included. That man had been hoarding power for decades. A few more years, and he could have ruled over all of Roma with an iron fist," Fabio said.

"Just doing the right thing, at least how I saw it," Ezio shrugged.

"Well, you still have my thanks. I'll send a team to clear out the building as soon as I return home. You should be able to move in within the week."

"Thank you, Messer Orsini."

A few more days for porters to haul all the junk out of the storage room, and then Ezio was purchasing beds to move into the new Assassin headquarters for Roma. He, Leonardo, and Annabella would share the Master's room, while Ezio set up a number of cots in one of the many empty rooms for the Assassins he would recruit in the future.

Ezio sent a letter home detailing the acquisition of the building and how he'd next start by making overtures to the local thieves, courtesans, and mercenaries to establish ties to the underworld and their information gathering abilities. Once that was done, he'd start planning his assault on Il Vaticano to acquire the Staff and open the Vault. Ezio wondered if Minerva would give the same message to the phantom Desmond or if his changes would result in something different.

Curious and figuring it couldn't hurt, Ezio used the Apple to find out who Desmond was.

The answer nearly broke his mind.

His descendent, in the year 2012, would use a machine that allowed him to relive the lives of his ancestors through memories locked away in his blood. Minerva spoke to Ezio in his first life knowing that over 500 years later, Desmond would use the Animus to relive Ezio's life. That was how Ezio was a prophet: a 'god' spoke through him to another across time.

Ezio shared the news with Leonardo and they got into an hours-long discussion of the ramifications of this news. Would Ezio have to have a child with Sofia in order to ensure Desmond was born? How could the Animus read the memories of ancestors from one's blood? In killing Rodrigo, Ezio had majorly changed history; what would be the long-term consequences?

Leonardo finally hugged Ezio. "The changes are already made, my love. And you'll die long before you see if Desmond will be born and do whatever Minerva wanted him to do."

Ezio sighed. "You're right. It's pointless to worry over events half a millennium away. Still, I have to get into the Vault and see if her message has changed."

The next day, Ezio went to the Rosa in Fiore and asked to speak to the madame. It wasn't the shrill, lousy one that Claudia had replaced, rather a level-headed middle-aged woman named Loretta who proved quite amenable to a partnership with the Assassins. In exchange for protection for her girls and enough money to renovate the Rosa in Fiore into the finest brothel in the city, she swore loyalty. Ezio was happy to accept it. Ezio gave her one of the chests Petruccio had given him. She checked with him before spending the money, a good sign of her character.

After that, it was tracking down the thieves' guild. The Cento Occhi hadn't been formed yet, again because Rodrigo wasn't around to pay them. After listening to rumors and tailing a thief he caught sight of, Ezio finally found the dilapidated building out in the outskirts of the city. Ezio met with the guild leader, Rolando, and made his pitch. Rolando, it quickly became clear, cared for one thing about all else: money. Ezio let the promise of 25 thousand gold coins carry the weight of his argument. Rolando agreed to have his thieves work with the Assassins so long as they got the exact same amount every three months. Such were the Assassin's finances under Petruccio's sure hand that Ezio agreed without blinking. Ezio left with the suggestion that they disguise the guild building as an inn. Worked for la Volpe, after all.

Finally, Ezio made the trip to the local condottieri's headquarters. Ezio only had to mention that he knew Bartolomeo d'Alviano to have the mercenary captain, Mauro, shaking his hand and promising free use of his men so long as Ezio funded their weapons and armor.

And that's how Ezio spent 95 thousand florins in his first month in Roma.

It took a few months for all the renovations to be made, during which time Ezio went recruiting. He found victims of corruption, hot-blooded rebels who cried out at the injustices of the world, homeless with nowhere to go but the will to fight. Ezio took them in, introduced them to the idea of the Assassins, a Brotherhood that stood up against evil and those that would impose their will over their fellow man. He managed to convince most of those he approached to at least give it a try. Ezio trained them in how to fight, how to hide, how to run. It would take years for them to be truly lethal, but they put in the work. Ezio had high hopes for the next generation of Assassins.

Finally the day came when all three underground groups were done spending Ezio's money and started to contribute back with information gathering. Ezio learned that Pope Innocent VIII almost never left Il Vaticano, and that he only brought out the Papal Staff for official functions. Such as Sunday Mass in the Sistine Chapel.

Ezio knew where, he knew when. He was ready to acquire the Staff and open the Vault and perhaps finally get some answers out of the ancient being that spoke of the world ending.