This story has become a little more serious than what I first intended it to be. It's become an emotional journey, not just a tale about lovers. So, this chapter is a little more intense than others. I want to continue with the fun loving and bickering but the story needed this seriousness for once chapter. If you don't like it, I'm sorry but I hope you do because I spent a lot of time on it. But I don't don't blame you if you don't.

Connor

I sat in the room I had deemed as mine, the door closed shut and locked. As soon as my feet had entered the threshold of the house I hid myself away from anyone and everyone. For twenty minutes I had sat in the same place without one disturbance, and for this I was grateful. I needed to be alone. I needed to be away from her. Ava. The incident on the boat had made me more tired than I'd ever felt. My body and mind ached for rest, but when I closed my eyes her face was there and more clearer than ever. Even locked away on the other side of the house she was still haunting me like a lost soul. Ever since the night under the stars, the night I could only think of my mother, I had begun to see Ava in another light, a light that scared and confused me. Everything since then had escalated into an internal battle waging inside me that was all due to her. I wished she never appeared or even existed. I wished she would go back to wherever she came from and stay there, and when she did that I would never think about her again. But my hopes were weak. A part of me, a part that was quickly growing, could not bear to even dream that she had never been apart of my life. And to think of her being gone for good? Intolerable. Ava was taking over me like a disease would take over an old man. The only difference was that she was much more terrible than an illness.

I shook my head slowly as if it could clear the visions of her long chocolate locks and crystal blue eyes from my head and went to work on the menial task of taking off the array of weapons hanging from my body. For the first time I realized I hadn't even taken the time pull my hood down. I frowned, disturbed that I would have forgotten such a task that had become second nature for me. It showed how much Ava had gotten under my skin. I pushed the thought away and focused a little too hard on undoing all the buckles and clasps that held various pistols, knives, rope darts, and other weapons on my uniform. In no time the nearby dresser was overflowing with my equipment. I hung my jacket on a coat hanger and left myself dressed in my shirt, pants, and moccasins. I suddenly found myself having nothing to do but think. Thinking meant bringing up Ava. I had no desire to do that. Thankfully a knock on my door and the sound of a familiar voice saved me from the pain.

"Connor? You've been locked away for almost an hour now. What in God's name are you doing in there?" Achilles snapped, sounding irritated. Without saying anything I opened the door for him to enter before sitting back down and waiting for him to do the same. Understanding my silent words, Achilles closed the door and made himself at home on the edge of the bed.

"Lord, I thought you were stringing yourself a gallows in here. Ever since you brought that girl with you I've been convinced you wanted to put a bullet through that thick skull of yours." The old Assassin snarled, closing his hands tightly around the head of his cane.

"No, Master. Nothing like that." I said dully. He narrowed his eyes and leaned in towards me.

"Then what the hell has you so angry? This is more than just someone hurting your pride. No, you're too upset for it to be something as petty as that. Are you worried I'm going to order you to kill her? I'm not going to if that is what you think. After talking to her I've realized she's more green than you were when you first came to me. She isn't a threat to anyone but herself."

At this I couldn't help but laugh. Achilles blunt description of her was nothing but truth. Ava couldn't hurt a fly even if she tried. "That had been one of the burdens weighing my mind." I nodded.

"But not all of them." He raised an eyebrow, his voice a statement rather than a question. "Then what is it? Tell me boy."

I frowned, my mind turning in every direction. There was no way I was telling him the truth. Achilles was a logical man who saw only one goal and nothing else. He thought with his mind and not with his heart like he so many times accused me of doing. To be the perfect instrument of death one had to rid himself of everything but focus. Emotions no longer mattered in doing what was right. Love was one to be avoided completely. So, if I told him about Ava then he would scoff and tell me I was just as foolish as believing I could save my people. Emotions drove me even at my most uncaring point. Anger and rage were key players when I drove a blade through a Templar's blackened heart. Only Achilles knew that behind my stoic expressions I was just like any other man on the street, a man driven by emotions. I looked up from my hands and faced my mentor head on, my face blank.

"Well, as I draw closer to killing my father I cannot help but wonder what he will say to me. What little times I've seen him he shows no surprise or passion. When he learns who I am, what will he say or do? I wonder if I will be able to deliver the blow that will end his life." I said slowly. It was not entirely a lie. More than often I did think about my father and how our final meeting would unfold. Ending his life wasn't going to be a problem though, and my master knew this as well.

Achilles raised a grayed eyebrow. "You do not know if you can end his life? Connor, after everything you know about him this will be the least of your worries when you face him on the battlefield."

