Fireworks

(A/N: This whole story is a bunch of one shots. For now, they are all taking place after Discordant Harmony. Each chapter is a different one shot. This one, Fireworks, is not a songfic! Please enjoy!)

Summary- when blueprints/ideas go bad… And Altair and Tali are involved. You know this screams danger.

Altair always intended to teach Tali about his special explosives, make no mistake of that.

However, plans seem wasted on this particular group.

The day started normally enough. Altair and Ezio talked and brewed coffee. Yue and Rae cooked eggs and bacon with Barbara, Evanna's sweet mother.

Tali usually dragged her zombie self awake first, this morning was no different. She was followed by Peter, Eric, Carter, Damian, and Evanna respectively.

Nowadays, it was almost impossible to fit everyone around the table. Everyone squashed together somehow though. Usually, two people stood off to the side by the counter though, to help save space.

This particular morning, it was Yue and Altair. Yue, it transpired had not been as drunk as one might have thought and remembered her conversation with Altair by the fountain. She did not regret her decision, she stood by it.

But, this is unimportant.

Talking about what they were doing that day, Carter started off by saying he had lots of reports to work on. He informed Damian that he needed to send him to Agra, so don't make any grand plans. Damian agreed immediately, saying, "That's fine."

"Of course it's fine!" Ezio guffawed, "The pretty lady at the party lives in Agra, does she not? Planning a visit?"

"She has a name." Damian said quietly. But, suddenly too excited, he blurted, "She is beautiful though, isn't she?"

"What is her name?" Tali asked curiously.

"Brea." Damian replied. "Can I visit her while I'm in Agra, Carter?"

Carter laughed. "Of course, who am I to stop you?"

Damian almost skipped out of the room.

Still laughing, Carter turned to Barbara and asked her, "What are your plans for today?"

Smiling, she answered, "I'm teaching Evanna how to knit!"

One quick glance at Evanna, and everyone in the room, even Evanna and her mother, burst out laughing. The expression she had given them was, "I'm going along because it's my mother. Say. Nothing. Or you die."

Shaking his head, Carter turned to Eric and Peter, "And you two?"

Eric grinned, "We were, in fact, planning on helping you out at the Cave."

Surprised, Carter accepted their offer of help, and turned to Rae, who started talking before Carter could phrase his question, "Yue and I are training together." Yue raised her mug of coffee in agreement. "Whenever you're ready." Yue told Rae.

"And, Altair, how about you?" Carter asked quickly, so that he couldn't be cut off.

"I have a blueprint for a bomb I'm working on."

"Oh, can I help?" Tali asked excitedly.

"I don't know." Altair replied frowning. "It's a totally new concept, and it could be really dangerous."

Tali shrugged. "Ok then."

Soon after, everyone dispersed to their various tasks and such.

Carter, flanked by Peter and Eric went to the Cave. Evanna, looking like she was at a funeral, followed her mother to the living room for a lesson in knitting. Yue and Rae headed off to train in the forest with their swords. Ezio followed the two women, looking excited. Damian had long since left for Agra. And Altair sprinted to his workshop, which consisted of two horse stalls in the back of the stables.

With nothing else to do, Tali went around cleaning and feeding the horses currently in the enormous stable. In the mid-afternoon, she heard Altair cursing, and cautiously crept to the back.

In one stall, Altair was sitting at a desk, bent over a complicated looking design with many scratching and crossing outs. Disconnected parts and pieces littered the ground and floor. Several boxes labeled, "High explosives, treat with caution," lay off to the right side, resting on the hay still covering the floor.

In the stall right next to Altair's, was nothing but boxes. Many boxes, stacked on top of each other, all labeled, "Danger, high explosives, treat with caution."

Curious, Tali decided to come back. In the meantime, she crept past Altair again and headed into the cottage, to find Rae, Yue, and Ezio back as well. The three were arguing about a bout Ezio had apparently lost against the two girls.

Evanna, meanwhile, was sitting at the table glowering at her hands. "Look at what I did!" Evanna exclaimed when she caught sight of Tali at the door. Evanna waved her hands in the air. "Poked 'em all with needles! I am hopeless!"

Tali couldn't help but laugh at her friend. Evanna rolled her eyes. "I know. It's ridiculous."

"No, it's exactly what would have happened to me!" Tali laughed, and Evanna joined in.

Evanna used her poked fingers as an excuse to get out of helping make dinner, and Ezio claimed Altair needed him desperately, so Barbara, Tali, Rae, and Yue, became in charge of dinner. They decided on the old favorite of stew, and set to work.

… … …

After dinner, Tali, Rae and Yue, teamed up to force Ezio, Eric and Altair to clean up. The boys did so grudgingly.

Meanwhile, Tali took a torch and went back to the stables. She found the stall full of boxes, and peered around, as though hoping for a clue. She took a small step forward, and then jumped when Carter's voice rang out, "What are you doing?"

During her jump, Tali had dropped the torch right onto a box.

What Tali didn't know was that all of these boxes were filled with explosives, and when they met fire, like, say, a torch, they exploded.

So, they exploded.

"RUN!" Tali yelled, running and grabbing Carter's arm and pulling him through the stables and outside. Everyone else joined them outside, just in time to watch the stable roof blow off, in a shower of sparks and flame. Explosions continued to rocket skyward and blow up as the flames spread.

Luckily, Peter had the presence of mind to remember to get the horses out of the stables before they died, and all the animals were rescued.

Finally, all the explosions ceased, and Carter turned to Tali. Slowly, everyone else turned to look at her in annoyance too.

Tali grinned sheepishly. "So, I'm guessing that was all bad, right?"

Altair was furious with her, "All my bombs, all those explosives, gone! They are expensive!"

"Yeah…sorry." Tali said, still sheepish.

Carter was equally angry with Tali, and added, "And why don't you take a look at the roof! Oh, you can't! It's been blown straight off!"

Suddenly, Tali was grinning mischievously, and she said cheerfully, "And it was epic."