I do not own any Assassin's Creed characters but I do own Moira, James and Alice Frye.
After a long day in the hot sun and training with his two best friends, Jack was ready to get a good night's rest. He was still getting used to the warmer temperatures of India even though he's visited a couple times with his mentors and their children. It was a brand new place for him and his friends to explore since it was so much different from London. Jack enjoyed India as much as Alice and James and was happy whenever Jacob and Moira would take him along.
Moira and Jacob had to help Henry with teaching the children since Evie was resting for her pregnancy. Moira even had to convince the Master Assassin to rest even to help the children with their throwing knives. Jack was ecstatic when Evie let him feel the baby kick, thinking that it was amazing. He then wondered what it would be like if he had a little brother or sister. Though he already felt like he was a part of the Frye family which he was happy about. Moira and Jacob treated him with so much kindness and love as well treating him like their son. Even if he lived at the home with some of the other initiates, he was always welcomed into their home with open arms.
He had sat up quickly in his bed, ending the nightmare that always plagued him. He bit his lip and tried to hold back tears as he didn't want to cry again. He layed back down on the bed but Jack couldn't fall back asleep. It was a reoccuring dream he had about his mother being murdered right before his eyes. Some of the nightmares were even about his times in the asylum. He would always wake up then not wanting to fall back asleep and there were times where he would cry. He looked to see that James and Alice were still asleep in their beds.
He didn't want to wake them up but he wanted some comfort. He climbed out of bed and decided to go find Jacob and Moira in their room. Surely they would comfort him and help him feel better. He made his way down the hall and heard voices coming from one of the rooms and could see dim candlelight. Jack then approached the door, peeping through the crack to see Moira and Jacob getting ready for bed.
"I can't believe that Evie is going to have the baby soon," Moira replied happily as she brushed out her long, brunette hair, "I am so happy for her and Henry."
"Now we get the fun of being an uncle and aunt with babysitting," Jacob chuckled as he slipped his arms around Moira's waist and kissing her shoulder.
"And teaching another little Assassin," Moira giggled as she placed her hair brush onto the nightstand then leaned against him.
"How about another little one of our own, love?" Jacob asked in a husky tone while moving his hands over her stomach.
Moira smiled with a blush and placed her hands over his, "It's a nice idea."
Jacob then held her closer, nuzzling his face into her hair, "Then our life would be even more perfect."
"I think our small family has grown too than from having James and Alice," Moira piped up.
"You're right," Jacob replied, "The lad certainly has become a part of the family."
Jack lit up when he heard both of them say that. They really did consider him one of their family and that they cared for him like a son. He then poked his head into through the door to look at the two adult Assassins. They noticed the presence of the small boy and Moira cocked her head to the side.
"What are you doing up, Jack?" Moira asked concerned.
"I had a nightmare..." Jack replied softly.
"Oh, sweety," Moira cooed as she kneeled and held her arms out. Jack scurried over to her and threw his arms around her neck as Moira held him tight, "The same dream, love?"
Jack nodded then felt Moira pick him up to hold him closer while rubbing his back. Jack clung to her then felt Jacob running his fingers through the lad's messy locks of hair. This is what Jack had always wanted; loving parents who took care of him and making sure that he was safe. Jacob then smiled lightly at Jack.
"Do you want to stay with us tonight?" Jacob asked.
Jack nodded slowly, making both Assassins smile and walk towards their bed. Jacob climbed into the bed first then Moira placed Jack down next to her husband so he would be in the middle. She then sat down on the bed and brought the covers over them. As soon as Moira laid down on the bed, Jack clung to her and closed his eyes. She smiled at him and held him close, running her fingers through his hair. Jacob smiled and lightly stroked Jack's back to help him sleep. Moira then placed a soft kiss on Jack's forehead and gazed at the young boy.
"I can't believe all that has happened to him...being tortured by these nightmares..." Moira replied softly, "and he's still so such a sweet boy..."
"I know," Jacob replied quietly and continued to rub the lad's back, "After reading his file about what happened... I can't fathom what he has gone through..."
Moira set her forehead on Jack's, "I can't either... I just wished that we could have prevented the tragedy from happening to him..."
"If only we had arrived in London sooner and taken down Starrick and the Blighters... things might have been different,"Jacob said with a small sigh.
Even though Jack had his eyes closed, he could still hear every word that Moira and Jacob were saying. They were the ones who caused his mother's death. They were the ones who couldn't save her in time. It was their responsibility that his mother was slaughtered right before his eyes. The reason why he was placed in Lambeth Asylum and deemed insane. All the horrible treatments that those doctors and nurses had used on him and treated him like he was some kind of lowly animal.
