Hey guys! Long time no see!

I've been working hard in school, so these chapters are going to perhaps be a little quicker to the point, but I'm still gonna try to make them s long as possible. However, this one's a bit (extremely) shorter because it's a two-parter.

Thanks so much for the reviews from NightlyRowanTree and NuhaH! (I hope I got those right). I appreciate them so much and thank you for sticking through this story! You guys rock!

As usual, I don't own Assassin's Creed, but I do own my OCs. Enjoy!

December 24rd, 1774

Over the past week, I think I've grown a newfound hatred for our hideout.

I've spent a week in the bloody place, not once leaving per Cory's demanding instruction. He claimed it wasn't because I lacked the "experience" to hunt down Theodore Wilkinson, but because of my stupid knee. I think he overestimated the seriousness of the injury. It's not like I didn't have enough herbs or mettle to be back on the streets looking for the Templar, but he left each morning before I could have the chance to protest.

I would have followed him, believe me, but Cory made sure to take both of our oil lanterns. And so it was either venture into the dark tunnels or stay in the hideout. I chose the latter.

I tried to pass the time by reading books and training on my own, but it didn't cease the throbbing boredom that gradually overtook me each and every day. I'd try to fall asleep earlier and earlier so I could be up in time for Cory to wake the next morning, but he always rose before me somehow. My anger with him simmered down after the third day and was replaced with worry. Did that boy ever sleep?

On the fifth night, I sat on my cot near the back wall of the hideout reading an almanac Cory had brought me previously. The dying torch fires only provided so much light, so I had to press up against the walls in order to make the inky words out. My neck had a crick in it, so I rubbed it and felt the leather strap brush against my finger. I pulled on the line and took out the half-moon amulet. Placing the almanac down gently, I rubbed over the surface with my thumb; I found that it changed colors from black to green as the amulet came closer to the center.

My thumb then moved to the jagged edge of its left side. I'd come to the conclusion long ago that there was another half somewhere, but I doubted I'd ever find it. Still, that one lingering hope convinced me to hold onto the amulet for just a little while longer. Just in case something did happen. I don't know how I came to this, but something about the amulet was important to me. I could place my finger on why.

I was so transfixed on the necklace that I didn't notice the loud thumps of Cory's boots above my head. Only when I heard his grunt and the sound of him hitting the bottom of the floor did I shove the amulet back under my assassin robes.

Cory looked exhausted. Instead of picking himself up, he just sat against the wall with his head slumped. Surprise at his sudden return was immediately replaced with worry. I grabbed a canteen lying up on a box, filled it with fresh water from the metal basin we kept in the corner, and gave it to him. My friend didn't say a word, merely grabbing the water and taking large gulps until it was all gone. When it was finished, Cory handed the canteen back to be and shot me a grateful look.

As I sat next to him, he brought his head up, "I found where Wilkinson's hiding."

"Really?" I asked him, "Where?"

"In a storehouse near the harbor," Cory told me between breaths, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, "he's going to be taking a small ship to England in two days' time."

I stare at the opposite wall, trying to make sense of this new information, "So we can either stop him beforehand, or we can find a ship and sail after him when he leaves. Perhaps Connor could help us. He does have ship to use."

"England's a lot bigger than Boston, and his vessels are much faster than a normal ship," Cory pointed out, "We'll never catch him if he manages to cross the pond."

I twitched my nose, trying to swallow the anxiety in my throat, "I know."

Cory attempted to stand, making grabs for bricks that jutted out just above his reach, "I came to get you because the storehouse is too heavily guarded for me to take on myself. I'm going to need your help. Grab your things: we're going now."

I stood up at his ridiculous claim, "Oh no, we're not." I pulled my partner's arm over my shoulder, feeling him give his weight to me, and walked him to his bed, "You're asleep on your feet. We'll go in the morning."

I turned my head to see Cory's reaction. He blinked his eyes in an effort to stay awake, only validating my point more, "I won't be falling asleep. I…I can't," he groaned to me between yawns.

"I'll give you some herbs to help you," I promised as we reached his cot. With care, I helped him lie down, not even bothering to take off his robes, "Just give me a second."

