Chapter 11: Assassin's Creed part 2

Altaïr, Parker, and Hiei walked swiftly through the crowded streets of medieval Jerusalem. They didn't blend in well. Parker was the only woman in the entire country (minus the ones in the bookstore of course) who wasn't wearing a long modest dress, and her tight black clothes drew plenty of stares. Hiei's hair and general aura of evilness were also drawing stares, and Altaïr quickly found himself wishing that he hadn't agreed to bring these two as escorts.

"Both of you listen," he snarled under his breath. "I've spent a lot of time working in this city and I will need to spend a lot more time here in the future. I can't afford to have my cover blown because you're too conspicuous."

"What exactly would you like us to do to blend in?" Hiei asked sarcastically. "It's not as though Parker could just steal a dress."

"Well I could…" she suggested but one glare from Hiei silenced her.

"Not without drawing way too much attention to ourselves."

"Listen you two," Altaïr snapped. "We're going to go somewhere where there will be a lot fewer prying eyes."

"And where would that be?" Parker demanded, suddenly getting a feeling that Himizu and Ryouko would have told her the answer before this creepy assassin did.

"The rooftops," Altaïr said. He stopped in the middle of the street and looked around at the buildings. Most of the townspeople moved out of their way, but a few grumbled angrily. Finally Altaïr pointed to a nearby building with several protruding ledges. "That one. Follow me."

Hiei and Parker did as he said. Altaïr pointed upward. "Go on. We'll attract a lot of attention and the Templar guards will probably show up. I'll handle them." He looked at Hiei. "You go up first. There will be Templar guards on the rooftops as well. You should protect the lady."

Parker started to protest that she didn't really need protecting but Hiei shot her a look that suggested she just go with it. Parker sighed and pulled a grappling hook and a line from her bag and tossed it up to the roof where it caught on the rocks. Hiei looked at her pityingly. Parker just shrugged.

"I never climb without a line. It's not that I fear for my safety, but it's better to be safe than sorry and it actually gives me more freedom to try something dangerous."

"I agree with Eliot, you're an odd girl," Hiei told her. Parker made sure the rope was secure on her belt. Hiei climbed quickly up the side of the building, occasionally reaching out and grabbing Parker's rope to increase his balance as he moved to the next ledge. Parker was close behind him, climbing nearly as fast as he was. Glancing down, Hiei saw several townspeople looking up and pointing, exclaiming about what foolish people these strange foreigners were. And sure enough, he could see several Templar guards dashing down the narrow road, shoving people aside and making straight for their building. Altaïr had already spotted them and taken a defensive stance. Hiei levered himself over the top of the wall and landed in a crouch on the roof, red eyes quickly scanning for danger. He spotted two guards dashing across a narrow platform that passed as a connecting bridge between their building and the adjacent one and he darted over to meet them, drawing his katana as he did so. The first Templar guard uttered a short death scream and fell almost at Hiei's feet. He kicked the body out of the way and lunged towards the other Templar guard, slashing his arm and chest. The man tried to stab Hiei in return, but he was off-balance and suddenly toppled right off the platform and plunged to the ground below. Ignoring the frightened shrieks of the townspeople below, Hiei turned back towards Parker, who had just reached the top and was pulling herself up. His eyes travelled past her and he saw another Templar guard on a building across the street from theirs. The guard was watching them and he was pulling out a bow and arrows.

"Oh shit…" Hiei muttered, racing towards the girl. "Parker, get up here now!"

Parker turned and saw the guard with the bow and arrow. Fear sent her adrenaline spiking and she threw herself onto the roof of the building, scuttling blindly somewhere where she hoped an arrow wouldn't land. One arrow thudded into the roof next to her leg, another missed her head by inches before Hiei grabbed her collar and dragged her to the other side of the roof behind a tent-like structure out of arrow range. Parker peered back towards the wall they had climbed.

"Where's Altaïr?" she asked. "You don't think he's been captured or killed do you?"

"A trained assassin like him? Unlikely," Hiei said just as Altaïr vaulted over the edge of the roof and deftly avoided arrows, crouching and rolling towards the tent-like structure to join them.