"Yes, but what we know are rumors! Maybe I've seen him with the men that do wrong but I cannot help but think maybe he can be saved, maybe he can be brought back over to our side!" I exclaimed, surprised that my voice held so much feeling.

"I think you are examining this too closely. What you know about him are not rumors, they are truth. You've seen his acts with your own eyes. You know that he cannot be reasoned with. He had a choice long ago and willingly chose the wrong path. What makes you believe he will change his mind? Honestly, I cannot believe you are thinking this. You've seemed so determined to find and kill him." Achilles scoffed, sounding skeptical. He was slowly seeing through my feeble lie, I could tell it.

"I suppose you are right." I answered quickly.

"I have no doubt in my mind that when the time comes you will end his life. If there is one thing I know about you, you do not hesitate when burying your axe through a man's chest. You may have childish motives and sometimes act too quickly but you do not back down from a fight."

I laughed at his words, hanging my head. If only he knew how troubled I was, would he take back what he was saying. Except for the part about my motives being born of childish need, that was definitely true. I was really letting my emotions rule me and I couldn't bear the thought of letting my mentor know this. He would be so disappointed in me. Love was a distraction. Emotions were one thing Achilles despised, love was something else entirely. I never understood the difference between it and anger, pain, or any other feeling, and still I did not. Or maybe I did. Ava was silently changing so many things inside me, love being one of them. I let my mind wander to the times my eyes lingered on a woman longer than necessary and the words my mentor spoke afterwards. Achilles would growl under her breath and curse before pulling me away with more strength than his feeble appearance would let on. "When I die and you are left to yourself, then you can love a woman. For now love is only a distraction. A woman will rip your heart out and leave you confused. If you're confused then you'll be killed. I've seen it happen many a time and I'd hate for you die in such a way. So before you do such a thing, let me pass so I don't have to see it happen to a good man again." And then after those few words he would not speak for another few hours, only nodding when I had a question. If I told him I believed that I'd fallen for Ava, what would he say?

"Connor! Are you even listening to me? Goddamn it child! You have the attention of a hare!" Achilles shout forced me from my mind and I glanced up, startled.

"Sorry, what did you say?" I muttered.

"You're making an old man repeat himself," He hissed, glaring. "I said, I made Meredith speak with Ava to get some truth out of her."

I frowned, puzzled. "Truth? You just said she was harmless. She isn't a Templar. What would she be hiding?"

"You've said it yourself, there isn't something right about her."

"W-well, yes." I stammered. "But what do you hope to get out of her?"

"Well, for once I'd like the truth around here," Achilles paused, his eyes searching mine for a moment before continuing on looking unsatisfied. "And while I do not think she is a Templar, I believe she may know more about our faction than she is letting on."

I laughed, for a brief second forgetting everything that was bothering me. "How would she know? She isn't an undercover Assassin. Why would she be? And she is not here to kill us. If she knows anything it is because I've let something more slip than I should have. What gives you a reason to interrogate her about this?"

"It was something she said when she came back today. I've noticed that she talks to herself, which is a common thing except with her she pretty much yells everything that comes out of her mouth. It isn't hard to catch what she is thinking." Again I laughed, interrupting him. Achilles glared and I nodded from him to go on. "Like I was saying, I overheard her say something when she thought no one was listening. Very loudly, she declared, these were her exact words, 'Connor Kenway is more of an asshole than Altair ever was. Fuck him.'"

"Did you have to add the 'fuck him' in there?" I growled.

"I thought I would stay true to the script." Achilles shrugged.

I narrowed my eyes but continued on without spitting out an insult that would actually deserve a 'fuck you.'

"So tell me why that made you think she knows more than she is letting on. That seems like a weak excuse. I could have mentioned Altair without realizing it."

"There was more that she said."

"Then keep talking, old man." I snarled.

"She mentioned Ezio too."

"And?" I didn't understand why he was even bothering to bring any of this up. None of it would give him a solid enough reason to kick her out onto the streets.

"She also said she could "totally" believe your father was a Templar and that she hoped the Juno "bitch" would use her First Civilization powers and get her the hell out of here."

"You really are staying close to the script." I mumbled.

"Connor, that is beside the point right now! Are you not understanding anything I just said? Have you told her Haytham is your father? Have you told her about Juno and the First Civilization? If you haven't, where is she getting this information from?" Achilles demanded, slamming his cane down loudly.

