Just One Shot

A/N: Well my dears I wrote this little filler while listening to two drunk Mexicans outside through my window. They were quite a distraction, but I digress. Just a little chapter to ease the blow of the next one because things get ugly from here on out. Enjoy!

DanAlaya: They created the Dogs and are the leaders :D

Jelly. Bean. of. Death: Well child...on the trail we blaze! Lmfao XD Anyway, I managed to figure everything out, we shall see how it plays out from here :D

Jenbuscus: I can see why everyone wants them dead XD Anyway, the mystery of the Spaniard shall be revealed soon enough, read on my dear.

"This Spaniard is becoming a problem," Monica sneered. She stood near the window overlooking the city. Annalise turned to look at her friend with a fixed stare. The comment she had just made worried the blond, her partner had a point. The man seemed to have more influence than they had given him credit for.

In the past week they had been the targets of over ten hit men. The frequency at which the Spaniard hired men to kill them was alarming. He clearly wanted the Diamond Dogs out of the picture. The assassins were no better off.

Annalise kept in touch with Altair through letters that his hawk would fly back and forth in between them. Ezio was still sore about Anna and Monica was in no mood to talk to the creed. It all fell on the blond and the Arab to keep both of their factions from killing one another. They would often warn each other of their next move in an attempt to avoid crossing paths.

It was getting harder and harder to avoid one another in such a small city. Both of them knew this, it was only a matter of time until blood was shed in between their creeds.

"What do you want me to do?" Annalise snapped feeling weary. She had spent several days without rest already. The last thing she needed was another problem to make its home in her overworked mind. She felt like she was going to lose her sanity at times.

"Watch your tone," Monica replied through clenched teeth. The brunette turned sharply from the window. She reached over Annalise and grabbed the bottle of golden liquid that rested on the table in front of them. Monica ignored the maps scattered across the table and the endless contracts. She didn't want to know anything about them at the moment.

All she wanted was a moment of peace.

"This is going to drive us mad!" Annalise snarled slamming her fist up against the table. Monica watched her through the bottom of her glass as she downed the shot of tequila in her hold. The brunette set the small glass down calmly before she hissed in displeasure and spit out the liquid.

"What the hell is this?" she croaked picking the bottle up in anger. Annalise turned to look at her partner in alarm when she heard her voice laced with fury. The blond's face paled when she noticed the liquor inside of the bottle. It wasn't tequila; it had been replaced with something else.

Annalise picked the bottle up rapidly and opened it before smelling the liquid inside. She sighed in relief when she noticed it wasn't anything dangerous, it was merely vodka. The face Monica was making, however, concerned her.

"It's just vodka," Annalise informed her. The blond tried to calm her before Monica snatched the bottle out of her hands and stormed over to the door. Annalise followed closely behind, nothing good was going to come out of this.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to get good tequila?" Monica asked storming through the halls of their creed. She paused from time to time checking the rooms for one person in particular. Annalise simply followed after her with a straight face.

"I can imagine it's extremely difficult," she answered, "impossible almost since it has to be imported." Monica snorted in reply; she wasn't going to bother in answering.

She pushed the doors to the dining room open and made her way towards one of their assassins. Annalise paused when she noticed the young Dog's apparent horror when her mentor slammed the bottle down in front of her.

Half of the Dogs in the room paused their tasks and turned to look at the pair at the end of the room. Monica took a seat across from the woman she had been searching for. Annalise merely followed suit and nodded reassuringly at the Dogs who were giving them worried glances.

"What was this doing in my study and where is my tequila?" Monica asked rather irritated, she hurled eye daggers at the assassin before her. The woman shifted in her seat uncomfortably before looking up at her mentor.

"We had to sterilize a wound, Master," she explained in a soft voice. She dropped her gaze before Monica closed her eyes and tried to calm her nerves. At least it had gone to good use. "I never replaced it with vodka, though," the Dog added while the comment went completely unnoticed by the pair sitting in front of her. Annalise resisted the urge to smile at her partner's actions. Despite her obvious temper she still cared about those around her. The fact that she had just let the incident with the tequila slide when she found out it had been used on one of their Dogs proved it.

