Disclaimer: I do not own Assassin's Creed or any material related to Ubisoft in any way or form.

A/N: Inspiration is mildly from "Flow Like Water" by James Newton Howard. Now, before anybody kills me for this… I absolutely love La Volpe. I have a tendency to adore the minor characters often because of the overload of notoriety garnered by the main characters. So, I figured I'd give the thief lord some love. (Coincidentally, there's a book by Cornelia Funke titled "The Thief Lord" and it's also set in Venice, Italy, but that's beside the point). This was originally going to be titled "Della Volpe Tesora," or "The Fox's Treasure," but I decided to shorten it to what it is now for simplicity and to keep to the character of the story. Now, per favore, enjoy the story.

There is a secret the elusive Fox guards from the entire world, one which he keeps even from Ezio Auditore, master of the Assassin Brotherhood and hero of all of Roma. Only the men of his thieves' guild know of the secret wrapped in the clothes of a common man—of the alluring eyes the color of earth, hair streaming in chocolate waves down curved shoulders, and skin as smooth and rich and pale as cream—who is second in command only to La Volpe himself.

She walks the streets of Venice, seen, but unseen: a mistress of blending and pickpocketing, taught to her at a young age by the courtesans under Paola's guidance, and as cunning as any thief in the guild. She is the key player in many reconnaissance missions the Fox assigns his men; her keen ear, impeccable memory, and unnerving talent for mimicry set her apart from the rest of the thieves.

Yet unlike the typically sly ways of many of his thieves, this woman harbors a stunning adoration for the sky: for the clouds and the stars, the sun and the moon. She adores all kinds of music and teaches herself the arts of song and dance, creating masterpieces so achingly beautiful it brings even the great Fox himself to tears, and he asks himself why he's allowing her to waste her musical talent in a place meant for lies and deceit. But never once does she complain, content to spend her days laughing and going on missions with her fellow thieves.

Perhaps it is these very qualities which allow the Thief Lord to favor her so, and every night without fail she creeps soundlessly to his bed, heedless of the cold, unmerciful sting of a blade's edge at her throat as the Fox wakes from his light slumber, violet eyes snapping awake to gaze into her soft brown orbs, at her rosy lips parted in awe as she gazes down at him, the very embodiment of gentleness and motherly comfort.

It is during these times that La Volpe wishes he were an ordinary man, so he could take her up in his arms and kiss her, make love to her without restraint, whisper her name and watch her grow round with his child. But as he lies in her arms in his bed in the tower of the Thieves' Guild, her fingers running through his hair reverently, he can't help but feel a delicious sense of peace, and despite the fact that he is duty-bound and cannot have the one he wants most, he is content to call her his.

His tesora.