"I believe once I mentioned the spirit but nothing about the First Civilization." I frowned, doubt sinking in. If what Achilles was saying was true, there was more to Ava than she was letting on.

"What little we know about them and Juno we've learned from Ezio's letters and journals. She sounded like she knew more."

"Then we should confront her about it and demand the truth!" I exclaimed, suddenly forgetting everything except a strange feeling of betrayal, not from Ava but from my master. Achilles put a hand on my arm and tried to get me to calm back down. I shrugged him off harshly. I hated it when anyone touched me. My mentor dropped his hand quickly as he was suddenly remembering that fact about me.

"Meredith is talking with her now. Maybe she can coax something out of her without anyone getting angry." He said, eyeing me warily. "Don't do anything rash."

I rolled me eyes, laughing darkly. "Do you really think the girl is going to give up anything without a fight? Whatever she knows she's kept it secret for a long time now and I'm sure she doesn't plan on revealing it anytime soon. And why would she tell any of it to Meredith? She hates her."

"I know, I know. That's why Meredith isn't using…traditional methods." Achilles rumbled slowly, squeezing the head of his cane a little harder as if he expected he might need to use it to ward off an attack. Which, I could not blame him. After hearing these words my mind went straight to the word "torture." Assassins kept well away from that particular method unless the situation called for it. This situation wasn't necessary and the thought of Meredith laying a hand on Ava sent my blood into a boil. I didn't understand the rage that took over me in that second, it consumed me like a fire would consume a forest in the middle of summer. I was no longer thinking about protecting my feelings for Ava from my elder, I was thinking about what might be happening to the girl at the moment. Only she mattered. With the speed of a panther I shot up out of my chair so abruptly that it fell over, slamming to the ground loudly. With half a step I closed the gap between me and the old mentor who sat staring up and me calmly despite the uncertainty in his eyes

"So help me Achilles, if someone lays a finger on that girl I will kill them." I snarled, my fists quivering with the need to punch someone's skull in. Carefully the old man lifted up a hand and patted the side of my arm gently. In return I shrugged him off and took a step back.

"Calm, Connor. The girl isn't hurt. Meredith just slipped some valerian root into her tea to relax her. Hopefully it will make her tired so that when she is asked questions, she will tell them truthfully without realizing a thing." Achilles explained. "I wouldn't dream of harming her. She's innocent…for now."

"You won't find anything that will give you reason to hurt her." I scoffed, my body relaxing as the threat of danger died. I picked my chair back up but did not sit down, instead I took to pacing the room, finding myself too alert to stay still.

"Maybe we will, maybe we won't. When everything is done with, Meredith will come alert us and we'll talk to her after she awakes. And it will be good for her to get some rest. The poor thing looks exhausted."

I sighed, hanging my head. "Yes, she does."

"Why don't you sit back down then and we'll wait? It shouldn't be much longer now." Achilles patted the seat in front of him and despite the need to move I sat down, only to appease him. He tried to make small talk and discuss matters about the Homestead and business but I made little or no comments. After a few unsuccessful attempts he stopped trying and turned his attention to the window. It was not a pretty sight, my room faced a brick wall, but nonetheless he didn't look away or even blink. Achilles was a statue while I was the exact opposite, shuffling and moving my hands, leaning forwards and backwards in my chair. Every part of my body seemed to be on high alert. It felt like I was burning from the inside my anticipation and worry was so heated. The wait for Meredith to arrive with news seemed to drag by at the rate of a snail with each passing second more torture for my nervous mind. Five minutes passed, then ten, twenty, another thirty. Forty-five minutes came with the feeling that I'd waited for days. I was about to leap out of my chair and find Ava and Meredith when there was a silent knock on the door. With the speed of a beat I was tearing open the door before Achilles could even register the sound. Meredith stood on the other side looking uncomfortable and confused. She wrung her long fingered hands nervously, her eyes never meeting mine. I frowned, ignoring the urge to grab her by the shoulders and shake any information out of her. Instead I steeled myself and made sure I showed no emotion as I spoke.

"So? What did she tell you?" I asked. I could hear Achilles hobbling up beside me, his curiosity almost as tangible as mine. "Yes, what did she say?" He added.

Meredith licked her lips worriedly before slowly glancing up to meet our gazes. She took a moment to respond, trying to use her words carefully. Actually, she seemed at a lost for words. I didn't understand what could have her so upset. Was Ava a Templar? What was she hiding? Doubt flooded my mind.

"Well…I'm not sure how to say this." She finally said.

"What do you mean?"