"How'd you know we'd be here?" Parker asked.

"There's always Templar guards on the roof with bows and arrows, The sensible thing to do would be to find cover until we can ambush any that are shooting at us." Altaïr glanced at Hiei. "I figured you would know that, even if she didn't."

Parker scowled darkly. She had never appreciated being excluded from anything, and she especially didn't like it when men acted sexist. "So where's your hideout?" she asked. Altaïr pointed.

"See that tower there?"

"Yes."

"It's in the building just south of the tower so it's easy for me to get up there and look around at the city."

"The one with the red tile and the white walls?"

"That's the one."

"Okay then." Parker stood up and squared her narrow shoulders. Hiei suddenly felt apprehensive. It usually wasn't a good thing when someone had the type of expression on their face that she had.

"Um, Parker, what are you doing?"

"Now you're going to learn why I'm on the Leverage team as the expert thief," she told them. She got a running start and jumped the short distance between their building and the next one in the direction of the tower. Hiei and Altaïr were too stunned to move as she dashed fearlessly from rooftop to rooftop. They were only roused to action when they heard the harsh cries of the Templar guards demanding that Parker halt and state her business.

"This can't end well," Altaïr groaned. "Women, I swear…"

Hiei chuckled and they dashed after the girl. Hiei paused just long enough to watch Parker somersault through the crossfire of two different bows and arrows, then continued after her. She had stopped at a rooftop that had too great a distance between itself and the nearby tower for her to leap across.

"Silly girl, she'll have to climb down now unless she's foolhardy enough to take on some Templar guards," Altaïr grumbled. But Parker had other ideas. She reached to her waist and pulled out a black cord, made a loop at one end, and swung the cord in the direction of the tower. To the shock of all the men (including the Templar guards) watching her, she looped a beam extending from the tower on her first try. She pulled the cord taunt and made sure it was attached snugly to her belt.

"Oh what the hell is she doing?" Hiei asked aloud. They were almost close enough to yell to her, but he and Altaïr didn't want to attract the attention of the Templar guards any sooner than necessary. Parker stood on the edge of the rooftop and Hiei realized what she was going to do a split second before she did it. "Oh shit…"

Parker took a few steps backwards, then dashed to the edge with a loud whoop of delight. The cord held and she swung all the way across the gap between rooftop and tower, kicked her foot against the tower for a moment, and continued her arc all the way to the rooftop where Altaïr said his hideout was. Landing safely, she pumped her fist in the exhilaration of victory.

"I'm sure as hell not going her way," Altaïr said. "There's a slightly easier way over here, all we have to do is get past some Templar guards."

"You do that. I'll get across on my own," Hiei said. Before Altaïr could question him, Hiei took several steps backwards, then dashed at his maximum speed to the edge of the roof and jumped, hitting the tower easily and jumping again without losing momentum to land on the next rooftop directly next to Parker. She looked at him approvingly.

"That was excellent. I wish I had those skills."

"It comes with being a fire demon."

"Cool. Why didn't you just use your fire demon powers to destroy everyone?"

"Because I was trying not to attract more attention to our group. You seem to have thrown that out the window, but it's still much easier to explain a psycho girl who goes swinging on ropes over rooftops than to explain how I can shoot fire from my hands and destroy this entire goddamn city."

"You can do that?"

"Oh yeah."

"That's amazing."

"Whatever."

As they talked, they watched Altaïr's progress. It was swift. He took out the few Templar guards in his way as though they weren't even there and was on the roof with them in no time. He led them to a trapdoor concealed behind several crates and they dropped down into his home.

It had the rundown feel of a temporary headquarters for a person who was too busy, or didn't care enough, to keep it clean. The windows were boarded up and the rooms were dim and dusty. The only real signs of life were some clothes lying on a bench, a well-used mattress with some blankets draped untidily over it, and a few dirty dishes in the kitchen area. And then there were the flags.

Every surface of the walls was covered with flags. Some were haphazardly hung up while others had been carefully arranged to form elegant mosaics. Even in the mottled light they were beautiful and seemed to be the one part of his home that Altaïr took some pride in.

