In a haze of her… of her scent, and the feel of her in his arms, the delicate tones of her voice, and that dazzlingly sweet and tender smile… in such a state did Alessandro follow blissfully along behind the young man that led them from the dance floor. It took him a moment to read Nicoletta’s intentions for them, and when he did he nearly gasped.<br/><br/>He was to be tended to, it seemed, and his Heart had seen fit that it would be Serafina who would stand with him.<br/><br/>The gift of such a thing nearly brought him low, for it was a kindness he was not expecting. Had he not alarmed her? Caused her concern? And yet even then, his beloved sent the Angel to stand with him. There was a beauty in such a gesture on Nicoletta’s part, and he was grateful beyond words.<br/><br/>Was there not an inescapable intimacy in such a moment, the lovely girl holding his hand as he was tended to? Being present as he was treated, as only someone close to him might be? A loved one, and one who might also hold him dear?<br/><br/>The magnanimity of the gesture on Nicoletta’s part reached the very core of the jaded Alessandro, and his mouth went suddenly dry as he realized that her greatness extended to all things. His Heart was simply impossibly good to him, and he so very clearly did not deserve her. She approved, and indulged. She supported and encouraged, challenged and inspired. In all ways, she loved.<br/><br/>She approved, and now they were three. Only such a creature as Nicoletta could countenance such a thing, and had in her heart the ability to embrace it not as some aberration of their relationship, but rather to see it as them growing – as there simply being<em>more</em>.<br/><br/>It was puzzling, though, that Serafina asked about his shoulder as they walked. Whatever would she ask that for, when it was his heart that was at risk? When it was the very pulse within him that threatened to overwhelm his senses and leave him gasping in awe and want of the perfection that was his Angel?<br/><br/>Only upon consideration did the question make sense, and then such an idea brought not worry, but an amused smile. Seeing the door they were being led to, Alessandro motioned their guide off, and stopped in the hallway for a moment of conversation with the vision of beauty upon his arm.<br/><br/><strong>”My dear and darling Serafina, your question delights me of course, for such a thing is clearly asked of concern and affection – both of which, received from you, are as gifts to my very soul. But no, my Angel, my shoulder is of no import. Only the heady realization that we have danced, you and I, is of significance. Only that we have held each other in embrace, and this is exquisite and vital to me, of an importance to me that I cannot help but cherish it.”</strong><br/><br/>He kissed her forehead then, and if it seemed as if he trembled at the contact of his lips upon her smooth and perfect skin, well perhaps he did. Perhaps even the consummate rogue that was Alessandro could recognize that in some moments one<em>should</em>by humbled by the good fortune the gods have set before us.<br/><br/><strong>”We have danced, you and I. We have held each other. We have <em>begun</em>.”</strong><br/><br/>He caressed her cheek with his thumb, then scowled playfully and removed first her mask and then his own. Discarding them upon a nearby chair, he smiled gently at her and met her gaze.<br/><br/><strong>”No masks. Not for us, and not now, for we truly have begun. I am afraid that there might be no mask in the world which could conceal that which you likely already know. You must know this thing, do you not? That I am already lost in you? That my love for Nicoletta will never fade, not by any measure, and yet I cannot help but feel such things towards you as well?”</strong><br/><br/>Without hesitation he took her into his arms, and his face unashamedly reflected the nearly reverent delight he experienced at the contact with her delicate form.<br/><br/><strong>”Call me greedy if you must, Serafina! Call me covetous, and I shall not raise a word in my own defense. I am these things and more. But know that you have a place – a treasured and beloved place here with Letta and I, and one uniquely your own. I cannot bear the thought of any other such an arrangement for you, nor the thought that you should ever engage in the trade which brought you to us. You are home, Fina, and the very <em>world</em> shall be yours.”</strong><br/><br/>With a frown and a sigh he looked to the nearby door, behind which he knew waited the physician with his tools of the trade.<br/><br/><strong>”If we don’t go in, they’ll only come looking for us. I suppose it’s best to simply have it over with. But first…”</strong><br/><br/>Alessandro pulled her even closer, and bent his lips to lightly brush against hers. He did not kiss her, not yet, but when he spoke his soft lips feathered against her own.<br/><br/><strong>”Our physician is both talented and skilled, but there is <em>nothing</em> that would better convince my soul to continue living than this.”</strong><br/><br/>Tenderly at first he kissed her, and his soft gasp at the touch of her lips to his was not feigned. At first he merely expressed his<em>need</em>for her through the embrace, his desperate and consuming need to feel her in his arms. It was only as the kiss drew longer that she might come to understand that such a powerful need was nothing, not a whit, compared to what he<em>felt</em>.<br/>