I hope you read to Heron in voices KB

The Harold Song by Ke$ha

As soon as Desmond touched the Apple he felt a force on his body. A hand on his soul that froze him in place. He moved his eyes, trying to force his body to move. Images flashed through his mind, ancient things and old prophecies. A lot of it didn't make sense. Why? Why?

The force turned him. He could hear Juno talking to him, some more things about prophecy and destiny, but Desmond could barely hear her. It was like he was swimming through mud, his movements slow and forced. He started walking slowly back towards the others. He didn't really call them his friends. He didn't really have friends though. They weren't moving, but rather seemed to be locked in space. Desmond could see their eyes moving.

He was forced forward, and would have fallen and stumbled if the firm hand didn't seem to be around his neck keeping him upright. He shambled on stiff legs closer to them, the guide pushing him towards Lucy first. His hand flexed against his will, his hidden blade came out and images and understanding washed over him.

He saw what would be. He knew that there were Assassins heading towards the temple now, but there were Templars too. Lucy had called them. She'd called them both. They'd come for the Apple, and for Desmond but the faces who shoved him into a van were equally unknown to Desmond. He didn't know if they were friend or foe and he realized: it didn't matter. The future was the same. One way or another he'd be a captive of one of the organizations. Flavor didn't matter, he'd be a prisoner. He saw the Abstergo Eye, what the Templars would do with it, why it'd be bad, and ultimately that it'd fail if Lucy didn't die.

She'd ruin everything. He could feel that in the back of his mind. She will ruineverything. But there was something under that he couldn't pick apart. What would she ruin? A plan. What plan?

He was getting closer now. "No," he said softly, looking into Lucy's eyes. She was aware, staring at him, her eyes the only thing that could move, and she was afraid.

What was the point? What was the POINT!? It wasn't going to work! The Eye was a failure. The future painted to Desmond was the same if Lucy lived or died. He'd be strapped in an Animus 'for the good of the cause' by either side. He could feel a low current in his mind and he felt more than saw flashes of Rebecca and Shaun. He knew they were next.

His hand was drawn back and he stared in horror at Lucy. He couldn't stop. He didn't want to do this. He didn't need or want a pointless deaths on his hands! "No," he said again, amazed he could move his mouth. Tears collected at the edge's of Lucy's eyes, she knew he was about to hurt her. He didn't want this. He didn't want this. He didn't want this! HE DIDN'T WANT THIS!

"No!" he yelled as his hand was moved forward to deliver what would be a killing blow and under force of will changed the direction of the strike. He ended up sinking the blade deep into his own abdomen. His body was suddenly under his control again, his body going limp. The Apple fell from his weak fingers and rolled away. He stared at Lucy, breathing hard and she could move now.

"Desmond?" she asked, her eyes wide with shock and face white as milk.

Desmond tried to say something, but all that came up was blood. He knew the feeling of dying. He'd done it a thousand times already in the Animus. He wasn't afraid of death. Blood bubbled from his mouth and dribbled down his chin. "I told you I'd keep you safe," he managed to say and pulled the knife from his stomach. The strike had meant to kill Lucy, so it hadn't just been a stab in the chest, which he could have handle, but also a yank up on his arm, digging the blade through flesh. He'd given himself the wound instead and he could feel his lungs filling with blood.

He managed to stay standing a few seconds more before he collapsed.

"Desmond!" he heard them yell but Lucy was the one who was at his side in an instant.

"What happened?" Shaun yelled.

"Go get the others," Lucy ordered zipping up her jacket.

"But Lucy-

"Go get the others now!" she yelled, looking at the two of them, "They should be at the temple entrance. Run." Shaun and Rebecca looked overwhelmed even as Lucy was wriggling out of her shirt under her jacket. Of them only Lucy seemed to have her head together. The techs hesitated a moment before taking off, Rebecca sprinting, Shaun as fast as he could go.

Lucy leaned over him and pressed her shift, now balled up, to his abdomen. "Desmond, Desmond," she said and touched his face.

"I'm alive still," he said, staring up at her.

"What happened?" she asked in a whisper.

"Someone wanted me to hurt you," he said. "I couldn't. I wouldn't," he reached up and brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek.

She held them there. "Stay with me," she said, "don't sleep no matter what."

Desmond smiled tiredly, "I won't," he promised. "So long as you stay with me too." Lucy put more pressure on the wound. When Desmond glanced down he saw that her shirt was already deep red from his blood. "Its pretty bad isn't it?"

"You'll be okay," she promised, still holding his hand to her face.

"Promise?"

"I promise. Who'll keep me safe if you're gone?" she asked.

"Fuck, you're right," Desmond said, licking his lips, he tasted a lot of blood. At least being horizontal seemed to be keeping the blood out of his mouth.

They stayed like that for several minutes, Desmond just breathing, looking up at her, Lucy keeping pressure on the wound. Desmond felt himself weakening though. He knew what it felt like to bleed out. To have your life force slowly leave your body. He was feeling that now. Only it was worse because of the Bleeding Effect. He could see Ezio and Altair, like they were crows who'd come to fetch him to the afterlife. "Hey Lucy," he said, looking over her shoulder when they appeared.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"I think I'm hallucinating again," he said.

"No you aren't, kid," Altair said, in English, and he didn't have the same accent he'd had when Desmond had lived as him. He was wearing modern clothes too. He remembered that night where he thought he'd seen Ezio on the rooftops of Monteriggioni.

