Title: The Raven and The Eagle

Author: Painofthewhiteclaudia aka Malicewithalice

Rating: M (for future)

Summary: Set in an AU, Desmond finds himself with a powerful new ally that has ties with him from the past. Shaun thinks that there is more to this than it seems. Des x OC Eizo X OC

Prologue: Ombre di un alleato dimenticato

Café Angelo's rich cream coloured walls and espresso scented air caused the tension to melt away a small amount of Shaun Hastings' unwanted stress. The brunette British man looked up to see Desmond finally putting their orders with the barista, which caused his eyebrow to arch slightly when she rolled her eyes. Apparently, Desmond was attempting to flirt with her, but it had failed. He was going to make this the final stop of the wasted day. Shopping was a time waster in Shaun's eyes, but he had to suffer since he literally drew the short straw between himself, Lucy and Rebecca. After the various clothing stores and street venders, he had enough and just walked in the first place he noticed that didn't deal with clothing in any way. His silent fuming was broken by the smell of his latte, a treat from Desmond for putting up with the torture. "Sorry, that it had to be you, Shaun." Desmond's voice sounded sincere in the apology. "I was hoping that Lucy would have just come along so I could talk about something."

"And I should care why?" Shaun silenced himself with a sip of his drink, noting the nutty flavor of the roasted coffee beans. "If you needed to talk to Lucy, then you should have just said so."

"I tried, but she didn't listen. I think that I stumbled upon another ally." Desmond took a sip of his sweetened coffee then put the cup down, as if he was waiting for a dramatic response from Shaun. "There is another piece of the puzzle that we are not seeing here, and she might be it."

"A 'She'? What the fuck are you thinking, Desmond?" That was it: he was going to kill the boy in his sleep once they made it back to the compound. He leaned over the table and answered in a deadly hiss, "You are putting us in even more danger."

"She didn't glow red."

The statement threw him off just enough to stop killing the poor bastard right there. Leaning back into the chair, he sighed. "What colour?"

"Blue, she glowed blue."

"I am going to kill you when we get back home, Desmond."

"Give her a chance, Shaun. I..." Desmond was distracted by a woman with shoulder length raven hair entering the establishment. The barista on duty smiled and waved, clearly marking her as either a regular or the owner. Her overall appearance screamed of professionalism, so Shaun was guessing the latter. While being, Desmond guessed about 5'4" tall; she was toned and lean but still had curves that would make men trip all over themselves. Both of them noticed that she carried herself differently from anyone else. The aura of power she displayed wasn't like anything either of the men had seen. Despite nervous air that appeared, Desmond pulled out a chair for her. "I would like you to meet Aria."

"And does Aria have a last name?"

"I do and it is del Leone." Aria cut in, sitting next to Desmond. Crossing a gray silk trouser covered leg, she couldn't help but smile. "I hope that you are enjoying the latte. I do take pride in my little establishment."

"It's delicious. Forgive me, but are we safe here?"

"Yes, you are always welcomed here. The Templar Knights are not, and they tend to avoid this district by all means possible." She smiled at Shaun, her eyes narrowed slightly. She slowly let her smile drop which caused her blue eyes to darken. "I will tell you more once I meet with your leader, Lucy."

Shaun's lips drew into a thin line, but he didn't say anything else. As forty million questions raced through his head, words started to fail him. He ran a hand through his short brunette hair, knowing what might happen next. "Is there any message that I should give to her?"

"Yes." She handed Shaun a disk. "You might want to look at it as well. I have read your theories about the events of the world, and I will admit that I am impressed. Sadly, even you found yourself dealing with some serious holes in events. The usage of Genetic Memory isn't one hundred percent reliable."

Desmond suddenly felt a chill from the stare down that he was currently caught between. "So, I guess that I will see you later then, Aria?" He sighed a bit, after they broke off contact. He knew that Shaun was clearly unnerved by her, even though the Brit was trying to hide it.

"You know where to find me, Desmond. You always have." She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. After that, she stood up and walked to her office behind the café's coffee bar. Shaun had enough of everything at this point.

"Desmond Miles, so help me God, that I. DON'T. KILL. YOU." His voice was barely a whisper, but it didn't escape the intended target. "What the hell did you get us into?"

"I will explain once we get back to the compound." With that remark, Desmond stood up and picked up his bags, leaving a dumbfounded Shaun behind.