Before the Dawn
Summary: Altair eavesdrops on a conversation involving Shell and realizes she's in danger.
Game: Assassin's Creed
Category: drama/romance
Pairing: AltairxShell
…
Altair slowly walked down the hallway, bored. There had been no missions lately and Shell was back in her world, finishing school. He frowned and sighed.
All of a sudden, he heard faint voices talking.
Altair lifted his head and listened more closely. The voices of Al Mualim and another man. It's wrong to eavesdrop…..he thought and listened to the conversation.
"You needed to see me sir?"
"Yes, I want you to go into the future and kill Shell."
Altair froze completely. W-what?
"May I ask why sir?"
"She poses a threat to the Assassin's. I believe she may be a spy."
Shell would never do that! She's never done anything to be a threat!
"Kill her and report back to me."
"Yes sir."
Altair rushed down the hallway and into Malik's room. "Brother!"
Malik winced. "And why are you barging into my room?"
"Al Mualim has declared an assassination against Shell." Altair breathed.
Malik's eyes widened. "What? Are you sure you heard right brother?"
"Yes, I am positively sure!" Altair replied, putting his foot down. "We have to go find her and tell her!"
In the year 2014…..
Shell sighed as she walked over to her car. She always parked it in a spot that she would always remember. She was about to unlock her car, but then a hand grabbed the back of her jacket and pulled her backwards. The chain of her necklace broke and clattered to the ground, along with her backpack.
Shell whirled around and punched the person in the face. The person recoiled and she realized the person was dressed as an Assassin. But it wasn't Altair or Malik. The person unsheathed his hidden blade and swung, nicking her arm. "What the hell man?!" she shouted.
The man kicked her in the stomach, distracting her and then dragged her into an ally way. She didn't get time to react until a blade was thrusted into her abdomen. Her scream of pain was muffled by the Assassin's hand as he twisted the blade, causing blood to trickle down her chin.
He yanked the blade out and she fell to the ground, clutching her bleeding wound. Blood seeped through her fingers and began to make a small puddle around her. "A-Altair…" she whimpered, her vision darkening. The Assassin sheathed his blade and then disappeared into thin air. She felt her very life fading away and the last thing on her mind before she blacked out was….
Altair…
Altair and Malik finally arrived in 2014, right by a strange vehicle. Altair knelt down and picked up the necklace. The chain was broken and the necklace was Shell's portal to arrive in the past. He saw blotches of blood on the ground and his stomach twisted.
"Oh-no…" he whispered and followed the small trail of blood. It led to a small ally way and his amber eyes widened. "Shell!" he rushed over and gently rolled her onto her back. She had been stabbed deeply in the abdomen and he wasn't sure if she was alive or not. Her skin was deathly pale. "C'mon Shell, open your eyes!" he leaned down to her chest, listening for a heartbeat.
He gasped when he heard one, but very faint. "She's alive!" he lifted her up bridal-style and Malik used the necklace to get back to their time.
…
That bastard will pay for this. Altair fumed mentally, sitting outside of Shell's bedroom. She was barely alive when they got back and secretly worked on her wound. Splotches of blood stained his robe, but that was the least of his worries right now.
The door opened and Malik walked out, blood on his face and clothes. Altair stood quickly. "Is she….?"
Malik held up his hand, silencing his brother. "Before you speak, answer a question for me. When was the last time you or Shell got drunk?"
Altair was taken back by the question. "A couple weeks ago….why? That's not what I'm here for! Is she okay?"
Malik sighed. "She's alright….but the baby isn't."
Altair froze. "W…what? What do you mean….?"
"When you two got drunk, Shell left quickly the next morning. She told me not to mention anything to you and just let everything move on." Malik answered. "To put in simple terms, you two screwed each other when both of you were drunk that night."
The Assassin felt like fainting. He didn't even remember anything from that night! "A-and…?"
"She was pregnant Altair. But she was stabbed in the abdomen, right where the baby was. The baby while Shell was dying."
Altair slumped against the wall of the hallway. "She'll live, but she'll now be scarred internally for the rest of her life. She might be able to have children in the future, but it will be painful for her."
The Assassin didn't stop the tears from trickling down his face. He could've had a child….he could've been a father. He slumped down to the ground and cried into his knees. Malik sighed sadly and laid his hand on his brother's hood-covered head. "I am sorry Altair."
…
"Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggg ggghhhhhhhhhhh…" Shell groaned and had a bit of trouble opening her eyes. A warm hand was touching her cold one and she struggled to open her eyes. Finally, her grayish-green eyes opened and met amber ones. "Altair….?"
His hood was down and she could clearly see his face. He smiled sadly. "I'm glad you're alright Shell. But…answer a question for me. Do you remember the night we both were drunk?"
A look of shame came onto her face. "Yeah…." She mumbled. "If you're mad at me…."
"No, I'm not mad at all. I'm just…" he paused, gripping her hand tightly. "After that night, did you feel sick at all?"
"Not really…couldn't keep down my food for a couple days. I guess I was sick." She replied. "Altair, what happened?"
He sighed sadly. "You were pregnant Shell. But when you were stabbed, the baby died."
Her eyes widened. "W-what…?"
"Malik told me after he cleaned up your wound…..you were pregnant…but we couldn't do anything to save the baby."
She stared at him for a moment and then began to cry. "Some Assassin tried to kill me Altair!"
"I know…..Al Mualim sent out the order. He sought you out as a threat."
"But why? I didn't do anything to him!"
He just pulled her to him, letting her cry into his chest. He'll pay for this…. He thought angrily.
Two days later, Al Mualim was killed.