Now these two were making up for their guilt by acting like his parents and teaching them their Creed which was their way of life. This was their way of trying to make it up to him and give him a new life by being an Assassin. Their love was only guilt; nothing more. The lad couldn't help but feel betrayed now by people he has grown to love. Anger and hate started to boil within the small boy. How could they do this to him? He trusted them only to find out they could have prevented his mother's untimely death. His love for them was diminishing and hate began to take root.
Jack walked along the pier of the prison island, his gaze focused on the police constables that were there. He knew that Evie and Moira had contacted the Chief Inspector and police were flooding the island to help the people that he rightfully captured. Fury was roaring in him like a wildfire as he witnessed the scene before him. He figured that Lady O would fall but he did not expect Billingsworth to fail him. At least Billingsworth was a more worthy adversary since they both shared the same vision for London. His plans for London were beginning to tarnish and knew that he was running out of time. Soon Evie and Moira would be victorious which he would not let happen. These people were nothing but scum and deserved to die. They were the ones who made London a cesspool with sin. Since his mentors took over, London didn't get any better in his eyes. He knew that once he had more control over the city, then he would have respect from everyone.
As he walked briskly towards the officers, they all looked at the dark figure and were ready to stop him. Jack glared daggers at them and not afraid to take down each and every man that would stand in way. There were to be no witnesses and no ties to him ever being an Assassin. An officer tried to stop him but Jack grabbed the man's hand with his left and began to stab him with his knife. The others shrieked in fear and began to run off. Jack soon discarded the corpse of the officer to the side and continued to make his way to where the gallows were. As he trudged forward, more officers tried to stop him but he took all of them down, killing them all without mercy. No more playing games; everything was going to end soon and he was going to get rid of all the blights.
Once he entered the building, he headed up to where the gallows were to see that one of his prisoners was killing the assistant to Billingsworth. Taking care of this prisoner should be no problem. Since his plans have failed for the prison, he had no reason to keep anyone alive. He jabbed the knife into the man's back then pushed him to the ground, beginning to stab him multiple times in the chest and stomach. Jack then stood up to look at the corpse of Billingsworth only to glare at him. His second in command had failed him and now it was just down to him. Before anything else, he needed to cover his identity then head back to London.
He began to head to one of the buildings where his old Assassin robes were being kept along with some letters that he had written for Scotland Yard. He created a fire in one of the stoves and threw all the letters and his robes into the fire. He watched as the fire consumed the clothing and paper, feeling like he was losing this battle. He wouldn't give up and nor would he let the people he loathed beat him. How could two women alone bring him down when the whole city was against them? He knew that the Chief Inspector wouldn't help them since they were in trouble with the police.
One of the things that infuriated him the most was the Moira was still alive. The Chief Inspector had lied about her being dead so that she could recover safely in the hospital. He knew that she would die from the stab wound he had given her but Abberline had saved her before she could bleed out. This time, she wasn't going to get away and he will watch her die for good measure. He then turned away from the flames to make his way back to the docks. He took one last look at the prison and scoffed as he continued to walk away. He then pulled out the photographs of James and Alice to gaze at both of them.
He just had to tie up his loose ends in London then will be on his way to a ship heading for America where James would be. The friend who swore would always be there for him and help him out. Some friend he was now. James only pushed him away and treated him like scum ever since that day. Jack could remember the fury that was in James's eyes after hurting Alice. Now Jack held the same fury for his old friend, ready for him to hear the oldest Frye child beg for mercy. Only then, James would know the fear and rejection Jack had faced that day.
Then that would leave Jack with traveling to India to finally see his beloved Alice after so long. When he heard that she had left but didn't know where to, Jack was determined to find her. No man deserved Alice's hand in marriage if he couldn't even win her heart. Only he could make her happy and only he could be the one to protect her but after her denying his love, she had no reason to live now. He would take great pleasure in gutting her just like the Assassins that Jacob sent after him. They were merely just practice for him until he would see his beloved again. Shivers went up from his spine as he thought about finally getting his revenge on the girl who had broken his heart into many pieces.
"Now I will move onto my plan... time for the family reunion," Jack replied.
Moira and Evie had arrived back in London and heard many people gossiping, saying that the Ripper had struck again. The two Assassins looked at each other and quickly made their way to the rooftops to see if they could locate the murder scene. They used their eagle vision and it took time but eventually Evie spotted a place that was surrounded by police officers. Moira quickly followed after Evie as they jumped across rooftops to reach the scene. They slipped past the police officers and into the back door of the house. The smell of coppery blood instantly hit their nostrils as they entered. Evie slowly pushed open the door and the color drained from her face as blood was splashed everywhere. They both walked further into the room until they saw a body on the bed but was covered by a sheet. Evie carefully pulled back the sheet only for anger to overwhelm the Master Assassin. Moira only stared at the sight before her, not uttering a word as fear enveloped her entire being. Evie clenched her fists and could feel tears form in her eyes.
