Author's Note: I added another video of Cesare/Lucrezia above because the cover of "Tainted Love" here is so epic and conveys the heartache in the song so well since it's more acoustic than the original. It also was very fitting for this part. Hope y'all like it and the conclusion of this two-shot <3

The familiar scent of leather, metal, and a sweet aroma I couldn't quite determine filled my nose, effectively awakening me from my deep slumber. My eyes fluttered open to meet a pair of serene hazel eyes in the darkness and a smile split my face.

"Cesare!" I breathed and he gave me a warm smile before our lips collided in a kiss full of pent-up longing for the other.

It had been too long since I'd felt his strong arms around me, gathering me into his chest until there was no distance any longer between us. How many months had he been away? Three? Four? Too many for me to count.

I felt his tongue brush my bottom lip, demanding entry and I gave it willingly, losing myself in the ecstasy of this one kiss. My fingers tangled in his soft dark curls, his hands on my back as he held me tightly. All too soon though, we broke away for air and Cesare's hand dipped down to rest on my now very swollen stomach. He caressed my bump lovingly, fingers splayed across the sheer fabric of my nightgown.

"And how are my beautiful girls?" he asked me, his voice like velvet in the black of the night.

All the candles in the room had since sputtered out, leaving me in total darkness except for the light of the moon streaming in through the open balcony. But it was enough to light up his figure lying beside me, only half of his face still in darkness.

"It could be a boy," I pointed out with a knowing smile and he grinned over at me.

"Mother's intuition, I presume?" he joked, his hazel eyes sparkling with mischief.

I shrugged, intertwining our fingers as I did, "Intuition, fortune-telling, your sister's foreshadowing predictions - take your pick, husband,"

"Ah, but that, wife, would be heresy and that we cannot even merely begin to ponder,"

A smile was tugging at the corners of his plump pink lips once again, just begging for a kiss but I resisted as other matters we couldn't discuss sprang into my mind and pulled away from him to sit up in bed, "As if the Pope's son couldn't get away with such a dastardly thought,"

Cesare rolled his eyes, moving to a sitting position as well only to pull me back into his embrace, my back pressed to his chest while his arms encircled my stomach. He played with the wedding band on my finger, caressing my skin gently.

"What's wrong, my love?" he whispered into my hair, his warm breath giving me chills like always, "You aren't yourself,"

"It's nothing," I lied but my husband knew me better than that, knew all of my whims and self-preservation tactics almost as innately as his own military variety.

He said nothing, however - just held me in his arms as the silence stretched between us in the darkness of the night. Cesare was a great many things and the rumors of his tyranny were plentiful but...he was not one to press me when I did not want to talk. He always let me speak in my own time, in my own manner, in my own way. He never pushed me on anything, always letting me decide my own mind. It was not a common practice, for certain, but one that only made me love him more.

There were matters, though, that made me question the sanity of my decisions in loving such a man - like the abundant rumors of his infidelity. Because in the end, no matter how much Lucrezia and Vanozza assured me - I could never truly be satisfied if I didn't hear the honest denial of it from his own lips.

"How are your military exploits going?" I questioned suddenly.

Cesare was obviously surprised at this abrupt change in subject but, accustomed to my overly forthright nature, answered me immediately, "As to be expected, I suppose. There are a select few city-states in the Romagna that are proving...difficult but they should be easily subdued soon enough..."

Quietly, I drew a deep breath as emotions warred inside of me for dominance before finally settling upon the true reason for my dismay, "And your...other exploits?"

The question was a simple one, posed in a manner befitting an answer...if only an honest one would be presented in response. And so I waited - for the honesty I felt a loving wife such as myself deserved or more aptly, the denial a wife in my position would be placated with. Yet, my Cesare saw it all for what it was in the blink of an eye and smiling slightly, wrapped his arms around me tighter still.

"You've heard the rumors then," he said, a teasing smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he pressed a butterfly kiss to my neck.

I ripped myself free of his embrace, feeling like he was indeed placating me as tears sprung to my eyes unbidden, "I have, husband. And I was displeased to,"

Cesare, finally sensing my discomfort, moved closer to me before turning me slightly to face him. His hands cupped my face, tilting my eyes to the light so that he could clearly see the tears swimming therein.

"Is it true? Has someone else perpetually tainted our love?" I asked, a sob breaking my words in halves as my emotions came pouring out in a torrential flood of hot tears.

Wordlessly, Cesare gathered me to his chest and held me tighter than he ever had before. I could feel him shaking his head, his body taut with tension, "No, my love. Not for one second should you believe these vile rumors,"

He pulled away from me then, wiping away my tears with his thumbs as his hazel gaze locked on mine, "They're spread by those who wish to tear us apart, to drive a rift between us,"

"And who would dare do such? Who would want to-" I began but he cut me off.

"-the Sforzas, the Orisini, the Medici - all of them have reason enough. We're a match made in Heaven but a match advantageous to His Holiness all the same. And that, my love, gives them all the reason in the world. We are Borgias - outsiders and scandals abounding in the eyes of the Italian citizens. But mark my words - nothing can taint our love."

I gazed back at Cesare in the luminescent glow of the moonlight, feeling the burden on my heart lessen bit by bit. And despite all of the naysayers, the gossips, the warmongers, the rich, and all of those choosing to oppose this marriage, this unequivocal love - I knew in my heart that Cesare Borgia and I were destined to be together. That no matter what anyone could say or do, it would never taint, tarnish, or destroy our love. It was too powerful, too beautiful, too consuming to ever be touched by the abominable slander issuing from others.

My lips crashed into his in a heated kiss, Cesare pulling me into his lap so that there was no distance between us apart from my swollen belly where the next generation of Borgias was growing. And in that one single kiss, he absolved all of my doubt, reassured me so as not to fear, and sealed the promise of our celestial love.