Hazel Pleasures

By: Sailorjj07

7. Chapter 7

A/n: I realized that all of my recent uploads haven't been formatting properly. I apologize for any confusion this may have caused to you guys. I plan on going through and re-formatting each chapter that was messed up, _ I'll have to do better about making sure that everything posts in the way that I intended it.

Lately, I can't stop thinking about all the things I want to do in this fic. I recently completely another story (my Boondocks fic), and it was like a weight lifted off of my chest! I felt so free that I immediately wanted to do more work on all my others, lol.

Thanks for sticking with me and leaving me wonderful reviews, you guys!

Disclaimer: I do not own!

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Actions

(Me!)

It took Connor a solid 15 minutes to realize they were traveling down a road that Connor had never been on before. As the night grew later, the path before them became more and more pronounced. The homes around them grew in size, and the sound of faint laughter could be heard out on the street.

Connor looked around curiously, but did not voice the question in his mind. He was worried about Aveline. Though her injuries weren't too troubling, it was her state of mind that he was concerned about. Being locked up in chains had surely been degrading for her - especially in regards to the history of her people.

Connor tried to suppress the frown he felt growing on his face. He was sure Aveline would speak when she was ready.

They came upon a poorly maintained fence and without a word, Aveline procured a key from around her neck. She opened the gate, ushering Connor into a flourishing garden. The garden was part of a stately, three-story villa that made him once again wonder where they were.

"It appears the trainees have been busy," Aveline murmured thoughtfully, touching a finger to the delicate plants that grew there. She motioned for Connor to follow her to the house, leading him towards the side door.

Finally, Connor couldn't hold it in any longer, "Where are we?"

Aveline ignored him for a moment, groping in the darkness for a match. She found one by the door and lit the lantern that was sitting beside a box of matches. The soft light poured into the room and Connor realized that they were standing in the kitchen. Aveline headed down the hallway, finding another lamp to light and handing it to Connor.

"This is my father's home." She said simply, heading up the staircase. Connor gazed around him in mild surprise. The house was not at all in disarray. The couches in the sitting room were clean and the home was not dusty either.

"But you do not live here." Connor stated, following Aveline up to the second floor. His words were more of a question, really.

"No, I do not. Gérald lives here in the winter, and when business is slow. I prefer not to… this is no longer my property."

Connor could understand that sentiment very well. Though he had technically inherited his father's house upon the man's death, something about living in the home of Haytham Kenway had rubbed him the wrong way.

"How is it not your home if this house once belonged to your father?" Connor watched as Aveline pushed open the door to a bedroom and set her lamp down. She swept her fingertips across the covers, checking for dust or dirt. After inspecting it thoroughly, she nodded in approval.

"You can rest in this room. I would take you back to the warehouse but I find I do not quite have the fortitude to travel that distance at this time of night." At Connor's insistent gaze, Aveline sat down on the mattress, the dim light flickering in her irises, "To answer your question, mon ami, the law has decided that I am not legally considered my father's heir, as his marriage to my mother was not acknowledged. As such, when my stepmother died, my entire inheritance was taken from me, and given instead to the next heir in line... our lovely friend Gérald ."

Though Aveline's voice had remained steady in pitch, Connor could tell that her feelings on the subject were far from calm. What had he been thinking to ask her something like that after all she had gone through today? He mentally berated himself for his thoughtlessness.

"Where will you be sleeping?"

Aveline's face lit up with mischief, glad for the subject change, "Would you like for me to sleep here, cher?" She teased and Connor felt heat rise to his cheeks. He opened his mouth to respond to her jest, but no words would come out. Aveline giggled at Connor's flustered expression and stood up from the bed he would soon occupy. "My old room is directly down the hall, just there. Should you need anything, please give me a shout."

With a pat on his shoulder, Aveline headed out of the room, leaving Connor to his own thoughts. A part of him wanted to explore the house and see everything it held in regards to his fellow assassin. Another part of him just wanted to sleep. He chose the latter.


Connor woke to the sounds of cursing from down the hall. He knew it was still very early in the morning, as the moon still hung in the sky. It was probably somewhere around 3 or 4. He sighed, sitting up for a moment before climbing out of the bed, his bare feet padding softly on the floor.

The lamp was still lit in Aveline's room. He ran a hand through his hair, heading towards the direction of the light, not sure what he would find once he reached her. He was certainly not expecting the scene that unfolded before him.

Aveline was sprawled across the floor, back leaning against the bed, as she sewed a red thread through the skirt of a dress. Her lips were pursed in concentration and she bit out another curse as she pricked her finger with the needle yet again.

