Ezio had had a rough couple of days. Between the strange girl, killing Uberto Alberti, and having to escape the city watch, again, he was exhausted. And he still hadn't told Claudia and Maria about everything that had happened. He wasn't looking forward to it.

They would need to leave, he knew. Though he had bought a little time with his antics, the Auditore family had powerful enemies who wished to see them all dead. Ezio had already decided they should flee the country. He remembered hearing all about Spain, and he thought it might be a good place to start over. It would take time, but he believed Claudia could move on, perhaps marry someone and have his children. He hoped that his mother would heal as well, but he was prepared to take care of her for the rest of her life, if that was what it took.

The injured girl would probably have to stay in Firenze. He knew she likely had a family somewhere, and he wouldn't take her away from that. He hoped she was healing well; the dottore had said he would do all he could for her, but Ezio knew that the wound had been deep. He decided that he would check on her before leaving for Monteriggioni.

Upon reaching the door of Paola's brothel, Ezio raised his hand to knock, but heard strange noises from just behind the door. Scuffling, thumping. Instinctively, he burst into the room. What he saw there would have tested the patience of a saint.

The girl he had saved was wrapped around Paola's body like a monkey, her arms wrapped tightly around her throat, her front pressed firmly to Paola's back. Her legs were locked in a death hold around Paola's waist, and Paola's eyes were fluttering shut. As soon as she went limp, the girl gracefully let go and rose to her feet, grabbing some kind of bundle from the floor next to Paola. Upon closer examination, Ezio realized that the object was, in fact, the two hidden blades she had been wearing when he first saw her. She quickly strapped them onto her forearms as he stood, openmouthed, in the doorway.

He suddenly noticed what she was wearing, which turned out not to be much. Nothing but a long, loose blue shirt, leaving her shapely legs bare from the knees down. It had a very large, open collar, letting him see a good deal of her breasts, and when she turned towards him, he saw even more. Probably more than she would have wanted him to see, so he schooled his expression into something vaguely stern.

When she saw him, something shifted in her face, so that she looked somehow more vulnerable and yet more stubborn than ever. She walked toward him a little unsteadily, and he remembered that she had been hurt. He pointed at her stomach with a questioning expression, and she laid a protective hand over it. When he stepped closer, he noticed that though she had sweat on her brow, she was shivering. Her bright blue eyes were glassy, her gaze not as focused as before. He laid a hand on her forehead gently, and she leaned into the touch like a kitten. She was burning up. Ezio's brow furrowed; the girl had a bad fever.

He tried to point towards the stairs leading up to the room she had been in, but her eyes widened and she shook her head. Now Ezio was truly curious to see what had happened. He stooped to check on Paola, who turned out to be breathing steadily, though she had started to stir already. Then he turned to walk up the stairs, noting that the girl glided to his right side instantly and followed behind him. At the top of the stairs, he unlatched the door—why had it been locked?—and found a scared and furious courtesan inside.

"She is nothing more than a little animal!" the girl shouted, advancing on the two with murder in her eyes. Before Ezio could do anything, the silent girl stood between them, looking far more menacing than her stature should have allowed. The courtesan recoiled and made the sign of the cross with shaking hands.

"Perhaps you should go check on Paola," Ezio told her, not unkindly.

"That won't be necessary," the woman in question said from behind him. She swept into the room, looking only a little rumpled. "Rosa, you may go. Let me know if you need money for a doctor." The girl nodded and practically ran out. Ezio was left with two rather frightening women who eyed each other speculatively.

Paola abruptly laughed, causing Ezio to jump a bit and the girl to narrow her eyes. "You will have your hands full with this little demon," she told him with no small amount of amusement.

"Why would I take her with me?" he asked.

"But of course you will! It's obvious that she has much in common with your family," Paola said. "Just look at her blades. They are almost perfect copies of the one Giovanni left for you. Besides," she continued, "you will not have to take her with you. She clearly does not want to leave your side. Why else would she have hurt poor Rosa and fought me to reach you?"

Before Ezio could think about the situation, he saw the girl start to sway on her feet. He dove forward and caught her as her knees buckled, and her arms circled his shoulders, perhaps out of instinct only. He couldn't deny that a part of him liked it, but he could feel the heat radiating from her diminutive body. He quickly laid her back against the pillows and made to leave, but as soon as he pulled away, she tried to get up and follow him.

Ezio motioned her back and she shook her head, a stubborn set to her jaw. He began to walk out of the room and she staggered out of the bed, shivering violently. He turned to Paola with a bewildered look on his face.

"Ezio, you must stay with her and nurse the fever away," she told him. "It will only make her worse if she follows you around, and clearly we cannot stop her. Stay with her."

He sighed and crossed the room to the girl, intending only to gently lay her back on the bed, but when he got close enough, she turned her head into his chest and stepped into him, their bodies touching as his formed a cradle for her. She rubbed herself on him a little bit, clearly seeking his body heat and probably unaware she was even doing it. Ezio bit back a groan and lowered her to the bed, then laid next to her. She snuggled into him, and he instinctively wrapped her in his arms, pulling the back of her body into the front of his own. Within moments, she had drifted off to sleep, her chest rising and falling, slow and steady.

Ezio found the situation a bit bizarre. Not the part where he was in bed, holding a beautiful woman, but that he had not had sex with her first. He did not make a habit of cuddling.

After a moment, he began to wonder why not. The girl felt perfect against him, so small and delicate. It took an effort of will to not let his hands wander. He didn't even notice when Paola left the room, a knowing smirk on her face.

Not a quarter of an hour had passed before Ezio fell asleep with a strange girl in his arms, a faint smile etched on his face.

Translations:

Dottore – doctor