Shaun doesn't say anything until William's sobs have vanished down the length of the temple. Then he says, "You could have let him die."
"William?" Desmond shakes his head, a quick side to side movement that allows no argument. "No."
"Not William," Shaun says. "Your father. I know you must have been tempted."
"I was," Desmond answers. "At Abstergo. That's why he's a child now, Shaun. I did that." He takes a deep breath. "On purpose, because I was mad and scared and weak. I wanted him to feel what I felt, and the apple made it seem so easy."
And this is the final confirmation of a theory Shaun has held for quite some time now. "He hit you, didn't he?" Shaun says. "You're half covered in scars, and they're old. You won't talk to anyone about what happened in the Farm, or why you left. He was scared of you because the apple made him feel what you felt, and you're scared of him. And that day, when we all went out together, he was terrified of what you would do to punish him for getting lost. And you said-"
"I said 'I'm not you'," Desmond finishes. "Yea, Shaun. You caught me. My dad used to hit me every time I made a mistake, or he thought I wasn't listening well enough, or because he needed a punching bag and I was the most convenient. I ran away when I was sixteen, and thought that I'd never have to see him again. So when he came back, and the apple gave me a chance at revenge, I- I took it."
Shaun nods, even though he can't understand why anyone would do that- of course, his parents had been loving and supportive, rather than abusive and violent. Maybe there's no way he can understand. "What changed?" he asks. "You're obviously not mad at him anymore."
"He did," Desmond says. "I got my revenge, and he… changed. He wasn't the same person, so I couldn't hate him."
"Because it was your fault?" Shaun pushes. "Is this just about guilt?"
"No!" Desmond snaps. "Come on, Shaun, the world's about to end! Is this really that important?"
"Yes," Shaun says. "Because you're about to die, and someday William is going to want to know how you really felt about him. He's going to ask, and I want to have an answer.
That makes Desmond pause, and Shaun doesn't think there is a single reason other than William that could have made him answer the way he does. "Fine," Desmond says. "I love my father, and that's the truth. I loved him when I was a kid, when he was beating the shit out of me, even when I hated him, too. I never wanted to, because he was an asshole, and it would be so much easier if I didn't care. But he's my dad. I can't help caring, and I thought I finally had a chance to have a real relationship. But now…"
Shaun nods. Over the past few days, he's seen Desmond change at least as much as William, if not more. He'd wanted to know why. Now he does, and wishes he didn't. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Desmond says. "I don't want to die with you feeling sorry for me."
"Fine," Shaun says, because this is not fair, this is not how the story is supposed to end, but as far as last requests go, this one costs him nothing to fill. "Go save the world already. I don't know what's taking you so long."
Desmond laughs, the saddest sound Shaun has ever heard, and waves him away. "Get out of here," he says. "We don't both have to die."
Shaun leaves, thoughts filled with questions about how terrible it must be to face a death like this alone. He's almost to the entrance when he hears Desmond screaming, a long, drawn out sound so horrible that Shaun stops dead in his tracks. And then he hears the crying, and turns back.
There's no sign of Juno when Shaun finishes retracing his steps, but the orb glows brightly with extra energy and he knows instinctively that it's worked. Then he looks down, and sees Desmond on the floor, sobbing with the heartfelt intensity of the infant he has suddenly become.
Shaun tries to be surprised, but after everything else that's happened, he can't quite manage it. Maybe this is some echo of what Desmond has done to William, cosmic payback of retribution or the magic of the orb reacting to what he's done with the apple. Regardless of the how or the why, the fact is that Desmond has gone from twenty five year old man to infant when he should have been killed.
Very gently, he bends over and gathers Desmond into his arms. The child is naked and shivering, red faced from the cold and the effort of producing his ear splitting shrieks. Shaun wraps him in the abandoned hoodie on the floor, and slowly the child quiets, giving Shaun the chance to study him more closely. He looks absolutely tiny, maybe a newborn but certainly no more than a month or two old. One arm escapes from the hoodie and waves vaguely in the air. Shaun frowns, noticing burns on the hand, fresh and raw from Desmond's interaction with the orb.
He sighs and gently tucks the arm back inside the hoodie.
When he gets out of the cave, he finds Rebecca and William waiting for him by the van. Rebecca has seen death before, so she's dry eyed, if silent and obviously still upset. William, on the other hand, seems absolutely destroyed, so Shaun approaches him first. It takes William a second or two to look up, and then he does a double take as he sees the baby.
"Is that-"
"Desmond," Shaun says.
"He was supposed to die," William protests, without taking his eyes off Desmond at all.
"I know," Shaun says. "But it made him a baby instead."
"Oh," William says. "It can do that?"
"Yes," Shaun says, and behind them Rebecca actually manages to laugh a little. One of these days, they're really going to sit William down and explain his own past to him. Later. Right now, there are more important issues to work out.
Gently, he told William to hold out his arms, and then settled Desmond securely in his arms. The infant looked up and laughed, apparently delighted at the sight of William's face. His hand escapes from the folds of the hoodie again, and William almost smiles. "He's so small," he whispers,
"He's innocent," Shaun says, because he knows this is something Desmond has really tried to emphasise to William. "He needs someone to protect him."
"I can protect him," William says, and the fierce look he points at Shaun promises that nothing bad will ever happen to the baby. Not as long as William has something to say about it.
"Are you sure?" Shaun asks. "It's a big responsibility."
"Of course I'm sure," William says. "It's Desmond."
"Good," Shaun said. He squeezed William's shoulder and stood up. "Hopefully you'll do a better job this time." Not that he has any plans of leaving the boys alone, not while one is an infant and the other less than ten years old. If William seems to be slipping back into his old habits, Shaun can step in and take over. He doesn't expect that he'll have to, though.
"Hey Desmond," William whispers. "I'm William. I'm going to be the best big brother ever, and you'll never have to worry about getting hurt because I'm going to protect you." His face goes hard for a second, a look of determination reminiscent of his adult self crossing his soft features. And Shaun smiles, because he's seen that look before. When William is planning an assassination, or coordinating teams, or performing any of the other hundred duties he'd had as mentor. This is the first time, however, that he's seen it pointed at Desmond. "I promise."
-/-
Hey guys, so QUICK QUESTION.
I know what happens next here. Basically. I'm working on writing out all of part two (making these first seven chapters part one), and then when they're done I'll come back and post them. I just want to know if there's an actual interest- do you guys want to see what happens with baby Desmond, or when William finds out about his past, or any of the other stuff I have planned? Please feel free to leave an opinion in a review or whatever.