"Aveline?"

She glanced up, wide eyed when Connor stepped through the doorway, not expecting him to be there.

"Je suis désolé, did I wake you? I'm afraid I could not sleep, so I decided to work on this dress for the party."

Connor couldn't believe the woman in front of him. She looked completely exhausted and yet she was trying to do work in the wee hours of the morning. This was early, even for Connor, who usually woke with the sun.

"Aveline…" Connor's gaze softened as he watched her resume her work. He wondered if she was like this often. Sleep was important, especially for an assassin. There were times when it was certainly a difficult thing to do - it always was when one killed others for a living. However, Achilles had taught him long ago that getting rest was just as important as training.

Without another word, Connor strode forward and firmly but quickly took the dress and needle from the woman on the floor. She shouted in protest and he ignored her, placing the garment and the needle on top of the nearby writing desk.

"Connor!" Aveline cried, an adorable pout crossing her face. Connor bit back a smile, returning from the desk to help Aveline off of the ground. He held his hand out to her, and she took it, though she frowned in his direction.

"Aveline, you must rest."

"Connor, I have already told you-"

The large man shook his head and crossed his arms adamantly, "You cannot function without sleep. All people require it."

Aveline huffed, pulling her hand from his. Despite himself, Connor grabbed her other hand, making her turn back to face him again.

"Will you sleep now?" When Aveline still did not answer, he tried again, "Aveline, I will make sure you sleep, if I have to."

Both of them stopped short at Connor's words. He hadn't actually meant to say them out loud but his stubbornness had made him spill the words anyway. Aveline was just as hard-headed as he was and Connor would not give up until the woman actually got some rest.

The sly smile that covered Aveline's face was even more mortifying than the implications of his words, "Would you really do that, Connor?"

Swallowing nervously, the Native American man nodded wordlessly. He would not back down, no matter how much he regretted putting himself in this mess.

"Then, I will hold you to your word." Aveline tried not to laugh at the surprised look on Connor's face. Aveline was truly curious to see if he would actually do it. Aveline climbed into the large bed, pulling back the blankets and laying on her side. She patted the space beside her, giggling as she noticed the flush on Connor's cheeks, "Sit here, if you please."

Silently, Connor did as she told him. He leaned back against the headboard, his gaze sweeping over everything in the room but her. Aveline settled beside him, keeping their bodies a respectable distance apart.

"You do not need to actually sit here," Aveline yawned as she spoke and Connor finally looked down at her. Her eyelids were struggling to stay open.

"I know," Connor replied, his amber eyes meeting her sleepy viridian ones. Aveline nodded slowly and drifted off, surprisingly quickly for someone that was supposedly not tired.

Later

Connor woke for the second time that day, about six hours later. Songbirds sang cheerfully in the morning light, while neighbors chatted with one another in the street outside. A soft sigh escaped the warm body curled up next to him and Connor froze instantly.

Aveline was leaning into him, her face buried into his shoulder and her hand resting on his chest. Her fingertips were curled into his shirt and Connor couldn't remember when he had moved from his position at the headboard to actually laying beside her. He watched her cautiously, his nerves on edge. If Aveline woke up and found them tangled up together, she'd probably break his nose.

Despite his precarious situation, Connor felt a strange warmth bloom in his chest. He had finally gotten her to go to sleep he realized, and internally, he congratulated himself.

Connor rolled to his side slowly, turning so he could see Aveline's face. It was a wonderful reward for his trouble. Aveline was truly a beautiful woman - it was something that he had heard on many occasions from several other assassins. Even in sleep, her face was simply radiant. Her skin looked so smooth and soft that Connor found himself leaning in closer, his fingertips grazing her exposed cheek. He traced a trail from her temple to her jawline, brushing across the bruise marring her full, pouty lips. His blood tingled as he remembered how she had kissed him…

Suddenly, the room was getting too warm.

Aveline stirred in her sleep as Connor slowly eased away from her, praying to the spirits that she didn't wake up. Luck was on his side as he finally untangled their limbs and climbed out of the bed. She was still sleeping.

Connor breathed a sigh of relief and headed back towards the room he had been staying in. He made a vow to himself to not say anything to Aveline about what had transpired between them.


"Aveline! I have never been more happy to see you!" Gérald was all smiles when the two of them arrived at the warehouse in the late afternoon. He actually hugged the woman, something that surprised her and Connor both. The Northern Assassin kept his comments to himself, heading towards the room that had become his temporary home instead.

"Ah, Connor, before you go - I just wanted to say thank you. You saved Aveline; we cannot be more grateful."