"You monster..." she whispered and her voice grew loud, "You damn monster!"
An officer then ran into the room, "Oi! What are you two doing here!?"
"I can handle this," Abberline then interrupted as he entered the room and walked over to Evie to pull her away, "You have no grounds to be here, Miss Frye."
"Who is she!?" Evie shouted.
"You don't have the right to know," Abberline growled, "I will not cover for you two or your Brotherhood any longer. There is evidence pointing to your brother, to Moira and your organization. I still see there is no progress with you finding the Ripper at all."
"Inspector," Evie started, trying not to let her anger get the better of her, "Moira and I are so close to finding him."
"That is the answer every time we speak, Miss Frye,"Abberline replied getting more frustrated, "I want it taken care of now."
"You have my word," Evie said, "I will end the Ripper's life... even if it means costing my life."
Abberline sighed and then looked back at Evie with weary eyes, "The "Unfortunate" is Mary Jane Kelly. She is the youngest of the victims at 25 and was killed at 10:45 this morning. You can see what the Ripper has done. I mean it when I said I want him captured soon, Miss Frye."
"I promise," Evie replied softly. Evie then looked back at Moira who hasn't moved from her spot since they have arrived. The elder Frye twin went to her side to see Moira's face frozen with fear and her eyes fixated on the corpse in front of her. Evie knew she had to get her out of this trance, "Moira... Moira!"
Still no response from Moira as her gaze was still locked onto the dead body. Miss Kelly's organs and heart had been removed along with the rest of her body being mutilated beyond recognition. This couldn't be the same Jack she knew. Moira then thought of Jack in his youth; the Jack she knew. The little boy who would bring her flowers. The little boy who always made her smile. The little boy who hugged her and said he loved her. Now her little boy had grown into a demon that thirsted for blood. How did it come to this? Why? Was it her fault for not raising him right? Did she fail that much as a mother to Jack? Because of her, Jack was murdering fellow Assassins, framing the Brotherhood and took Jacob from her. This was all on her.
She then felt a sharp pain across her cheek then focused her eyes to see Evie looking at her with concern and anger, "Moira! Snap out of it, damnit!"
"Evie... it's all my fault," Moira said as her voice cracked.
"What are you talking about?" Evie asked, extremely confused at her words.
"It's my fault that Jack has turned out this way..." Moira sniffed and tried to hold back tears, "I am the reason why he grew up like this... I am the one who couldn't be a good mother to him... people are dead because of me..."
"Don't you dare think like that, Moira," Evie snapped, "You and Jacob were loving and kind parents to Jack. He was sick when he was in the asylum and when you brought him out. You did everything you could to raise Jack right and have him follow the Creed but Jack just reverted the Creed into his own demented view. This not your fault or Jacob's."
"Evie..." Moira choked out.
"Moira, listen to me," Evie said placing her hands on Moira's shoulders, "There was nothing you could have done to prevent him from this fate. You didn't know he would turn out like this. You did your best."
Moira took in a deep breath and looked down at the floor, "I want this to end now... I want to find Jacob..."
Evie cupped Moira's cheeks in her hands and brought her face up to look at her, "We are close, Moira. Just hold on a little longer..."
Moira bit her lip and nodded slowly then felt Evie bring her into her arms. Moira held her sister in-law close, so relieved that she was here to help her keep a leveled head throughout this whole ordeal. Moira then looked up at the wall to notice something out of the ordinary. She used her eagle vision to get a closer look then noticed that it was a note only she could see with her special vision. Moira then pointed it out to Evie only for Evie to look at it with her eagle vision. They noticed that it was a note from Jack.
'My gift to you both and more to come unless you do as Jack says: Follow the trail of blood through the looking glass.'
"Jack wants us to go to the scene of every murder," Moira replied as she gazed at the note longer.
Abberline soon came back into the room, "What have you both discovered?"
"The monster is leading us right to him, Inspector," Evie replied turning to look at him, "We are closer than we think. Do you know where the other murders occurred."
Abberline was still unsure about them catching the Ripper before he causes more damage but after working with these women for so long, he trusted them. He then told them about the other murders and where they were located. As soon as Abberline gave them the information they needed, both Assassins were on their way. First was the murder of Annie Chapman which led them to a graveyard. They searched the whole area and could see the many bloodstains that were once splattered everywhere with their eagle vision. Evie then noticed that Annie too had an Assassin's ring and threw it far away so she could keep the secret of the Brotherhood. Moira continued to look around until she eventually found Jack's note then called Evie to her side. Evie pocketed the ring then joined her friend by her side.
