"Is it Christmas time already? The weather's still a bit too warm, I'd say," the old man said, looking up at the cloudless sky in confusion.

"You haven't changed a bit, my friend." Max laughed, patting Antonio on the back. "But I am a bit early this year."

"You were always quite unpredictable," the old man scoffed. "But I see that you didn't come alone this time."

Max turned toward Reine, his face beaming with happiness. "Signor Antonio, I didn't think we'd ever get this chance, but you finally have the honor to meet the woman I've told you so much about."

Antonio looked at him with wide eyes. "You don't mean . . .? Is this really her?" He grabbed Reine's hands and stared into her eyes. Squeezing her fingers, he began to smile. "Wonderful, wonderful! You have so much to tell me. Now, let's not stand here all day. Get inside, the two of you," he said with newfound enthusiasm.

They followed Antonio into a white marble hallway, and Reine's inner art historian emerged in full force.

"I've forgotten how magnificent this place is," she whispered to Max, close by her side.

He looked around. "Really? I've always found it a little bit creepy. What is it with all of those lizards everywhere?"

Reine chuckled. "Those are salamanders, not lizards."

"Eh. Same difference." He shrugged.

"Well, I'm sure a herpetologist would disagree. Unfortunately, I can't tell you the biological reasons; however, I do know that the salamander was Francis the First's personal royal symbol. That's why he had it carved into the walls, ceilings, and doors all throughout the castle," she said, pointing upward to the dozens of little animals dotting the coffered ceiling. "The salamander was thought to be a special type of lizard that could withstand the flames of a fire. That's where Francis' motto 'nudrisco il buono e spengo it reo' or 'I nourish the good and extinguish the bad' came from, as well. I think they're quite cute, actually. Wait, why aren't we following him?"

They had gotten to the end of the hallway. While Antonio had turned left, Max had pulled her to the right.

"Because that's his staircase, and this is the way to ours," he explained, nodding toward the open double-helix design in front of them. Instead of going up - as she had expected - they began to descend. "He's been superstitious about going with someone else ever since a chambermaid accidentally bumped into him in 1831-"

"It was in thirty-two, and it was no accident! That trollop wanted to kill me," Antonio yelled from somewhere on the other side of the spiral-shaped staircase. His voice reverberated off the polished walls, and it was impossible to tell his exact location.

"In any case," Max continued, as they took the marble treads downwards. "He refuses to allow anyone on that side for fear of a repeat performance."

The story made Reine watch where she placed her feet on the narrow steps even more carefully. "Of course he does. Can you imagine how much of his past he forgot that day?"

"Oh, don't encourage him, darling." Max laughed. "His paranoia is insufferable as it is."

"I am not paranoid!" Antonio yelled again. Their playful banter made Reine smile, but by the time they reached the bottom, she was ready to sit down. After waiting for the old man to catch up, they followed him into a rustic kitchen.

The vaulted ceilings easily held the extreme weight of the castle above, and a few small windows let in the outside light. A huge wood-burning fireplace lined one wall, while a cast iron stove stood in the center of the room. There was also a large table flanked by two benches, where Reine immediately took a seat.

"I wasn't expecting any visitors, so we'll just have to make due with what's on hand." Antonio scurried across the terra cotta floor to a pantry on the far end. "My boy, you still remember the way to the cellar, don't you?"

Max didn't have to be asked twice and quickly excused himself.

"Do you need any help, Signor Antonio?" Reine asked after hearing clattering and rustling coming from the pantry.

After a few seconds of silence, Antonio emerged with an arm full of food. "No, no. I'm perfectly fine, young lady." He smiled, dumping the bounty onto the table in front of her. It included everything that a respectable country estate always had on hand: ham, sausage, bread, and several types of cheese.

She arranged everything neatly, while the old man shuffled along to a cupboard and pulled out three plates and a large knife. Back at the table, he began to cut generous slices from everything, making Reine's mouth water as she watched. By the time he was done, Max had returned.

"I think an '82 Chateau Latour should go nicely with this." He placed a dusty, green bottle on the table.

"An '82? The only thing better would have been the '49!" Antonio exclaimed before stuffing a piece of the crusty bread into his wide mouth.

"I must have missed that one. Where did you hide it, old man?" Max teased.

"Don't even think about it. See, this is why I won't let him live here," he addressed Reine. "He'd drink up my entire wine cellar in just a few weeks' time."

"Well, we are celebrating, after all." Max searched for a corkscrew in one of the cupboard drawers. He also grabbed three goblets and after opening the bottle, filled each one with the dark, burgundy liquid.

"Max, you know I can't," Reine whispered to him between bites of cheese, eyeing her wine.