"Do not let it happen again," the brunette warned the woman in front of her before rising. Annalise smiled slightly at the assassin trying to ease her nerves. She followed after Monica and managed to catch up to her in the halls once more.

"We need to take care of the matter at hand," Annalise started, reminding Monica of what they had been talking about before. The brunette sighed and nodded. As much as she wanted to put it aside, there was no way she could ignore the threat that the Spaniard posed to them.

"Shall we travel to Spain, my dear?" Monica asked laughing in a mocking manner. Annalise joined her and managed a laugh of her own. It seemed to lighten the mood for a moment; it was short lived, however.

"I've been thinking…" Annalise commented as Monica turned to look at her in amusement.

"A dangerous pass time," Monica interrupted choking back her laughter. Annalise looked at her blankly before she continued.

"I know," she joked. The blond shook her head in an attempt to get serious once more. "We can't do this alone," she admitted turning to look at her partner. Monica frowned when she heard the blond. As much as she wanted to deny it, she had a point.

The Spaniard was going to be a challenge. All of their contacts in Spain had warned them about his influence, politics and war seemed to be his specialty. That combination was dangerous; the Dogs knew that by now.

"Are you suggesting we drag the assassins into this?" Monica asked completely serious by now. Annalise looked at her partner, her eyes betrayed her, her response was evident in her expression.

"We have to," she explained rapidly when Monica scowled at her. "None of us are capable of taking him down on our own; we need each other's resources!"

"Careful what you wish for," Monica replied with hate laced into her voice. She had no intentions of contacting the Brotherhood asking for their help.

"It's only a matter of time until our creeds fall before him," Annalise argued trying to reason with her partner. As much as it pained her to admit it she knew they needed each other. She had even mentioned it to Altair in one of her reports, the response that she had received had shocked her.

Altair had realized it long before she had. Annalise had to stop herself from pointing it out to Monica, of course he had. He was more experienced when it came to those types of situations. Annalise respected and trusted him. If he said they would need to join forces then she would stand beside him and support the idea, there were no other options.

It had to be done.

"We hate each other too much, there would be blood spilt between us before we could even explain anything to our creeds," Monica murmured. Her head by this time was spinning out of control. Part of her wanted to admit that Annalise had a point, the other pointed out all of the obstacles they were going to face it they were to join forces.

"We have to try," Annalise urged.

Monica turned away from her and closed her eyes before she leaned up against the cold surface of the stone wall in front of her. She felt like she was going to be sick. Nothing was going according to plan; she had a feeling things would only get worse.

"Fine," Monica replied trusting her partner's judgment. She knew she was in no position to make any rational decision at the moment. She staggered slightly catching Annalise's attention. The blond moved forward knowing what was coming before she managed to catch Monica and prevent her fall.

"Vodka isn't your thing, is it?" she asked slightly amused as Monica groaned and dropped her head. Annalise merely shook her head and supported her partner's weight.

"There's a reason I only drink tequila," Monica replied stumbling even with Annalise's help, she felt like she was going to throw up. The blond merely rolled her eyes before she led her partner down the stairs.

"We have to leave for Spain today, we can't wait until this gets worse," Annalise explained when Monica rose her head and looked at her in a confused manner. The brunette merely ignored her partner's reasoning, at the moment all she wanted to do was sleep.

"Whatever you say, kid," Monica murmured noticing they were in the stables of their creed. Before she even knew what was happening Annalise had already set her down inside one of the traveling carriages. Monica turned away from the blond and laid face down on the small bed that had been placed inside of the caravan.

Annalise chose one of her most trusted Dogs to take the reins for her. She too entered the carriage and sat amongst the mass of pillows near the bed. The Dog driving the carriage had already been informed of what was going on and where she had to take them. Annalise dropped her head and tried to relax her tense muscles before she felt the horses being pulled to a stop.