'What kind of Creed cannot protect its own?'
Moira took a deep breath, "This message was intended for Jacob."
"Now we have to travel to a small square close to the train tracks where Catherine Eddowes was murdered," Evie mentioned, "More clues should be near there."
"Right," Moira replied as she then followed Evie to where she had mentioned Catherine Eddowes murder scene.
Moira could feel her heart pound faster, knowing that they were getting close to Jack. He was finally showing himself to both of them but in a way, he seemed like he was still hiding away. Her heart that held love for him died and she saw him nothing more than a monster now. Her heart couldn't take the pain any longer and knew she had to let go of the little boy she once loved as a son. As they reached the scene, Moira took note that Evie was searching around for something until the elder Frye twin had jumped into a haystack. Moira quirked a brow then walked over to the haystack.
"Evie dearest, what is it?" Moira asked.
"Each victim was an Assassin sent to get rid of Jack," Evie started as she emerged from the stack and pulled out two rings, "They all had an Assassin ring and all of them threw the ring aside to protect the Creed. Two were murdered her, thus two rings."
Moira sighed and couldn't help but feel sorry for the women that were killed to try and stop her psychotic pupil. She wished Jacob would have told her what was happening before any of the women would be killed and him being taken from her. They then descended some stairs and looked up to see another message from Jack.
'How many more must die before you see the truth? P.S. Jacob didn't listen so I gave him a double lesson. Your Creed failed them as it failed my mother.'
Moira bit her lip when she read the part about Jack teaching Jacob a lesson. She couldn't and wouldn't think the worst, not yet. Like Evie said, she had to hold on a little longer. Evie then spoke up, "Jack lived around here with his mother as a boy... that's where he's leading us."
Both of them were off on the rooftops and soon into a small, decrepit neighborhood where Jack had lived. They scaled the buildings until they had landed in a clearing. This had confused Evie greatly as they were in the middle of the area, "What is this place? The Ripper didn't murder anyone here."
Moira looked around and swallowed the lump in her throat, "This... this is where Jack's mother was murdered..."
"Why would he lead us here?" Evie asked as she walked over to Moira.
"He wants us to know what happened," Moira guessed.
Soon they heard something hissing and didn't know what it was. Both then looked down to see that there was a fear bomb at their feet. Before they could react, the bomb was set off and emitted a gas that quickly filled the air. Moira coughed and tried not to inhale the smoke but it was too late. She looked around in fear, not being able to see Evie as her vision was starting get extremely hazy. Moira called out for her but there was no answer. As soon as she turned around, her heart stopped and felt like she couldn't breath. The Ripper was standing right before her at this moment. Moira wanted to run but she was frozen with fear.
"I was born here, survived the madhouse and learned from the best... until you and your worthless husband betrayed me," Jack snarled, "You would never ever replace my mother and I never loved you. I knew that your love was false and that it was only guilt of why you took me under your wing."
"Th-that's not true!" Moira choked out, "I loved you more than anything... like you were my own..."
"Pathetic, just like Jacob," Jack scoffed as he walked past her, "Come test your Creed against mine. Your Creed is a dead one."
Moira then unsheathed her hidden blade and ran to attack Jack but he caught her arm. He then flipped her to the ground and pinned her arms along with her abdomen. She screamed for him to get off and thrashed about to get him off but heard him shouting her name. Not before long, Moira opened her eyes to see that it was Evie who was the one pinning her down and screaming at her.
"Moira! Get a hold of yourself!" Evie yelled.
Moira breathed quickly and looked around frantically then back at Evie, "The looking glass... it's Lambeth Asylum."
"What?" Evie asked surprised as she let go of Moira then helped her up.
"Jack is at Lambeth Asylum... that is what he means by the looking glass," Moira gasped out as she was still petrified.
"Let's go, we have no time to lose," Evie said running off towards the streets to grab a carriage.
Moira then began to follow after her then looked back to see if Jack was there. Was he just an illusion or was he really right in front of her? Did he really mean all that he said to her? Though she had no love for him anymore, it still broke her heart to hear from him that he never loved her back. That didn't matter now. What mattered was reaching Lambeth Asylum and ending the Ripper once and for all.
A/N: The next chapter is the final battle! Are you all ready for it!? That means this story is coming to a close. I appreciate all the people who have stuck with me through this story and have left such kinds words and encouragement! Thank you guys! I hope you enjoyed and see you in the next chapter!
