AN: This is moving much faster than I thought, but I guess it's because AC2 offers quite well. BTW I'm sorry if I'm having you read the parts you already played, but I don't feel like I can just throw you right into the middle of happenings, so I always look for a nice starting point. Also, I'm sorry, if some dialogue from the game is wrong. No matter how often I listened to Giovanni curse Alberti, I couldn't quite decipher it.

What is unseen

Mission 2: Arrivederci

The sun was shining so brightly, that it bordered on mockery. The gates of Florence with its high walls was left behind them, like everything else they had been familiar with. Ezio didn't dare slow his steps, despite hearing his sister and mother trying desperately to keep up with his long strides. The city he had loved so much had betrayed them all. There was no time to catch a breath, not when they were in the open, so far from the safety Monteriggioni.

They passed a pair of small houses, most likely stables, but Ezio couldn't discover any horses. "Alright. This way."

His mother and Claudia caught up to him. His mother still remained painfully silent and it seemed that Claudia had taken it upon herself to verbalize her grief along with that of their mother. "How could this have happened to us?"

"I don't know." Ezio truly wished he would know. He should have let the gonfaloniere live a bit longer, suffer a bit longer and maybe discover the reason for his betrayal. His fists clenched. The last few days were nothing but full of regrets, things he should have done, but hadn't.

A small wooden bridge led over a small stream. It was a very romantic sight, but Ezio didn't have the heart to treasure it, his angry steps leading him across it.

"Will we ever be back?" Claudia asked, her voice full of fear.

Ezio found his anger growing with every step. Any other day he would have chuckled at Claudias' innocence and comforted her, but he didn't have the strength to do so now. He too was afraid, even though he dared not show it. His mother was too fragile now and Claudia was on the verge of breaking down as well. At least one of them had to keep his mind clear.

"I don't know," he bit out and quickened his pace.

In front of them the path split into two and Ezio turned left to head to Monteriggioni. Hopefully, they would arrive there before nightfall, but he feared that if he hastened them any further, their mother might break down fully.

Florence had disappeared behind the rock formations around them and he deemed it safe to slow his pace a bit.

Claudia noticed and took the opportunity to get some answers. "What will happen to our house?"

Ezio whirled around, making an angry gesture with his fist. "I don't know!"

His sister was taken aback by his reaction. "Were they... were they given a proper burial?"

Dio mio, hopefully they had, but Ezio doubted it. He nodded quickly and lied, "Yes, they were."

He wasn't sure if Claudia believed him, but she accepted his answer and didn't question him any further. With a sigh, he walked ahead and led them towards what he hoped was safety.

As far as he knew, Monteriggioni was not far from Florence. It had been a long time since they had visited their Uncle Mario, so Ezio couldn't be sure. Still, he hoped that no thieves decided to attack them on the way. Claudia and their mother were unarmed and emotionally drained and he only carried the blade of his father.

Ezio glanced at the hidden blade. It had killed the betrayer of his family and Leonardo had proclaimed it to be a very good design, despite its age. But why was it in the possession of his father? Why the strange robes, the secret messages to thieves and courtesans and the secret study? Was this what Giovanni had wished to talk to him about? And his last words... Ezio would not forget them.

You are the traitor, Uberto and one of THEM! You may take our lives this day, but we will have yours in return!

Yes, Ezio did take the life of the gonfaloniere. Had his father expected that or had he spoken of something entirely different? To whom did Uberto Alberti belong? Did it have to do with the list he had retrieved from his fathers' hidden study?

There were so many questions for which Ezio wanted answers, but how to find them? Perhaps his Uncle Mario would know, but he couldn't be sure.

The sun followed its cycle as they continued to walk. In the distance the sky was darkening, announcing a coming storm. Monteriggioni shouldn't be that far, they had reached the first hills surrounding it.

"Ezio... Ezio!" Claudia jogged up next to him. "Please... let us rest for a while. We have been walking for ages. Think of mother!"

Ezio had been so lost in his thoughts that he had completely forgotten. Claudia and their mother were not used to this amount of walking, unlike Ezio, who had regularly delivered letters for his father. He stopped walking and nodded at his sister, too worn out to give her a decent answer. He removed his brown cape and laid it onto a larger rock for the two to sit on, silently gesturing Claudia to settle down.

He himself tiredly slumped onto the grass, leaning against a tree. He closed his eyes. He wouldn't be able to rest, at least not fully, not able to stop thinking. Maybe he was trying to distract himself with his thoughts, so that he could stay focused on what to do now, rather than dwelling on the memory of the death of his father and brothers. The memory was incredibly painful for him and he felt a lump building in his throat. His gaze wandered to Claudia and his mother, holding each other in silent grief. He shook his head. His own grief was his to battle, he shouldn't burden them with it.

Ezio was the only male Auditore left. They were his responsibility and they looked to him for guidance. He would be a terrible family head, should he break down now. They needed him more.

Claudia looked up at him, her eyes red and her cheeks stained with tears. "Ezio... where were you while we were in La Rosa Colta? And from where do you have your clothes?"

Ezio remained silent. Could he dare to tell his sister that he had murdered for vengeance, especially in presence of their mother? She may refuse to talk, but that did not mean that she did not listen.

"Per favore respondete, fratello!" Claudia was anxious and afraid, Ezio guessed, though what of, he could not tell. Was she afraid of him?

Reluctantly he answered her questions. "I visited padre in the Palazzo della Signoria. He assigned me to retrieve some documents and this clothing from a hidden room in his study. I brought the documents to the gonfaloniere and he assured me that they would help prove the innocence of our family. When I arrived at the Piazza the next day, the gonfaloniere denied to have received any proof and sentenced padre, Frederico and Petruccio to death. I couldn't save them," Ezio said bitterly.

