Y'all should bless me for this double update. haha

Sophie and Fitz boarded the plane. This was their third transfer and at this point, both of them were tired and Sophie couldn't help but groan.

Fitz sighed, "Why can't humans light leap like normal people do?"

Sophie grinned. "Who are you calling abnormal? Humans think we're the weird ones. And besides, we humans are a bit behind on technology and modernized forms of transportation." FItz grinned back at her and lugged his suitcase towards the security area.

The woman in charge of security took one look at Sophie and Fitz and their arms around each other and scoffed. "You two don't know how lucky you are," she said grimly.

Sophie was confused. "What?"

"You guys have each other. I mean, you guys should be treasuring this moment in your life because trust me, it ain't gonna last. In a few years you guys are going to get tired of each other and one of you is gonna cheat on the other and tears and flying objects will be involved and then you'll say some things that you can't take back and you're never going to see each other again and poof: there's another dead love."

Sophie stared at Fitz who stared back at her like Is she okay? Sophie shrugged and turned to the woman, who was wearing a name tag that said Donna.

"Donna, are you okay?" she asked gently. This woman had obviously been through a lot.

Donna waved her off and pushed her through the security. "Clear." She did the same to Fitz and just as they were about to walk off and leave her and her pessimism behind she turned to them and said, "My husband and I just got divorced and I just can't take seeing all these happy couples. I'm really sorry for everything I said and I wish you two the best." Then she turned back to the next person in line, who was stewing about the long wait.

Sophie turned to Fitz and said, "I hope she finds love again."

"She will."

"I don't know. Humans don't have infinite lifespans like elves do. But I really hope something goes right in her life." She got on her tiptoes and kissed Fitz swiftly.

He reacted quickly. "What was that for?"

"I love you. Let's never be like Donna and her ex."

He nodded. "Never." He leaned down and kissed her again and then they went to board their plane.

Finally, they were seated on the plane and Sophie was in a window seat. She was able to look outside as the plane lifted off the ground.

"So, where are we going?" she asked. "How many transfers do we even need?"

"That was the last one. And we're going somewhere European." He smiled at her as her eyes brightened. Europe was notorious for being the most romantic continent and her mind was spinning with possible ideas. She knew Fitz wasn't going to be overly cheesy by taking her to Paris but then where else? Italy? Greece? Somewhere else in France?

As Sophie thought, Fitz drifted off to sleep and Sophie smiled at her husband. His immaculate hair was tousled as his head lolled back against his seat. His mouth was calm and his face was serene. His eyes were closed, something that she rarely got to see and she admired his high cheekbones and smooth skin. After a while, she finally fell asleep too.

The plane made dinging noises and Sophie awoke, only to see Fitz's smiling face, reddened from being caught staring. She yawned and asked groggily, "Are we here?"

He nodded. Sophie winced from the pressure as the plane descended. Finally, they reached the ground. They stood up, grabbed their luggage, and waited for the people to surge forward. Finally, they reached the outside, and Sophie took in a deep breath.

"Oh my God. Are we in Italy?"

Fitz nodded. "Roma, to be exact. It's the capital."

She nodded dumbly, her mind numb from the sounds and the scents and the sights as they exited the airport. She could hear the people around her speaking the native Italian language in different dialects, though she could understand every word, being a Polyglot. She could also hear some French and other languages and the occasional wisp of English from the tourists. She could smell tomato sauce from the pizza places all around her. She watched as people ate from small bowls of gelato and large plates of pesto spaghetti with white creamy alfredo sauce. She saw a newspaper boy shouting in Italian to get the evening news. She watched as a group of kids stared greedily into the window of a small candy shop.

"I love it here already," Sophie said to Fitz.

"Let's go find our hotel." Sophie nodded in agreement and followed Fitz who took her down a few long winding roads into a large industrial square. She trailed after Fitz, taking in everything, until they reached their hotel. Rome Times. She followed him inside and watched as he checked everything. Even the hotel was gorgeous. They took the elevator up to the top floor and much to Sophie's surprise, exited in the penthouse.

She could see all of Rome from up there. She could see fountains and buildings and people and the occasional dog jumping around. The hotel wasn't the highest so she could see more than she could if she was higher.

The first thing they did was eat. They went to a pizza place that their cab driver recommended and found that the pizza there was much better than what Sophie was used to. The ingredients were just fresher and tasted better as a whole. They had mineral water and for dessert, the special gelato that the waiter boosted and praised highly. Both Sophie and Fitz were tired so they went back immediately and showered, changed, and fell promptly to bed.

The next morning, they were awoken by a maid who served them breakfast in bed, saying it was a part of the special penthouse deal. They had omelets with spinach and cheese and ham and orange juice that the maid assured was "just juiced today." After breakfast, they set out to see the Colosseum because that was what Sophie had wanted to see her whole life. Fitz already had their tickets and they spent all day there, skipping lunch and instead drinking sodas that Fitz had brought in his backpack. They had the special kind of tickets so that they got to see the tunnels that the gladiators saw so many years ago. They got to see where the emperor sat and Sophie had the greatest time staring at everything. They took so many pictures on their cameras that they had to go to a tiny film shop to buy film.

They went to dinner and had pasta with melted cheese and tomato sauce with glasses of wine that Sophie found she didn't like. They had cheesecake with blackberries and then retired at the hotel.

The next day, which was also their second to last, they went to visit an art museum "Castel Sant'Angelo" where they saw impressive paintings that Fitz seemed more interested in than Sophie. They also took pictures and went to a print shop to print out their favorites to send to Keefe and Biana and Tam and Linh and Dex. Towards the evening, they went to the gondolas and took a tour of the city. For dinner, they had grilled salmon filet with lemon and parsley and more sparkling water. Sophie went home full and satisfied.

On their last day, they visited the Sistine Chapel and saw the impressive works of art that decorated the ceiling. Sophie's neck ached from craning her head to see everything. They took an art class where Sophie learned how to paint Renaissance-style though it didn't really work out and in which she professed that she was "just no good in art". Fitz's, however, turned out magnificent and he kept his in a frame.

In the evening, they had their last dinner, though it was over candles and overlooking the river. It was beautiful and Sophie teared up at the thought that they had to leave the next day. They went to a fountain in the center of a square of sorts and took all sorts of romantic pictures with a professional photographer whose sole job was to photograph couples in front of the fountain. He spoke in rapid Italian and poor Fitz had no idea what was going on as Sophie moved his arms around her waist and his lips to hers and her hands to his hair as she followed the directions of the photographer. Finally, they got all the pictures they needed and Sophie was truly happy.

The next day, as they were packing up, Sophie questioned, "Do you think we'll ever come back here one day?"

Fitz nodded. "Of course, why not? It could be our second honeymoon in ten years. We can come back, see how things have changed..." Sophie nodded.

"I just wish we could stay longer."

Fitz nodded, agreeing with her. "Me too. But... we have to hurry this along if we ever want to get back to the Lost Cities." He stopped packing for a minute and put his arms around his wife's waist, much like one of the poses in the pictures from earlier. "Remember, Soph, we have forever together."

Sophie nodded. "Forever and ever and ever."