Lucy turned to see who had spoken. She didn't recognize the two of them like Desmond did. "Where's the Mentor?" she asked.

"Shaun and Rebecca are getting him," Altair said. He knelt next to Lucy and lifted her blood stained shirt from Desmond's chest. "We need to get him out of here. Where's Hawk?"

"Guarding the front," Ezio said. Who was Hawk?

"Who are you?" Lucy asked, "You aren't Assassins."

"Well we aren't Templars either," Altair said, "and that's the only reason you're even alive right now," and Lucy swallowed. Altair removed his sweat shirt and looped it around Desmond and tied it to keep the shirt in place and pressure on the wound. "Lets go, kid," Altair said and picked Desmond up. He groaned in pain. "I know it hurts, you'll be okay. Lets go," he told Ezio.

"Can I come?" Lucy asked. Altair and Ezio exchanged looks. "They'll kill me," she said.

Desmond reached out to her and grabbed her hand. He didn't want anything to happen to her. "You can come," Altair said, "keep up, and don't get in the way. Both sides are probably there by now," and Desmond let go of Lucy's hand as Altair carried him down the dais and through the temple. He did everything in his power to keep his eyes open as Altair jogged carrying him. Wasn't that hard since every step sent a lacing pain through Desmond's chest like he was on fire. But pain was good, it meant he wasn't dead.

They reached a stopping point but Desmond was so out of it by this point he barely knew what was going on. He just knew he hurt. He heard someone else talking but didn't know who and he couldn't hear them very well. Then he was aware them moving through the temple again, but not out of it. At least not out the way he and the others had come.

At some point he was laid down. "He needs a hospital," Ezio said, out of Desmond's vision. He tried to look around but the world was warped and blurry and spinning.

"Then drive," Altair said, leaning over him. He realized he was in the back of a van. He felt the van start up and begin to drive away.

"Lucy?" Desmond asked weakly.

"I'm here," Lucy pushed, pushed, Altair out of the way to get into his line of sight. She grabbed his hand, "I'm here."

Desmond smiled a little, "Good. Good," he closed his eyes a moment but opened them again so they wouldn't worry. Open eyes meant he was awake, meant he was alive.

"Move girl," Altair said and Lucy moved to the side, though held Desmond's hand. "This'll hurt a second," and he removed the shoddy tourniquet around him and lifted his hoodie and shirt. Desmond gasped when he felt a needle piece his skin. He was breathing hard when Altair finished and knew he was in shock. Well he'd been in shock the entire time but finally he was like 'shit I'm in shock'. "Drive faster," Altair ordered to whoever was driving.

He leaned over Desmond, "Deep breaths kid," he said holding Desmond's face in both hands. His hands were bloody and Desmond could smell his own blood on Altair's hands. "You're going to make it, its only been ten minutes since you were stabbed."

"Hard to breathe," Desmond said and more blood came up from his mouth when he tried to breathe deep like Altair said. He coughed and that hurt his entire body.

"We're here," Ezio announced from the front and someone was opening the back of the van. Altair picked him up and carried him into the the hospital. Ezio was calling in Italian for help and Desmond was placed on a stretcher.

Desmond looked to the side as they quickly wheeled him away. Lucy was standing next to Altair, Ezio, and another man he didn't know. Then they were out of sight and he was being run down a hallway, people talking in loud Italian around him. He finally went unconscious in the ER where they knocked him out to operate.

—

When Desmond came to he was in a white room, by himself, in a hospital and it was dark out. He felt like shit, but he was alive. The man he didn't recognize that had been with Altair and Ezio was sitting in a corner, typing at a laptop. Next to him, curled up in her chair, a hospital blanket draped over her, Lucy was sleeping. How long had he been out for?

He shifted around and took stock of himself. He had a catheter and a bed pan and was hooked up to a bunch of machines that were thankfully not beeping. He hurt like hell, but was breathing on his own.

His movement woke Lucy. She yawned and sketched, the blanket dropping away. Someone had gotten her a new shirt. She looked around blearily then realized Desmond was awake. "Desmond," she said and moved over to his bed.

"Hey," he said. "What happened?"

Lucy looked towards the man and the man was looking back, his face illuminate by the laptop. "They'll explain," she promised, looking back at him. "Its big," she said.

"Where's Shaun and Becca?"

"Not here. They're okay though."

"Who was that? I think I was having a Bleeding hallucination during that. It— it looked like Altair and Ezio."

Lucy said nothing a moment, "It'll all be explained okay?" she touched his head. "Its late now though, you should go back to sleep," she said running her thumb across his forehead, cupping the side of his head.

"Will you be here when I wake up?" Desmond asked.

She smiled faintly, "Yes," she said.

"Good," Desmond sighed, tired all the sudden. "I feel awful," he said.

"It'll pass, surgery usually is pretty rough," Desmond nodded slowly. "Go back to sleep," and she kissed his forehead.

"That made me feel better," Desmond said sleepily. He saw her mouth curve into a smile and kiss his cheek. "Man at this rate I'll be good as new in no time."

"Don't push it," she said.

"Have you not met me?" Desmond asked with a tired, cheesy, grin. Lucy leaned over and kissed him on the mouth and while he was slow to reply it was the best thing that had happened to him in months. "Good as new," he said when she pulled away.

"Go to sleep," she said gently. "You'll get all the explanation when you wake up."

"Okay," he nodded and she sat with him, holding his hand, gently running her thumb across his knuckles, until he finally did sleep.

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