She didn't open her eyes when the door to the caravan was opened and feather like footsteps reached her ears. She already knew who it was and at the moment she didn't feel like dealing with a certain Italian.

Annalise had already been planning for their trip to Spain. She had even managed to convince Altair to travel along with them. Part of her told her that it was merely to ease the tension between them and help when the time came to join their creeds. Another, however, kept reminding her that she had merely done it to see Ezio again.

"Pleasure to meet you," a soft voice commented catching her attention. Annalise opened her eyes only to meet Maria's interested orbs. Annalise extended her arm hesitantly and shook the other woman's hand with doubt. She couldn't quite place her feeling towards her.

"I don't recommend you go near her," Annalise warned seeing Anna eye Monica's form curiously. Altair turned his head to look at Annalise instantly. The blond found herself amused at the Arab's concern. Even after all the time that had passed he was rather pitiful at hiding his emotions whenever it involved the sleeping brunette.

"Vodka wasn't too kind on her," Annalise explained as Ezio shook his head in dismay. Personally he had always preferred wine. The Italian turned to look at Annalise and noticed her obvious attempts to ignore him. Anna's form sitting doubtfully beside his own reminded him of why she was shunning him.

The small space that they were all confined to didn't allow any of them to move without colliding with one another. Altair found himself shaking his head already; this was going to be a long trip.

They had decided to travel together in a desperate attempt at improving the chances of their creeds accepting one another. It was a small step towards improving their chances at taking down the infamous Spaniard. If their assassins saw that their leaders tolerated each other's presence then there would be no excuse for them to deny the joining of their creeds.

Anna and Maria were aware of the pair of women near them. How could they not be? Especially when they found their respective men distracted more than usual around them. Maria's brow rose in curiosity when she noticed the pair of cats wander from Altair's side. They jumped on the bed where the sleeping brunette lay and stretched before settling down beside her.

The Arab had to stop himself from sighing in frustration. At the rate they were going Anna and Maria would figure out the history they shared with the pair of women beside them.

Much to everyone's relief the driver pulled the horses over for some rest. Annalise found herself ready to leave the carriage and get some fresh air. Maria followed behind her with Anna next to her. Ezio and Altair were the last to exit and stretch in obvious pleasure. The pair of assassins looked around noticing where they had stopped for the night.

The forest around would provide the perfect cover, they wouldn't have to worry about that. Annalise had already started the fire and the horses rested a few feet away from them. Ezio sat near the fire looking at the flames with interest. Anna and Maria slept beside the fire in a desperate attempt to keep themselves warm. The cold night air around them made them shiver. Annalise merely laughed quietly at them catching Ezio's attention.

The Italian noticed the lack of warm clothing that she was wearing. Not that it alarmed him, she would have gotten used to it by now. He found himself wanting to reach out and rest next to her like he had done countless times before. His body longed for the warmth that she had brought to him every time he held her in his arms. Ezio closed his eyes and tried to control his thoughts. He couldn't think of her when he had Anna now.

His chest ached despite his attempts to block out any thoughts related to Annalise. The Italian couldn't keep denying himself. He wanted her beside him; there was no doubt in his mind about it. He wanted to run his hand through her hair like before. Ezio clenched his hand to the point of pain shooting up his arm. His mind reminded him of the feeling of her soft lips against his own. He wanted to kiss her until time no longer held any meaning and the world stopped.

The Italian had to bite his bottom lip in a desperate attempt to control himself and his thoughts. He stood abruptly catching Annalise's attention. She looked at him with concern as he passed by Altair who remained standing up against a tree. The Italian mumbled something that she couldn't quite hear to the grandmaster before disappearing into the shadows of the tress around them.

Before she could ask Altair anything Monica stumbled out of the carriage coughing into her sleeve uncontrollably. Annalise rose in an instant and rushed over to her partner followed by Altair who seemed to move quicker than her.

"What's wrong?" Annalise asked supporting Monica's body and keeping her up. The brunette couldn't even reply, cough after cough raked through her body. Altair's brow furrowed when he noticed the blood on Monica's sleeve. He took her into his arms and out of Annalise's hold in an instant. He already knew what was going on.