As soon as I deemed him settled enough, I pawed through the herb supplies that I kept in the wall where the bricks had long since fallen away. I eventually found lavender, a pretty purple flower that grew just outside the walls of the city. I mixed it with some water in a bowl and gave it to Cory to drink, making sure that he drank it all. He was snoring within the next ten minutes.

As I sat on my bed, I stared at my friend's sleeping form, watching his chest rise and fall evenly, and staring at the blond hair that covered his eyes. I shook my head affectionately, "I thought I was supposed to be the reasonable one, Cory."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The next morning, Cory and I were greeted to a blizzard.

And this was not the normal "day before Christmas" flurry. It was a full whiteout. I couldn't even see the streets below us as we hopped from building to building, it was snowing so hard. The wind bit at my face, turning my nose red and making my uncovered fingers feel raw. Cory's normally pale face looked even worse as we battled the weather in order to get to the harbor.

Wilkinson was sheltering near the long dock in an abandoned storage house. According to the information Cory had gathered, he planned to leave on a small vessel with himself and a few other comrades to escape the Templar influence and create ships for the Crown without any more interference.

"He was planning this for a while now, to escape the colonies," Cory had told me as we started to race over, "but I guess our little fight spooked him enough to move quicker."

"What will happen to the ships?" I remember asking him.

"Nothing good," he responded grimly, "The English Templars have a lot more influence and power than the ones in the colonies. With the money that Wilkinson is bringing to them, he could help to create enough ships to wipe out that speak of dust the Patriots call a navy."

Even thinking about it now, my stomach turned with uneasiness. I could imagine Boston, the homestead, even the smaller, more innocent towns of the southern colonies getting blasted with cannon fire. I shuddered inwardly as the two of us pulled to a stop.

It was hard to tell through the dark and the snow, but I could see the soft glow of lanterns as mercenaries patrolled the grounds below us. Cory tapped me on the shoulder and pointed out a lone silhouette standing off to our right a few meters away. The musket was sweeping back and forth, aiming for the streets. Even through the snow, there was no mistaking the dull red color of the English soldier's jacket.

"Redcoats and hired men," Cory sounded really to spit, "We need to go carefully." I nodded my agreement.

I pointed to an alley off to the right, "If you go on the ground, you can take care of the guards on the streets," I pulled off my bow as I spoke, "and I can take care of the guards on the rooftops."

Cory nodded thoughtfully, "Maybe one of these men will have a key into the warehouse…" he trailed off for a second before shaking his head, "Let's start on the right side."

Before I could say anything else, Cory jumped into the alley I had pointed out and disappeared into the fog below. I rolled my eyes as I pulled an arrow out of the quiver.

The strong winds made it extremely hard to aim accurately, and I was forced to adjust plenty before I had a shot I could consider good. I released the arrow, watched it curve, and saw it land in the thigh of my target. He gasped and went to pull out the arrow as I crept up and unsheathed my hidden blade. Before he could even wrap his fingers around the arrow, my blade entered the back and went up through the lungs. He fell, dead, and I tugged the arrow out of his cold leg. Below me, I could hear the muffled sound of a knife that meant Cory had found his first target as well.

I dug my hands into the small white pouches on the man's belt, but I found nothing key-like. That made sense: why would a rooftop guard carry the key? Cory was more likely to stumble upon it then I was.

This process continued the whole way around the warehouse. The only time that Cory or I screwed up was when one of the rooftop guards turned around before I could attack him, and when Cory had to shoot a guard that was screaming for reinforcements. As I finished and found my way down to the ground below, Cory was waiting for me. The clearing was littered with dead bodies, and I helped my friend pull someone them away and hide them it haystacks nearby.

"Did you find a key?" I inquired as we walked back to the warehouse. Cory was fiddling with one of his pistols as we did so.

"No," he sounded frustrated, "which means we're going to have to find another way inside."

As we made our way back to the storage house, I scanned the walls. The only thing that could be seen through the snow was the soft glow of firelight on the walls of the building. There must be candles near the windows. And then it struck me.

