Assassin's Creed Chronos_Retribution (Ezio x OC)

11 - I Fall Apart

May 10, 1500

Castel Sant'Angelo

Rome, Italy

Catherine pressed her brows together as her belly tightened. She'd been feeling it more than usual lately, and this time it was somewhat painful. It reminded her of cramps she'd have during her menstruation, but being she was pregnant, it was just the baby kicking—hard. The child was moving quite a bit, and while it should have filled her with joy, she despaired to know the baby would be here soon. Her belly was more swollen than ever, or it certainly seemed that way, and some days she didn't want to get out of bed. Not that there was much reason to. Still, she couldn't bring herself to simply lie there despite everything. Besides, even though Paula's head and sheets had been removed the same day, she could still feel it there; could still smell and see the blood. The open mouth. The hollow eyes.

It haunted her every day, and always in her dreams. Only, it wasn't just Paula. It was Mario, too. His body was there, on the ground, and his head was on a pike. Both he and Paula would stare at her, their eyes and their tongues gone, and the blood seeping out of their orifices. At first, it had just been them, but within the next few nights she had seen Ezio and Diana and Claudia and even Maria. Her nephew Federico had been the latest the night prior, and in the background—God, the things she could hear. The screams and moans and howls of agony. It had originally been in the darkness, but the ruins of her home soon began to appear, and blurred faces would show. They were all staring at her, screaming, some pointing. All damming her.

Each nightmare woke her with a start, her body dribbling with sweat and reeking of the fear that consumed her. It was agony. Pure, unrelenting agony. To her dismay, her pregnancy only made it worse. The aches of her dreams became physical, and she struggled to even get to her waste pot some mornings. Sometimes it took the help of the maids, new ones she didn't know. There was one that always helped her more than others—an older woman with a robust figure—but they didn't speak to her. They were quiet, like ghosts almost, and after they were done with their chores, they would leave. It made the loneliness worse than ever, and she often wondered why she didn't break down every day.

She also wondered why she didn't just end it.

What was the point? Ezio was gone. She couldn't deny it anymore. The love of her life was gone, and so could the rest of her family. The Borgia most likely killed them at the Villa like Mario, and she was utterly alone. Her poor Diana must be gone, too, and now all she had was the child in her belly, but they weren't going to be hers. The Borgia would take the child—so why bother?

'You know why. You couldn't do it no matter what,' she spoke silently, placing a hand on her bump. And it was true. She couldn't do it. Even after everything, she couldn't take her own life—not when the child depended on her. She just couldn't do it. Ezio wouldn't want her to.

Catherine let the thoughts slip away, closing her eyes to breathe in deep, and looked to the older woman who was cleaning things. She was no doubt Paula's replacement. She looked perhaps in her forties, maybe older, and could have been someone's mother. She never said much beyond a command for her to do something, and she worked quickly.

The redhead looked to the ceiling, shutting her eyes again. Memories had been burned into the darkness of her eyelids, and she couldn't keep them closed for long. Tears brimmed as they always did, but she pushed it back. She had let them see her weakness before. Not again. She would show them nothing. They would have to kill her first.

'Except, you know you can't beat them,' her fear whispered, and her hate was torn between herself and the Borgia.

Catherine hissed when she felt another cramp, lurching forward some. There was a distinct pressure, but then—it stopped. Like a pop. She frowned, brows scrunching, and couldn't help feeling a sensation of fluid between her legs. Had she accidentally wet herself? No, she had gone not long ago, and it had never happened with Diana.