Connor nodded, not trusting his voice. Why was Gérald thanking him as if Aveline was somehow included in that "we"? He wanted to ask the both of them, then and there, what sort of relationship they had. Was there more to that "we" than he initially thought?

Upset with himself for getting annoyed at the other man, Connor headed into the armory, closing the door gently behind him. He figured that the two of them probably needed time to talk anyway.

Connor sat down heavily on the small cot, glaring at his feet. He couldn't seem to get the image of Aveline's sleeping form out of his mind. He remembered the dream he had about her before and the first time he saw her in the Salon. Her beautiful face had been so different then, but still just as lovely. Connor could finally admit to himself that he was attracted to her.

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, sighing out loud. This was getting out of hand. He had come here on a mission. He still had no idea where Dobby was or who had taken her. Though they had gotten more information on the masterminds behind the trafficking ring, they weren't closer to catching them or freeing any of the women they had taken. Connor was going to have to focus more on the task he had come here to do.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Connor?" Aveline's accented voice called from the other side of the door.

"Come in." Conor replied, trying to wipe all expression from his face. The woman who was running circles through his mind entered the armory, smiling cautiously in his direction.

"I don't mean to be rude but… I'm going to have to banish you from this room for a while." At Conor's quizzical look, Aveline elaborated, "I need to get ready for the party tonight, remember?"

"Right," Connor replied, with a faint smile. He had completely forgotten about the mission and was actually thankful for it. Perhaps a high-stakes job was exactly what he needed to distract himself.

It took Aveline nearly three hours to prepare. By the time she was ready, the sky was darkening and the sun had set. Gérald was pacing Aveline's office nervously and Connor just watched him, quietly studying the man. The longer he watched him, the more he realized that Aveline definitely meant more to the man than he let on. Nearly every word out of Gérald's mouth had something to do with his fellow assassin on the other side of the door.

When Aveline finally stepped out of the armory in a scarlet red dress and a matching hat, the look on Gérald's face told Connor everything. Gérald was definitely in love with Aveline.

"Aveline, you look-" Gérald swallowed nervously, barely able to finish his words.

"Beautiful," Connor breathed, causing Aveline to turn her hazel eyes on him. Realizing his folly, Connor coughed a bit, hoping to cover his words. Aveline said nothing, but her uplifted eyebrow told him that she had actually heard him.

"Shall we head out, gentlemen?" Aveline asked, not bothering to wait for either men to respond. She made her way out of the warehouse to a carriage that was waiting for the three of them. Connor knew that he should not be seen riding inside with either of them, so he climbed into the carriage first and made sure to draw all the curtains to prevent nosey onlookers. He took Aveline's hand to help her into the seat and was surprised when she returned his gesture with a pleasant squeeze. Once Gérald was seated and the carriage began to move, Aveline discussed the plan.

"We shall gather as much information as possible about Lady Genevieve Acard and her husband. They are connected to the Madame and our other suspects so I can only imagine that there is at least one Templar among them. Gérald, I will do my best to keep you by my side as often as possible, but should Connor and I need to follow a trail, I will need you to cover for me." Gérald nodded his agreement, and Aveline turned to continue her speech, "Connor, you will be our eyes and ears from above. My scouts have given me the layout of the house and the second floor overlooks the ballroom. It surrounds the perimeter of the entire first floor; as long as you stay undetected, everything should work according to plan. If you are spotted, however, you must hide. If that happens, I will come find you."

"I will not be caught." Connor said, and Aveline smiled. Connor fully believed in his own ability..

"Well, if by chance you are, I have several escape plans prepared."

"And what about you, Aveline?" Gérald asked, wringing his hands nervously. They were getting closer to the home and would soon arrive at the party.

"As long as the Madame doesn't spot me, I will be fine. After all, I'm just the innocent wife of a lucky merchant. No one cares what I do," Aveline said airily, making both men smile.

Everyone schooled their features as the carriage came to a stop in front of the manor. Laughter echoed all around them as delicate ladies and fashionable men poured out of the carriages in front of the house. Gérald exited the carriage first, holding his hand out for Aveline to follow behind him. She turned towards Connor, her eyes glowing with a mixture of concern and excitement. In the darkness, her hand once again sought his. She squeezed it a second time, and Connor returned the pressure, "Be safe, cher."

The words were simple but it felt good to know that someone was concerned for his safety. Without another word, Connor slid his hand from her's and climbed out of the carriage, stealthily weaving through the crowd to assume his post. Aveline finally took Gérald's outstretched hand then, inhaling deeply.

Tonight was certainly going to be interesting.

End Chapter 7