Moving on (2030)

~~Rome, Italy~~

Arabella rolled her eyes as the vampire in front of her simply insisted that it was his right to run his little city as he saw fit despite her ruling on the matter a week ago. She looked to her sheriff and he moved behind the whining vampire. She sat up straight, leaning forward a bit.

"I'll tell you what we will do, Ezio. While I am Queen of Holy Rome, we will follow my choices. If and when you ever take the throne, you can do what ever you feel like doing. Have I made myself abundantly clear?"

"but Arabella..."

She nodded and watched as the sheriff backhanded the vampire then stepped back. Once the vampire returned to face her she shook her head at him. Flexing her fingers, she whispered so only he would hear.

"Ezio, if you ever speak to me in familiar terms again, I will hang you on my wall as a decoration without the kindness of killing you. Do I make myself abundantly clear?"

His eyes fell to the floor as he whispered, "Yes, my Queen. I understand and obey

She dismissed him with a gesture and looked to the end of the hall where the new arrival made her smile. She rose from the throne and rushed to greet her guest, leaping into his arms. Ezio just stared in wonder at who could elicit such a reaction from Queen Arabella.

"Jonathan, it has been far too long. What brings you to Rome?"

He grunted softly as he caught her, laughing as her greeting shocked those around her.

"Well now...my little progeny is all grown up isn't she. The Queen of Italy, very impressive accomplishment. When I first heard about your elevation, I thought someone was pulling my leg. It looks like the time you spent here was well used. As for why I am here, I would prefer to discuss that in a more private setting if you are able."

He watched the sheriff carefully. His cane was all he had on him, but it was still made of oak and would snap nicely into a stake if needed. He saw the confusion in the man's eyes and smiled. This seemed to relax the sheriff as did Ari's familiarity with him. As they walked toward her private rooms, he watched her briefly say something to the sheriff and he spoke into a radio on his hip. Suddenly about a dozen vampires and weres came from side rooms and headed to the door of the hall. She grinned impishly at him and motioned for him to sit at a small table in one of the alcoves. He accepted the seat carefully, keeping his cane in reach.

As they walked toward the alcove, she whispered to the sheriff.

"Mo sirriam daor, má tá duine ar bith laistigh de raon de mo comhrá a dhéanamh le mo déantóir éisteacht, beidh tú hang in aice leo ar mo bhalla do na fiche bliain atá romhainn."
(My dear sheriff, if anyone is within hearing range of my conversation with my maker, you will hang next to them on my wall for the next twenty years.)

The look on his face was answer enough as all the Guard and the spies were cleared from the hall in moments. She suppressed a giggle at his shock. Somehow Jonathan still brought out the imp in her, even after all these years.

She looked him over and was said to see that the years had not been kind. He still looked formidable, but with the loss of his eye in 2024 and the injuries from that battle, he was not nearly as strong as before. She had always felt guilty about his eye. If she had been a bit more vigilant in Paris, the assassin would have been caught in time to prevent his pain. Out of pride, he had refused to let her heal the damage, and had simply had the woulds stitched closed. By all that was pure, he was stubborn at the most inconvenient times.

"Now that we are alone, perhaps we can speak freely?"

Jonathan smiled and was glad to see such strength. She had made him very proud. He saw her looking at the scar, and sighed. She had never forgiven him for not letting her use her blood to heal him. She did not understand. His body had betrayed him, and the scar was a reminder of that. He was getting old and he knew it. It took something that extreme to wake him up to the truth. He looked into her eyes, and found even more confidence than she had back when she left for her internship.

"I've come to say goodbye, My Arabella. I am returning to America. I have enjoyed the comfort you provided for me, but I need to be in familiar surroundings and to see old friends. You have your duties here and I distract you from them. You have made me more proud than I ever thought I could be, my daughter."

He took his cane in hand, lifting himself to his feet and moved to her side. He wrapped his arm around her, kissing her cheek.

"My choice is made, Arabella. There is no discussion, but know this. No matter where I am, no matter what happens, I will always be a part of you. I will always be proud of you. You have gone far beyond what Benito or I could have hoped for. I know he would be proud of you too. I only have one small request before I go. I have not heard you play in a a long time. I would like to hear it one more time before I leave, if you are willing."

Arabella felt a single blood tear crawl down her cheek and let it fall. He had made it clear, she would not be able to talk him out of this. She nodded and moved behind her throne, lifting the violin she always kept close. She returned to the alcove and began to play for him.



As she set down the violin, she knew that she would probably not see her Jonathan again. Time would take him, as it did all who aged so quickly. She moved to his side, kissing his cheek and holding him close, as they had done so long ago.

"I will miss you, Jonathan. You were my Maker more than Benito. He gave me the gift, but you gave me a life to live. I am happy that I have made you proud, and I will try to live up to that. I understand your wishes, but also know there is nothing I can say that will change your mind. I have been in touch with Vincent's daughter, Tessa. They have completed the upgrades to the estate in Bon Temps. You will be safer there than you would be anywhere else outside Italy. She and I both knew this day would come, I only wish it was not yet here."



She stood and smiled as best she could, taking a cloth to clean her face before summoning an assistant. As the young girl ran into the room, she paused.

"You will make arrangements for a first class charter to be ready this evening. It will be taking two passengers to Shreveport International Airport in America. You will see to any and all comforts for Jonathan during the trip, as well as after."

Arabella turned to Jonathan and smiled.

"She is a gift for you. Trained in medical skills as well as domestic duties. She is no fighter, but I am sure you can find some other use for her if the occasion arises. Her bloodline can be traced back to a colonial vampire and she has always wanted to see America, so it is a good match."

Quinn smiled at the 'gift' and could not help but chuckle. Arabella's hinting at more interesting skill sets the girl might possess had him curious. She had apparently been hand picked for him. It made him smile that Arabella still tried to out-think him. He stood and walked over to the girl, taking his time walking around her and chuckled. He nodded to Arabella and returned to sit.

"As is tradition here, we will have a small feat tonight to celebrate your journey. You will of course be the guest of honor, and on this I insist. Once things have calmed and you have had your rest, the plane will be ready for your trip."

She smiled at him, hoping to mask the sadness at the thought of him not being here anymore. He had been by her side since she first decided to make her play for control. He had thrown most of his influence into building her power base and helping her achieve her goals. He said that he would do anything he could to help his daughter with her dreams. She smiled inwardly at that. He had always seen her as a daughter, though there was a time she had hoped for it to be something far different. She would miss him, but was pleased that her gift had caught him off-guard. It was so rare that she could do that.

"Of course, your Majesty. I would not dream of missing it."

He grinned at her, pausing for a moment before speaking.

"Arabella, please tell your guests tonight that they do not need to hold back on my account. As you well know, I am not unaccustomed to how these 'feasts' tend to proceed. They should feel free to enjoy themselves."

He smiled knowingly at her and chuckled before standing again and walked to the girl.

"Come now, my little mouse, you can help me pick out an outfit for tonight. I know my daughter has much to do."

He glanced back at Arabella and winked as he curled his arm around the girl's waist and walked toward the exit.