"Did she not speak?" Achilles added.

"Oh, she spoke." Meredith laughed shakily. "No, that was not the problem. Actually, she couldn't stop talking. You see, the thing is I don't believe the herbs worked the way they were supposed to. In theory, they relax you and help you sleep. But not all people react the same. In some people for instance, valerian root can cause you to…imagine things. Her answers to my questions were quite strange but she did not seem to be insane."

"Then if you think she spoke truth then why are you so upset?" I asked. "I do not understand."

"And neither do I Connor, because she said she was from the future. She said she was from the future in the real world."

Ava

I felt like I'd been run over by a bus, trampled by horses, eaten by zombies, flushed down a toilet, and then finally been let out to dry in a thunder storm where I repeatedly was struck by lightening. In other words I felt like complete absolute shit. I didn't know why though. The last thing I remembered was drinking some tea and then being really sleepy. So after that Meredith left and I fell off into a delightful sleep that only sucked when I woke up feeling like hell. I laid there for a few moments, not moving or opening my eyes, just trying to let the bad feeling pass. Slowly I was starting to feel normal again but of course it wasn't long lived. Someone walked by me, their feet loud on the wooden floorboards, yet muffled almost. They were pacing back and forth along the side of the couch. I knew who it was. Connor.

"When is she going to wake up? It's been four hours!" He snarled. From somewhere on the other side of the room I heard someone shuffle and the legs of a chair scooting across the floor softly.

"Soon, Connor. It can't be much longer. I must have guessed the wrong amount of herbs to give her. She must not have needed as much as I originally thought." Meredith mused. I felt the anger rise inside me as my slow-working brain pieced together her words. The bitch drugged me! And to make matters worse Connor was in on it which meant that Achilles was as well. It probably wasn't even her idea, she was too stupid to think of something that clever. Old Peg-Leg the Assassin had come up with the master-mind plan and let the idiot do his dirty work for him. I really needed to give these people more credit. They were geniuses…or either I was really dumb. And why did they need to drug me anyway?

"Well she needs to hurry up. I haven't got all day." Connor's angry voice growled. He had stopped his pacing and I could tell from the sudden heat on my side that he was leaning in towards me. Even feeling as shitty as I was, I couldn't stop the sudden increase in my heartbeat and the sudden loss of breath. He must have noticed it because a strong hand gently laid itself on my wounded shoulder. It had to be the most amazing feeling in the world. My body crumpled in on itself and I slowly opened my eyes to look up into his dark orbs. He stared back down at me, his face stoic. Could he not feel the warmth too? I couldn't be imagining it, could I?

"Good, you're awake." He snapped, snatching his hand away. I struggled to sit upright, my head pounding and my stomach knotting.

"I hadn't really planned on going to sleep." I hissed, glaring at Meredith. She looked away quickly. So the wench felt conflicted. I almost laughed.

"We drugged you to get information. It was necessary." Connor shrugged, looking nonchalant. While his body portrayed that he didn't care something about the way the skin crinkled around his brown eyes showed that he felt something else. Maybe I was just crazy or too sick feeling. Connor couldn't be feeling remorse.

I ignored the body language and tried to focus my drowsy mind on the whole being drugged part. "What information? I thought you said I was cleared of all charges in the Templar department." I hissed, rubbing my throbbing temples.

"You're obviously lying to us, Miss. Torry." Achilles spoke, his figure shrouded by shadows. I hadn't even noticed him until now. "You're obviously hiding something. Maybe you aren't a Templar, but the secrets you are harboring maybe somewhat more alarming."

"What do you mean?" I snapped, annoyed at their ramblings and coded messages. For some reason I couldn't connect the thing that was plainly obvious to these people. I just wanted them to get on with it so I could find a little room and a bucket to puke in.

"Ava, are you that daft? We drugged you to get information." Connor snarled.

"And oh did we get some information." Meredith whispered from her seat. I took a moment to glare at her before closing my eyes to block out the harsh firelight. The room had fallen silent, everyone waiting for me to realize whatever knowledge I had given away. My brain was still moving in slow motion but somehow I was able to grasp that one thing I'd been hiding. I suddenly felt like a complete and utter idiot.

"Oh…" I whispered, my eyes flying open to look up at the Assassins. All three of them were staring back and looking pissed.

"So you remember." Achilles muttered, his voice gravely.

"How much did I tell you?"

"A lot," Meredith added quickly. "You talked about being from the future. You talked about "video games" and something called an "Xbox." You told me about Altair, Ezio, and Connor. And you ended with the statement that none of us are real."