"We could go through the window," I began at the same time Cory snapped his fingers and spoke the same suggestion.

I blushed and looked away, feeling the mortification rising in my chest.

Neither of us spoke for a minute until Cory broke the silence, "Yes. Erm…going through the window sounds good."

I quickly nodded my agreement. As he walked towards the warehouse, I pulled my hood even farther over my eyes to hide my embarrassment and, after a moment's hesitation, followed.

We tested each window we found until Cory finally found an unlocked one on the second floor facing the west. I climbed up, making sure my footholds on the wood were solid, and my partner helped me inside, closing the window behind us.

I warmed my frozen hands over the candle as Cory waved his gloved ones, motioning me to follow him. I made sure my hood was on and my hair was tied and followed his lead.

We walked slowly and silently. The lack of guards on the second floor was bothering me. Where were they? Did Wilkinson send all of his men outside to protect him with the assumption that no one would be able to find him? I wondered if Cory had the same concerns.

Suddenly, I heard the door creak open. Without a second thought, I grabbed Cory's robes and pulled him into a room. We shut the door behind us, then pressed our faces against the door. I was barely able to make out a few muffled words.

"-lazy louts. They probably got cold and left for home."

"Can't say I blame 'em. Tis Christmas, after all! I was gonna buy my lady a nice corset like she wanted, but then I'm called here for no reason? I just hope the shops open early."

"Shops ain't open on Christmas, you twat."

The second one cursed amid the first one's laughter, and then I heard the clomping of boots on the staircase as they went downstairs. I sighed with relief as I fiddled with the doorknob and stepped back into the open.

Cory looked cross as he followed, "Ava, that was competing with the stupidest move you've ever made."

"Why!?"

"What if there were guards in there? You could have pulled us into a room with five men, and then we would have had another fight on our hands. What were you thinking?"

He shook his head and started to walk away, but I pulled on his arm, feeling my agitation grow, "I might have just saved this entire mission. You should be thanking me!"

"I'm thankful we aren't dead," Cory finished, pulling his arm out of my grasp and walking down the stairs. I hurried after him, a storm brewing on my tongue.

"You need to learn how to trust me and how to listen to my opinions," I started, waiting for his response, but instead, he just turned away and stepped onto the bottom floor. I went to catch up with him, "and you need to learn how to take criticism. Because I saved your as-."

"We can discuss this later," Cory hissed to me before pointing at a double-door to our left almost completely covered in shadows. I stared at it and pursed my lips. Cory was right: we had a job to finish. And I wasn't going to be the one to jeopardize it.

"We're not done with this," I hissed as I pulled out my swords.

Cory unsheathed his own weapon, "I have no doubt about that."

Together, we opened both the doors, listening and waiting as they creaked to a stop. With caution, Cory crept into the open with me following closely behind.

The room we were in was a terribly lit barn. Hay was strewn across the ground. All the crates were pushed off to the side so the middle was cleared. The walls offered no protection to the freezing Boston winds. There was even an upper level, surrounded by railing with no visible way to the top. My caution gave way to disappointment as I lowered my arms. Cory did the same as I explored and peered behind a large stack of boxes.

"There's no one here," I sighed, swallowing my annoyance. My voice echoed off the walls, mingling with the cold air from outside.

As if in response, there was a loud sound, the sound of many feet. I brought my sabers up instantly and backed into the clearing. Cory and I turned to face the entrance we came in as redcoats and mercenaries alike came streaming in. They surrounded us, too many to fight. I pressed my back to my friend as they started to enclose us into a tightly knit circle.

"Above us," Cory shouted to me through the commotion.

I looked up to see the sight of more guards. All of them carried muskets and took positions on the top level of the barn. I felt my stomach knot tightly as they cocked them and aimed for us, right over our hearts.

Cory and I had walked straight into an ambush.

Oh, I made a poor attempt at a cliffhanger!

So yeah, part two's gonna come out when I have the time. I'll try to be diligent and stick through with the story, because there is still a bit to cover.

So long! Please follow, favorite, and review! It's always appreciated!