"This is amazing," Parker gasped. "I doubt it's actually worth much, but it looks incredible."

"So where's the flag that we came for?" Hiei demanded, ignoring his own feelings of delight.

Altaïr walked to the far wall and carefully detached a flag. Instead of showing any signs of fading or wear like the other flags in the room, this flag seemed to glow and didn't show a single sign of aging. He folded it up and handed it over to Hiei.

"I'm awfully sorry to part with this flag. It was the jewel of my collection. But as the Brotherhood would say, the missions must come before any material possessions, and if your friends were serious about carrying out their threat to have me arrested… this flag is a small price to pay for my freedom, even if it is the rarest gem of flags. The Brotherhood is my life and I need to carry out my mission to destroy the Templar."

"We understand and we're grateful for your help. Ryouko and Himizu may seem like strange girls, but believe me when I say that we have great need of this flag, otherwise we would never have troubled you for it," Hiei said with a small bow as he accepted the flag from Altaïr. Parker looked unsure of what to do, so she settled for nodding her head respectfully. Altaïr nodded curtly.

"Do you need help returning to your friends?"

"No, we should be able to make it on our own. Thank you again for your help," Hiei said.

"It was my privilege," Altaïr replied. He escorted them back to the roof and when Hiei and Parker turned after they'd leapt over two buildings, they saw Altaïr watching them from the tower.

"I'm surprised by how respectful you were to him. He seemed like the sort of person who would rub you, or anyone, the wrong way," Parker said.

"He's an assassin and committed to his cause. His honor and duty clearly mean everything to him. I have to respect that. If these things aren't respected, there is no reason to respect anyone at all. He and I aren't really that different anyways," Hiei said.

"How so?"

"Don't worry about it."

Parker frowned slightly, but she didn't have time to puzzle out his enigmatic mutterings unless she wanted to be left behind, and her proud heart wouldn't let her. The pair leapt onto another building, and suddenly found themselves surrounded by seven Templar guards.

"Oh hell," Hiei groaned. "How good are you at fighting?"

"Not very…" Parker admitted.

"Shit…" Hiei groaned, drawing his katana. "Do you even have a weapon?"

"No… well… I have my grappling hook. That would hurt."

Hiei groaned. These guards clearly meant business. He couldn't count on Altaïr's help since he couldn't see the assassin anymore and had no reason to believe that the assassin could see their predicament either. "I suppose I should have accepted his offer as an escort."

"Altaïr took on several of these guys single-handedly while we were climbing that wall," Parker pointed out.

"That doesn't help. He had his back to a wall so they couldn't get behind him and he was only really worrying about himself. I have to worry about you and the flag."

"I see…"

"Okay, listen, I'll give you the flag, then I'll attack these two guards to my 2 o'clock. While I do that, you bust past them and run like all the demons in hell are after you. I'll catch up when I can."

"This sounds an awful lot like you're sacrificing yourself for me. I don't like it."

"Don't get any ideas. I'm sacrificing myself for the flag and for all the people stuck in that cursed bookstore. We don't have a choice right now. Just wait for my signal."

Parker let out a startled cry as one of the Templar guards, apparently tired of listening to the two foreigners babble in their strange language, took a swing at them with his broad sword. Hiei turned and barely had time to block the swing with his katana. The rest of the Templar guards took this as a signal to all attack. Hiei shoved the bundled-up flag towards Parker and she grabbed it and held it close as she pulled out her grappling hook and prepared to battle her way out. Hiei stood back to back with her and prepared to go down fighting.

Out of nowhere, one of the Templar guards pitched forward, three shuriken embedded in his back and neck. Parker, Hiei, and the Templar guards all stared at the fallen body before Hiei said what was surely on all their minds.

"What the fuck?"

"You know, I really don't think Ryouko and Himizu were planning on having you die for the cause. I think Ryouko in particular will be very pissed if Hiei dies."

Everyone turned and saw the masked silver-haired figure of Kakashi standing nearby watching them.