The room fell incredibly silent.

"Shit." I whispered, feeling that I needed to say something.

"Judging from your reaction this is the actual truth. This is what you've been hiding from us the whole time." Achilles rumbled, leaning heavily on his cane as he stood up and moved slowly across the room towards me.

"Yeah, it is."

"So if it is, then I suggest you start explaining yourself."

"What do you want to know exactly? I mean…where do I start? The future part? The real part? The whole video game part?" I asked, wringing my hands nervously.

"I don't know. This is your story, not mine. Only you can explain these things." Achilles said.

I took a deep breath, ignoring how my vision became a little blurry at the sudden intake of oxygen. Damn, she did give me too much of those herbs or whatever. But that didn't matter right now, for once the truth was what mattered. So I took another breath despite my throbbing head and met their gazes head on.

"Like I told you I'm from the future, the year 2012 to be exact. In my time we have things like light bulbs and TV's. We have indoor plumbing and drive-thrus and a high obesity rate."

"Ava, get on with it! I do not care of the problems that the "real world" faces." Connor snarled.

I made a face and rolled my eyes. "Fine. I'll skip to video games. I'll try to explain it the best I can but it isn't an easy subject to explain. Well…there is like a screen and on it are pictures, moving pictures. I…can control...the people in the pictures. I make them do things with a controller. One of these games has you and Achilles in it. It hasn't come out yet, but when it does I'll guide you through the Revolution and stuff and kill Templars and do missions and climb trees." I said slowly.

"Are there more of these video games?" Achilles asked.

"Oh yeah, there's a lot of them. Your game, Assassin's Creed 3, is only one of the games that involve the Assassins and Templars. But not all games are about you guys. Like Skyrim is about dragons and magic and swords and amazingness." I sighed, thinking about my level 42 Bosmer thief that was sitting at home waiting to murder and rob the good Nordic people.

"If I'm understanding you correctly, Assassins and Templars are only fiction. Our fight does not exist in your world." Achilles said, breaking my train of thought.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"Then our fight is in vain. Everything we do matters nothing." Connor said, a darkness settling in his eyes. I don't know why, but I panicked as his shoulders slumped and the lines in his face suddenly deepened. An air of defeat suddenly settled over the room. Not only him, but the others suddenly looked very depressed and beaten. As what I deemed reality hit them, so did the meaninglessness of their actions and constant battle. Each of their faces, even Achilles, held profound sadness that ripped my heart from my chest. I had just told them that their life's work meant nothing. There was no one on Earth that could have felt as much as an asshole as I did right in that moment. Logic told me this place was a myth, but the image surrounding me, the pain surrounding me, told a different story. Could I be wrong? Despite my best efforts, could I be lying to them again?

"No," I whispered, "Don't give up."

"Why not? Connor asked. "We aren't real, we don't matter."

I flinched away from his acrid words. "Well, I believe they do matter. I don't believe anymore that you aren't real." I was telling the truth, I wasn't lying to myself anymore. From the beginning I knew Connor's world wasn't a fictional fairytale, it all was too real. I'd bled in this world and I'd cried in this world. Goddamn it, if it wasn't then real then I didn't know what real was. I had tried to tell myself I was in a dream, I'd even gone far enough to tell these people they were a bedtime story, but in reality this was the realist place I'd ever been in my entire life.

"Just hear me out, okay? I've felt pain in your world and I've bled in your world. I've gotten cold and hungry and smelled bad. I've never had a dream where things are clear and where you fall asleep, eat, and cry and hurt. I tried to tell myself none of this was true, but I can't deny it anymore. I know I just told you you're a game but don't listen to that, because you all know you're human, you're real. Your fight does matter, it matters more than anything. Because here in this world, and even in mine, it is real." My voice had raised to almost a shout. The look on their faces had driven me to make them know that they were something, because they were more than an idea someone came up with. They were alive. I stood up shakily, leaning against one of the tables, my eyes moving from everyone of their shadowy faces. They still weren't convinced, they needed just one more push to set them back on the right track. But what did they need? The images of Altair and Ezio swam around in my head as I wondered what else I could say, how else I could convince them to believe my words. I needed something close to home, something they knew that would confirm what I was saying. And maybe it was Juno, or maybe it was the spirits of a thousand Assassins, but I suddenly knew what I needed to say. I smiled, the letters forming into words. Standing up a little straighter I met Connor's steely gaze head on.

"Nothing is true, everything is permitted."