"Get some water," Altair ordered turning to look at the Dog that had been driving the carriage. The woman nodded before searching through the bags around her. The Arab turned to look at Annalise who stood in front of him with panic written all over her features. "It will pass, someone tried to poison her."

Annalise's face contorted into anger upon hearing what the assassin in front of her had just said. Her mind then clicked and made the connection. It had been the vodka. The memory of the woman saying she hadn't replaced the tequila with it suddenly resurfaced. Annalise wanted to slap herself for her stupidity.

"How do you know?" the blond asked as the driver handed Altair a flask of water. The assassin took it and forced Monica to drink some of it despite her thrashing and protests. He paid little attention to the blood that stained his robes when her coughing fit finally ceased.

"I have had experience with Ezio, it seems someone is always trying to poison him with wine," he replied as Annalise nodded in understanding. Altair's hold tightened around Monica protectively when he noticed her breathing grow steady once more. "She would have been dead if she had not spit it out."

Annalise made a mental note to thank the assassin who had replaced the tequila in her partner's study. If it weren't for her Monica would have probably downed the poisoned tequila without a second thought, her loathing of vodka had been the only thing that had kept her from swallowing. She would have to promote her for saving Monica's life. The reality of the situation hit her suddenly, they weren't safe anywhere.

Not even in their own quarters.

"We have to leave," Annalise commented realizing that if they weren't safe in their own creeds being in the open was suicide. Altair nodded back rising with Monica in his arms. Annalise turned away from the pair and headed off to find Ezio in order to leave.

Monica's half lidded eyes stared at the assassin who was holding her in confusion. Was she dreaming he was there or was it reality? She didn't know anymore, everything seemed so blurry. Nothing was clear and every noise sounded intensified to her.

Altair merely set her down carefully onto the bed she had been resting on before. He turned away from her despite his mind telling him to remain by her side. His body froze when he felt a hand holding his arm. The Arab turned in slight surprise only to find Monica staring at him looking weakly much to Altair's displeasure. He did not like to see her in that state.

Monica didn't care if she was dreaming and she didn't care if it was real. Hell, she really couldn't give a damn about what happened now. With whatever strength she had left she held him in place.

"Stay…just one night?" she whispered hoarsely hoping he wouldn't deny her request. Her body gave out on her before she could say anything else. Altair caught her falling arm and held her hand in his own hesitantly. This was wrong; he shouldn't feel so strongly about her. Not when Maria was sleeping outside unaware of everything.

Altair found himself sitting down on a pillow that rested beside the bed. Even from his position on the floor next to her his hand never left her own. He found himself drifting off into sleep faster than he had ever been able to before.

Ezio carried Maria in and nearly dropped her when he saw Altair completely passed out with his head resting against the edge of the bed. He thanked whatever force had kept Maria asleep. At least she would have to bare the sight of him holding Monica's hand even in his sleep.

The Italian couldn't blame him, he wasn't completely innocent either. He had already gotten carried away with Annalise before. The Italian merely set Maria down carefully making sure to avoid waking her before walking back out to retrieve Anna.

Annalise couldn't help but smile when she saw her partner's arm hanging over the side of the bed while her hand remained entwined with Altair's. The blond frowned, however, when she noticed Maria sleeping beside her.

The sight of Ezio carrying Anna's sleeping body seemed to upset her even more. She didn't comment on it, she kept silent even when the carriage started to move once more. She decided to finally break the silence around them when she couldn't stand it any longer.

"How long can we possibly hope to keep the truth from them?" Annalise asked as Ezio turned to look at her. In that brief moment they both understood what they were letting escalate in between them. If it went any further Anna and Maria were bound to find out.

The Italian replied quietly making Annalise wonder if she had heard correctly. The ominous tone Ezio had used didn't sit well with her.

"For as long as possible, I would not want to know what they are capable of if they found out the past we share."

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