It took him a second to realize her meaning. "Oh, that's right." He took the drink from in front of her. After first sniffing it, he swished the liquid gently until it coated the sides of the clear glass. Satisfied with the results, he slowly drank half of its contents.

"Amazing." He savored the taste, closing his eyes for a few seconds to block out any distractions.

"Is something wrong, my dear?" Antonio put a wrinkled hand on hers after noticing Reine's hesitation.

She didn't want to bring up the reason for their visit so soon and changed the subject. "Forgive me, Signor Antonio for my inquisitiveness, but Max has been rather secretive about both you and the Confraternita della Risurrezione. So I was wondering, why does a distinguished Florentine nobleman like yourself live in France?"

"I never meant to be so far from my homeland, for sure," the old man said as he scratched his graying temple. "I was rather hoping that the Emperor would have been able to keep control over Tuscany and then we'd all be under one flag."

"He means Napoleon," Max interjected as he sat down next to her.

Reine grimaced. "Yes, I know who he means. Go on, Signor Antonio."

The old man sighed. "But then the fool lost it all to those damn Hapsburgs and got himself exiled in the process. As you most likely know, this gave the Sardinian the chance to unify our once magnificent the city-states, which haven't been the same since. How he was able to accomplish that, I'll never know, but then I just got used to being here. It's rather quiet and peaceful, wouldn't you say?"

"It definitely is, you're right about that," she agreed with a smile. "And do you still lead the confraternity?"

He chuckled. "As with most men my age, I'm just a figurehead. I give the illusion of being in charge. It gives a sense of stability to the organization, but it's people like Massimo here who do the real work these days." He raised his glass toward Max in salute, and both men took a drink of their wine.

Reine swallowed her mouthful of sausage before responding. "How lucky it was that you found him, then."

"Oh, it had nothing to do with luck." The old man grinned across the table. "We were meant to meet."

"That's funny. You've said the same thing about us." She turned toward Max, who was cutting a thin slice from the ham.

He popped a piece into his mouth before responding, "And if I remember correctly, you didn't believe me."

"Of course I didn't." Reine shrugged. "It's so cliché."

"Not with us, it isn't," Max said.

"He's quite right, my dear," Antonio interjected. "Immortals - whether they've already discovered their gift or if it's still just predetermined in them - subconsciously gravitate toward each other. It's a certain unexplainable attraction, whether of a platonic, unbreakable friendship or an irrepressible passion. That is why I knew the first time I met young Massimo that I had to keep an eye on him." He patted Max's hand across the table in a display of familial affection. "I didn't approach him for several years thereafter, not until he became invincible. Even then, I allowed him some time to deal with his newfound state by himself. When we finally united our wits, we established the network of support for immortals that neither of us had in our darkest days."

"Do you mean we're powerless to resist this attraction?" she asked, recalling her former love for the man sitting next to her.

"Not at all." Antonio shook his head. "Destiny can only set up the opportunity. It's your own free will that determines whether you decide to take advantage of it."

"I wonder what destiny would say about our situation," she muttered to Max.

Antonio looked confused again. "What's that?"

Reine bit her lip and hesitated for a second. "Max has something he needs to ask you."

"Go on, then. Out with it," the old man urged with wide eyes.

Max finished his wine and placed the goblet back on the wooden table with a thud. "She's pregnant, yet still impervious to harm. Have you ever seen anything of the sort?"

Antonio scratched his bulbous nose. "Of course there are rare cases where a woman conceives before she turns, but she always has to give birth before dying or else the child is lost. But an immortal with child? No, no, no. That is quite unheard of."

"Well, that's too bad." Max broke off another piece from his bread, looking as untroubled as if he'd just been told about tomorrow's weather.

"That's it?" His calm demeanor baffled Reine. She looked at him inquisitively, but Max remained unfazed.

"I guess we'll just have to figure this one out on our own." He continued to eat.

"How-?" she began, but the echo of a male voice rang down the stairwell asking for the old man's whereabouts.

"Antonio, êtes-vous là-bas?"

"Yes, I'm down here. I mean oui, je suis là. Descendre," Della Catena answered, and within a few seconds, two well-dressed men appeared. He greeted them with familiarity. "Ah, bonjour Christophe! Etienne! Quelles nouvelles apportez-vous?"

In response to the query for any news, one of the men approached Antonio and handed him a note. After reading it, the old man folded it in two and passed it over to Max. "I'm afraid our visit today will be a short one."

Max rose to his feet and quickly scanned the message. Stepping to Antonio, he concurred with the old man's assumption. "Thank you for your hospitality, my friend. I promise I'll be back this winter." He ended with an embrace.

Reine also bid a quick goodbye to the Marchese and walked with Max up the stone, spiral staircase.