Connor didn't care if they were still being followed by the guards or not. He hadn't heard anyone yelling or shouting for them to stop in a while, but his mind and eyes were trained on Aveline's form running ahead of him. He didn't dare look away in case she fled after bringing him to safety. Plus, he wasn't sure if he wasn't dreaming just yet.

Aveline bit her lip, glancing behind her. Yes, Connor was really following after her. She had really met him here in New Orleans. Connor was in New Orleans. The thought was just so surreal that she kept running, trying to outrun him and the thoughts of him. She had noticed that they were in a quiet part of town where even the guards didn't really come to. It was considered "poor" and not where "polite" company was kept, and only considered that by the rich who didn't want to face the problems of reality.

Knowing that she was stalling the inevitable, Aveline gestured behind her that they were almost there. Truth was, she hadn't thought of where they were really going to stop, but her feet had carried her off to familiar territory. Mary Louise's brother lived close by. He was privy to her old job as an Assassin and had allowed her to seek shelter at his place whenever she had been in trouble.

Connor followed Aveline into a shabby looking neighborhood, but he felt more at ease. He wasn't used to rich people, or being near a lot of people who thought they were better than someone else based solely off of the coloration of their skin or how much money they had.

Aveline slowed her pace, staying a few feet ahead of Connor and not looking back at him this time.

"I know a place close by. Emmanuel will put up with you." Her tone told Connor that she wasn't happy that he was here in New Orleans, all the more reason to sort out everything quickly.

Grabbing her arm gently, Connor advanced ahead of Aveline, leading her into a dimly lit alley way between two stores. He placed her in front of him, hands on either arm of hers, and though he wanted nothing more than to pull her close to him, he knew he shouldn't just yet.

"Aveline. Is it true?"

She shifted her eyes up to his but turned her head away, not saying anything. "We'll talk when we get to Emmanuel's. The walls have eyes."

She brushed his hands off her arms and continued leading the way to her acquaintance's place. The walk was silent and tense with unanswered questions and attraction.

It only took a little more walking before Aveline had them turning a corner then walking down a slightly hidden street before she stopped at a door to their right. Her knuckles rapped on the door and almost immediately the door flew open. A rather tall and lanky black male opened the door wide, flashing Aveline a smile before engulfing her in a bear hug. Connor couldn't keep the frown off his face.

"Aveline! Thought you were never going to show your face around here again. Too busy with the company you keep nowadays?" She shook her head, smiling softly after they separated.

"Nothing like that, mon frère. We'll talk soon. But now, I need a room for my friend. Have any spares?"

When she gestured to Connor, it had been the first time the man had acknowledged Connor's presence. He almost seemed startled by him. "Now. I've never see the likes of you around here. New in town?" Connor only vaguely nodded.

"Not much of a talker, now is he? Yes, I have room." He shuffled them into his home, but Connor noted that he had checked outside the door before shutting it. Something seemed off about the man, but he was Aveline's friend; so, he kept that to himself.

Hustling them into a room that stored furniture that had seen better days but still radiated warmth and comfort, Emmanuel excused himself. Apparently, he had been in the middle of getting ready to leave for an important job. Aveline explained to Connor that Emmanuel was a jack-of-all-trades, but from the laugh and shrug he gave Connor, he knew the man was probably going out to meet up with a woman rather than going for a real job. But Connor didn't care. He was glad that it would—hopefully—just be the two of them together. They had a lot of talking to do.

And though they did have a lot to talk about, Connor didn't want to be the one to start the conversation. Aveline knew why he was here, but she kept stalling. Taking a seat on the bed, Connor watched as she walked around the room, touching random trinkets on the dresser or straightening out various objects. He had never seen her act like that before and it brought a smile to his face, despite wanting to just tell her to stop and tell him the truth.

Knowing that she couldn't put this off any longer or else things would turn sour between them, Aveline turned to face Connor, yet she couldn't speak. They were finally in a well lit place, and seeing his face clearly stilled her words. He was even more handsome than she remembered. Of course he didn't look like the guys she was used to seeing around New Orleans or while brunching with Madeline and her fellows, but he did have a rugged handsomeness that Aveline thought tremendously endearing and attractive. His piercing brown eyes never left her face as she drew closer to him, cupping his cheek in her palm before reaching for his hood.

"You need to get this fixed. This was my favorite coat to see you in." A smile tugged on her lips and then his. She was standing so close to him that she was practically standing between his legs, feeling the warmth and smelling the scent of wood and musk that radiated from him. It comforted her like nothing else had.

"I missed you..." The words barely escaped her lips above a whisper as her fingers slid back to cup his cheek; her fingers and gentle caress sent shivers through him. He dared not to move as he saw her studying his face, shifting her fingers to run over almost every inch of his face before settling over his hair, practically petting him.

Overwhelmed by a flood of love and admiration for Aveline, Connor wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him as he buried his face in her stomach to inhale her scent and to confirm she was really within his grasp once again. Aveline continued to stroke his hair.

