tigergirl11465: Yep :) Thanks for your review!
AussieTex: I know, and he even works at a motorcycle dealer... Wuss.
PancaekPirate: I love this review. You made me feel so warm and fuzzy x3 Thank you so much for this :D
Ginger Katt: "This is the sunset shot, right?" (If you get that reference, you're awesome.) And hell yeah it was!
RavingSunshine: That was purposely done. I couldn't leave Lucy's character like it was in the game or she'd be like *gasp* "Desmond! Take a break from teh Animus!" And he'd be like "Wha? Crazy bitch..." Also: sad Desmonds a day keep the doctor away. It's been proven.
rottenorange: I'm glad I took away your precious sleeping times ;) I wrote her to be a bitch on purpose; she's far too nice in the game, if you ask me.

And huge thanks to:
-Thasken, for adding myself to their author alert and adding this story to their favourites
-Reese97-10, for adding this story to their favourites
-and stevies shack, for adding this story to their favourites

Yes, the nod from last chapter was the Eagle Vision from when Desmond woke up. Congratulations to those who guessed right!

Go on, crush me like a flower rusted from the rain
Come on, strip me of my power
Beat me with these chains
And if I'm the king of cowards, you're the queen of pain
-Billy Talent's Rusted from the Rain

Desmond insisted on leaving the apartment first, to make sure there were no angry tenants waiting outside the door with torches and pitchforks. By insisted, he meant practically pushing Shaun out of the way and running to open the door and stick his head out. And by torches and pitchforks, he meant cops and lawsuits.

Luckily, however, there was no one in the hall, and with several odd looks from Shaun, Desmond darted his way toward the elevator without being seen.

"Want to tell me what that was about?" the taller man asked as he stepped into the elevator.

"Nope."

"Okay."

And not a single fuck was given that elevator ride.

Outside the building, the sun still hadn't risen above Shaun's tall apartment. It was surprisingly cold, and Desmond couldn't help but shiver even under his sweater. Nothing he ever did seemed to escape Shaun, and the Brit raised an eyebrow, looking sideways at Desmond. "Need a coat, princess?"

"I'm sure this'll keep me warm," Desmond said, grinning and putting a hand on his bike once they reached it. Shaun just gave him an unimpressed look.

Once they were on the road, the true severity of his situation hit Desmond. Lucy was extremely rich and powerful - at least, her family was - and he was going to chew her out. At least he hoped that's what they were going to do. Desmond felt Shaun's grip tighten around his waist as the bike tipped around a car, and suddenly, he didn't care. All that mattered to him was being able to be with Shaun.

He had given Shaun his helmet, so while the wind was tugging beautifully at his face, so were a lot of bugs, causing him to duck his head every time he saw a cloud of them coming. This in turn caused the bike to swerve more, tightening Shaun's grip on the American.

And Desmond could suddenly care less about the bugs; they weren't hurting him, and there was actually very few on the road. All he could feel was Shaun's arms around him, his chest rising and falling against Desmond's back, and the American wouldn't want anyone else to be with him more.

"Well, here we are," Desmond said when he'd turned off his bike, truly nervous now, and it was showing in his voice. "Casa dolce casa," he added, in an attempt to ease this nervousness.

When they arrived at Rebecca's door, Desmond took a deep breath. "You're sure—?" he began to ask Shaun.

"Of course I'm sure or I wouldn't be here, would I?" Shaun asked, then smiled. "Go ahead."

Desmond inserted his key into the lock, then steeled himself and turned it, pushing open the door.

Rebecca was on him in an instant. "What the fuck?" she demanded before he could even walk inside. "She's been here all night!"

"Uh, Rebecca, meet Shaun," Desmond interrupted, gesturing to the taller man.

"Why didn't you—oh," Rebecca began angrily, then stopped when she realized why he hadn't called.

"Well, okay," she said, then ushered both men into the apartment. "Deal with her."

Desmond stuck his head around the corner into the living room, the door of which was left open. Lucy was sitting on the loveseat, legs crossed and on her phone. Desmond, furious and about to give her what she deserved, stepped into the room, Shaun just behind him. This was enough, though, to cause the blonde to glance up.

"About time," she purred, standing, eyes flicking to Shaun, then taking a couple paces toward them. "And who's this?"

"I'm the one who's going to put a stop to all this!" Shaun said forcefully. "Listen, you little harpy—"

Lucy laughed loudly. "Ha! 'Put a stop to all this'? There's nothing either of you can do about any of this, unless you want to be sued up your asses!"

This didn't deter Shaun, though. "You can't go around forcing your ex to have sex with you just because he's too scared to do anything about it!"

"Hey—!" Desmond protested, but Lucy cut him off.

"Can't I?" she demanded, taking a step closer. "I have one of the best lawyers in the city, and I will sue his sorry ass whether you want me to or not!"

"Oh, come on!" It was Shaun's turn to step closer. He and Lucy were practically nose-to-nose now. "This counts as sexual harassment! No means no!"

"Funny. I don't remember a 'no' being said," Lucy shot back, somewhat mockingly. Desmond froze.

"Liar," Shaun hissed.

"Ask him yourself then!"

Both of them looked at Desmond, who felt his hands shaking. She was right; he'd never actually uttered a 'no' or refusal of any kind.

"...Desmond?" Shaun asked, looking unsure of himself. "She's lying, right?"

Desmond's eyes flicked to Lucy, who was wearing a smug grin, then back to the Brit. "Shaun—" he began helplessly.

"You... you let her?" Shaun looked disgusted. "What was I thinking? You'd be the one contributing to the sex, not her! She couldn't make you hump her!"

"Yeah, and what else was I supposed to do?" Desmond demanded, defensive. "She's insane! You couldn't possibly be blaming me for this!"

"And why not?" Shaun's voice rose. "I can't believe you'd do this to me."

"To you?" Desmond was still shocked he was being blamed, and retaliated with anger. "I barely knew you! I could've done anything I wanted; I was single."

"And that's not going to change anytime soon!" Shaun yelled, turning on his heel and storming out of the room past Rebecca, who was peeking in the doorway.

"Wow," Lucy said after a few seconds. Desmond turned slowly back to her to see a satisfied smile on her face. "That was way more entertaining than your sex, worth seventeen thousand dollars even."

"Will you leave me alone now?" Desmond asked in a hoarse whisper.

She shrugged. "Sure. I'm sure there's no way you're going to get laid in a long while; I'm not going to do you any more favours."

Favours? Desmond's brain demanded. His fists clenched. There was nothing he wanted to do more than make her wipe that grin off her face. But Shaun was more important. Leaving Lucy in the room to stand there grinning her face off, Desmond whipped around and hurried out of the apartment, after Shaun.

A lot of you have been mentioning how bitchy Lucy is in this story. The more I do it, the more I'm liking this new Lucy; she's way too nice in the game, in my opinion. She needs to let her bitchy side out. That's what this story is for.

Also, sorry it's so short. That's on purpose o3o