"What the hell are you doing here and why didn't you step in earlier?" Hiei yelled at him.

"The girls sent me. They hated to admit it, but they liked Eliot's idea of sending me along too, so they told me to stay out of sight and just make sure that you got back okay. So I waited until the last possible moment where I thought getting back okay was not an option."

"Your motivations irk me, but since you're here, get the hell over here and help me kick these guys' asses," Hiei said. Kakashi didn't appear to move but suddenly he was right next to Hiei and Parker. Before Parker had a chance to react, Kakashi had scooped her up, swooped back to his original position, sat her on her feet again, and swooped right back next to Hiei in perfect battle position. The fight was brief; the Templar guards were badly outmatched by the ninja master and the fire demon. When it was over, they rejoined Parker and headed off to the bookstore, staying on the rooftops in order to avoid the startled looks from the citizens of the town, as well as further encounters with the Templar guards. As they neared the bookstore, they found themselves having to pass another tower with no ledges to rest on. Kakashi pointed to the east.

"Over there is how I followed you. It's a little longer route, but much safer to jump across. Come on."

"You guys go ahead," Parker said, pulling out her black cord. Kakashi looked surprised. He had apparently missed Parker's last adventure. Hiei shrugged and nodded to Kakashi.

"Let her go. Lead the way."

Kakashi looked as though he was about to protest, but he saw something in Parker's eyes that made him change his mind. So they bounded off on their own safer route while Parker cheerfully defied both death and gravity while swinging across to the safety of the building on the other side of the tower. The trio took off at a dead run sailing over the gaps between buildings until they reached Dusty Pages and they all vaulted through an open third story window. They were all surprised to see both Eliot and Hardison standing there.

"Okay, I expected to see you here," Kakashi said, nodding towards Eliot. "You seemed pissed that you couldn't go along. But what's the nerd doing here?"

Hardison ignored the ninja and focused his attention on Parker. "What the hell were you thinking going out there with those guys? They didn't need a thief, that creepy assassin guy Eliot was telling me about was going to hand over the flag without a problem."

"I went because I wanted to," Parker snapped, pulling the flag out of her jacket.

"That's a terrible reason," Hardison exclaimed.

"It's never bothered you much before," Parker pointed out, glaring at him. "Why are you being so over-protective all of a sudden?"

"Because… because…look, this isn't our normal territory, okay? I just think you ought to be a little more careful." He barely registered the fact that Hiei had taken the flag from Parker, and that he, Kakashi, and Eliot had walked away, leaving the two of them alone to talk.

"I know how to take care of myself," Parker reminded him.

"I don't know about that sometimes. You're the best thief I've ever had the privilege of working with, and you seem to live life so fully, but at the same time you're as innocent as a child and I feel like it would be so easy for someone to trick you and hurt you… and I couldn't handle that. I really care about you and I don't want to see you hurt."

Parker didn't know what to say. She had known that Hardison was attracted to her, and she had been attracted to him for a while, but this confession seemed like more than plain old attraction. It was something much deeper, something that she had witnessed between other people but never experienced for herself. She struggled to find a way to deal with the knowledge of how he felt about her, and the strange feelings that were awakening for him.

Hardison waited to see what she'd say next. He hadn't planned to say any of these things, but when he'd walked into the bookstore and Eliot had told him that she had gone off to retrieve the flag and she hadn't come back for so long, he'd become terrified by the thought of her dying without understanding how he really felt about her. Their flirtations had been casual for so long that it had become routine and he had begun to wonder if they would ever get out of the rut, but he'd never planned on moving things along so fast and forcing her to make a decision. Now rejection seemed like a real possibility, especially considering the storm that seemed to be brewing behind her green eyes.

"I don't know what to say," she said finally. "I'm not used to people caring about me. Not like this. I know Nate and Sophie and even Eliot worry about me and want to keep me safe, but I feel like you're saying something different and I like it and I want to feel the same way, but I'm not sure if I do. My feelings are all such a blur right now."