"I never want you to leave my side again." His words were muffled by her body, but she made out what he said. It made her laugh as she lightly pulled on his ponytail until he looked up at her.

"Trust me, I never wanted to, mon cher." That was all Connor needed to hear at that moment. Sliding his hand up her arm, he pulled her down until their lips locked in a gentle caress. However, it didn't take long for the lust he'd been harboring for her to rise, shifting the kiss into a more heated one.

Aveline pulled away from Connor's lips slowly and reluctantly, breathing deep and shallow. She licked her lips, eyeing his reaction when she did so. Smiling lightly, she reached over to pull the tie out of his hair then taking off her hat to fling it away from her. Leaning over, she crushed their lips together again; a hand buried in his hair.

Rising off the bed, lips still locked together, Connor fumbled to get Aveline out of her coat and clothes. It was more work than he thought, but as he bared her skin for his viewing pleasure, he relished in skimming his lips and teeth over her soft skin, first starting at her jawline before traveling down her neck. The moans that escaped her lips and brushed against his ears encouraged him to not stop until she pushed him back, only to start stripping him the same way he had done to her. Soon, they were bared from the waist up.

Aveline shivered as Connor's rough hands roamed her body, bringing her skin to a heightened sense of pleasure and sensitivity that she'd never felt before. His lips and tongue didn't leave an inch of her neck unexplored, and before she knew it, she was laying on her back on top of the bed with Connor crouched above her, bearing his weight on his arms and leaning over to give her chest his undivided attention. Her back arched off the bed as his tongue worked wonders on her, leaving her trembling and slightly out of breath after he raised his head, licking his lips.

Their eyes locked for a brief moment until Connor looked down, backing up. She started to protest, thinking he was going to get up, but he had shifted to grip the waistband of her pants and started tugging. The fabric slid down her slender legs, baring everything about her to him. Connor all but growled at the sight of her, at the smell of her which seemed to bring out something primal in him. He leaned over to nipped and kissed his way up her stomach, reaching her lips and seizing them in a kiss.

"Connor..." His name slid breathlessly from her red and plump lips after their lips parted long enough to get air back into their lungs. He understood what she was trying to say even though she hadn't finished.

Aveline closed her eyes, pressing Connor down closer to her body and shivering in anticipation as she heard him fumbling with his trousers. She showered his face in soft kisses as her legs spread wider to accommodate him. It hurt a bit as she accepted him into her body, but it felt so right. Lifting his head, Connor stared into Aveline's eyes, watching the expressions on her face as well. He opened his mouth to say something, but she captured his lips before he could, and everything seemed to get fuzzy; a haze captured him as pleasure and love stole his senses, tuning out everything but the gorgeous woman who lay beneath him.

Connor shifted beside her, pulling her body closer to his, and Aveline smiled into his chest. They were still naked, but Connor had snagged a blanket and placed it over them before they both drifted off to sleep. She had awakened by his soft movements to get closer to her warmth after the cover drifted from over him.

She ached in a few places, but it was comforting to know that they had finally connected. Aveline shifted a bit to be able to look at Connor's face. She couldn't stop touching him; her fingers traced the scars on his chest from battles and fights forever engraved on his body. When she brushed over a long thin line near his heart, Connor's eyes opened and glazed at her face.

She smiled, a little self-conscious now that he was awake and everything was over. Connor didn't have the same reaction though. He pulled her closer, planting a soft kiss to her lips.

They stayed like that, near each other for a while longer until Aveline's body starting going numb from being in one position too long. She rose and immediately placed on her shirt, but nothing more, conscious of Connor's gaze and the cold draft she now felt wafting into the room from unknown holes in the walls.

"Aveline." She turned around and into his embrace. He had pulled his trousers back on. Smiling, she looked up at his face. His fingers brushed over her cheek before tilting her chin up. She thought he was going to kiss her, but he just studied her face, trying to search for something there.

Connor blinked and caressed Aveline's chin. He didn't want to bring this up now, but he needed answers. Yet, all he could get out was, "Why?"

Aveline couldn't even pretend to not know what he was talking about. She looked away, trying to back out of his arms, but Connor tightened his arms and lifted her chin up, keeping eye contact. "Why, Aveline?"

She clenched her jaw. "I'm a Templar solely because I want to be one." The surprise and pain in his eyes made her heart drop. "We're no longer allies, Connor. I'm no longer an Assassin."

His arms had slackened, and she pulled from his grasp. Connor stared at her. "No. I don't believe this. I thought you hated them more than I do?"

Aveline shook her head. "I was wrong." She didn't elaborate, but instead, started putting on the rest of her clothes. Connor just stared and watched her.

"I have to be getting back. I'll come talk with you again tomorrow. Please, stay out of sight." With that and without as much as a glance back, Aveline left the room; Connor still standing in a stupor in the middle of the drafty unknown room, half-dressed. This wasn't going the way he planned. What was really going on?