Claudia gasped and hugged their mother closer. "Even Petruccio?"

Ezio nodded, not wanting to upset them any further.

"Why would the gonfaloniere do such a thing?"

"He said he wanted to save the ones he loved," Ezio replied darkly.

For a moment, Claudia hesitated. "Will he... will he be punished?"

"He has received his punishment," Ezio growled. "Lay down and take a nap."

Ezio thought she would ask more questions, despite his order leaving no room for arguments, but she complied and hugged her mother close.

Uberto Alberti couldn't receive enough punishment, not even in deepest pits of hell. Ezio hoped he would never find peace nor forgiveness. The gonfaloniere had condemned himself the moment he first took part in this plot and whoever was involved would find a death equal, if not, then even worse than that of that treacherous bastardo. After all, his father had left him a list of names.

Remembering the list, Ezio pulled it out of his pouch and inhaled sharply as he saw the first name.

Vieri de Pazzi

Ezio cursed under his breath. He should have killed that stronzo while he had the chance. Had he not been injured, no thanks to that idiota and had Frederico not insisted...

Fredericos' defeated face appeared in his mind, the hope that had flickered in his eyes, when Giovanni had mentioned the documents and the disappointment when Alberti denied his knowledge of them.

Had his brothers and father heard his call from behind the masses? Or did they die, disappointed that Ezio had left them when they needed him most?

Petruccio had looked incredibly sick that day, hanging almost limply in the noose. Had he even understood why he was sentenced to death?

Again, Ezio felt a lump building in his throat. He looked over to Claudia and his mother. His talent, his vision, told him they were asleep. Most likely a sleep full of troubled dreams, but sleep nonetheless. He could use some rest as well after running around Florence the past days, only stopping to doze in places where no-one would expect him, especially roof-tops. He was grateful for Frederico teaching him how to climb, so many years ago.

Just a few years after Claudias' birth, Frederico had begun playing strange, but still amusing games with him. They had contests jumping over the bannisters of the second floor down to the floor below, right onto a pile of pillows. They tried all kinds of jumps, especially enjoying doing somersaults in mid-air. With time, Frederico taught him how to climb the walls in their home, though not before piling a large amount of hay beneath their playground. They jumped down from there too.

Ezio suspected that their father knew of their antics, but he never chose to interfere, smiling knowingly instead. Though once he had whispered to Ezio, that fresh leaves don't itch as much as hay does.

He hadn't understood why Frederico had taught him these things. Over the years he had suspected that his brother didn't want him getting into trouble, when he got caught by angry fathers. Now Ezio suspected that it had been some kind of training. All the games he had played with Frederico had allowed him to execute Uberto Alberti with much more ease. Frederico had seemingly taught him what their father wanted them to learn, always encouraging them in their little contests of speed, endurance and strength.

But whatever was all this training for?

Despite knowing that there had been a higher motif behind Fredericos' playful taunts, Ezio missed them. They had reminded him of that one endless moment over the roofs of Florence, just being thankful for la dolce vita, together with his elder brother.

La dolce vita was gone, murdered by cruel politics.

Frederico had been a wonderful elder brother. Ezio wondered if he had been the same for Petruccio. The sickness of the youngest Auditore had never hindered all of them from loving him, but it had hindered Ezio from sharing the games of his own childhood. The young boy was something of a dreamer though and Ezio tried hard to tell him the most fantastic stories of far away lands. But Ezio soon found out that his fratellino was far easier to please, when he had come home cursing Frederico, who had pushed him into a well. The prank had led to a wild chase over the rooftops of Florence and when he related the tale to Petruccio, the boy had been delighted. So Ezio told him of the games he had played and while he may never find out why the boy had wanted the eagle feathers, he had great pleasure in jumping artistically over the rooftops in front of Petruccio to get them.

He had always wanted to see himself how his brothers ran across the rooftops. At least Ezio could fulfil that wish.

The life Ezio had led until recently would have been impossible, had it not been for his father. Even though Giovanni had been mostly on travels, his obvious love for his family had shaped his second son greatly. A marriage out of love was rare in their circles, so Ezio considered himself lucky. His father never had pestered his two eldest with marriage contracts. When he had first heard of Ezios' involvement with Cristina Vespucci, he had only asked if Ezio was interested in anything more or if he was just behaving his usual self. Ezio had spluttered in return and had chosen not to answer. He couldn't really believe that his father had once been like himself, like Giovanni had told him, but he was glad for his forgiving nature and diplomatic talents. Without them, Ezio would have married the daughter of a merchant and she wasn't known for her intelligence.

A good bedding is not always a good marriage, eh, Ezio? The courtesans would make better wives for you, in that case.

Ezio had sometimes wondered who of his parents had rubbed off on the other, when it came to bold remarks such as that. Other nobles would describe such behaviour as 'common', but for Ezio, it was human.

It was all gone.

A sob left his mouth and he slapped his hand over it, looking over to Claudia and his mother. They were still asleep. They could not see that he, the head of the family, was hurting too. He had loved his entire family just like they had. They were all he had left.

Ezio grieved.

For his father and a good example of a good man.

For Frederico and la dolce vita.

For Petruccio and freedom.

For Claudia and innocence.

For his mother and love.

Five grievances and five bleeding wounds.

Uberto Alberti died after being stabbed five times.

Mission completed.

Italian phrases/words:
gonfaloniere - highest ranking member of the Signoria
dio mio - my God
per favore respondete, fratello - please answer, brother
padre - father
stronzo - asshole
la dolce vita - the beautiful life
fratellino - younger brother

I know there have been people reading this. Do me the favor and review please! I can only improve this with the help of critique. Thanks!