Hardison breathed a sigh of relief. "That's okay. I would've been surprised if you had been sure right now. Take your time and figure out how you feel. I just want you to know that I'm here for you."

Tears gathered in Parker's eyes, making them sparkle. She took a hesitant step towards him and he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She rested her head against his shoulder and her arms tentatively looped around him. They held each other close for a few moments, then let go and smiled nervously at one another.

"We should go see what Ryouko and Himizu think our next move should be," he said finally.

"You're right," she agreed, nodding resolutely. Hardison glanced sideways at her, wondering if these few moments would stay with her, if she would mull them over in her mind; or if, like a child, she would forget about them in a few minutes and move on to the next distraction. Then he heard Risu screaming.

"RYOUKO! HIMIZU! WHERE ARE YOU USELESS GIRLS? I WANT US TO LEAVE THIS PLACE! NO ONE READS IN THIS SHITTY BACKWARDS ANCIENT CITY! LET'S GO SOMEWHERE PROFITABLE!"

Hardison and Parker glanced at each other, then laughed as they hurried to the break room so they wouldn't get left behind. They got to the door just as Ryouko and Himizu arrived. They seemed rather pleased.

"The flag spark a brainwave?" Hardison asked them.

"Not really. We were actually kind of distracted because the Greek god was here getting coffee and he's so unbearably sexy that we can't think of anything else the entire time he's in our line of sight," Himizu said. Ryouko nodded in agreement. They walked into the break room and found an odd sight. Eliot was in the kitchen, but instead of being at the stove cooking something delicious for dinner, he was standing at the sink giving Dogbert a bath. Parker started giggling, Ryouko and Himizu fell over laughing, and even Hardison couldn't stop himself from grinning. The little white dog was being roughly scrubbed with a brush and he kept pawing at the edge of the sink, clearly seeking his glasses which were lying on a towel halfway across the counter.

"Wow Eliot, when we told you to give Dogbert a bath, we had no idea that you would take the job so seriously," Ryouko managed to exclaim between giggles.

"Dear God, help me!" Dogbert cried out. "I've already ruined his credit rating, I've had his car towed and replaced with a Peel P50, I've rung up $10,000 in long-distance phone calls on his cell phone, I've credited him with inventing the Facial Flex AND the Hawaii Chair, plus I've hired six hit men to have him brutally murdered. But he just does not stop! He killed all the hit men and the rest of the stuff I did doesn't seem to bother him in the least. I'm begging you, save me!"

"Shut up, dog! I told you that you were getting a goddamn bath, and you're going to get one! Now stop wiggling, you're almost clean!"

Ryouko and Himizu had fallen to the ground, doubled over and helpless with laughter. Kakashi looked vaguely amused, Reid was smiling, Hiei was rolling his eyes, Kurama was hiding laughter, Sweets was looking torn between psychoanalyzing everyone's reactions and laughing himself, and even Sasuke and Pengin were in the room sharing in the laughter. Finally Eliot pulled the dog out of the sink, finished rinsing him off, and handed him a towel. Dogbert let out an indignant huff, wrapped himself in the towel, jumped off the counter, and stomped off to sulk. Eliot began to clean up, but stopped as his eyes fell on Parker and Hardison.

"Why are you guys holding hands?" he asked.

Parker and Hardison guiltily dropped each other's hands. "No reason," they said at the same time. Eliot glanced at them suspiciously, but let the subject dropped. Even though Ryouko and Himizu exchanged amused glances, they didn't say a word either and when Sweets opened his mouth, Himizu threw a boot at his head. And the rest of the evening was quiet and uneventful.


A/N: In case you were wondering, a Peel P50 is a tiny little three-wheeled car and the idea of Eliot squeezing himself into one of those was too hilarious to pass up. I think that car was featured on the show Top Gear, but I could be confusing it with some other miniature tri-car.

Also, I heart the pretzels! Hehehehehe… For anyone who is not as obsessed with Leverage as I am, "pretzels" is kind of the show's code word for Hardison and Parker's little relationship. Long story, but it's so cute and adorable and pretzels. Obviously I wrote this chapter before they became official. That was a happy day.