XXIII. An End to Things

"Do you have to go?" Her groan was light but it stirred Edward as he pulled on his trousers. He knew she lie naked in his bed, in their bed, the covers tangled around her body. Their night of reckless passion would be engraved in his mind for this last kill.

"Yes" He answered simply. He didn't look at her as he reached for his shirt. The floor seemed to shimmer before him. "I have to"

"But Rodgers is dead" She said and as he looked back, she was Caroline.

He blinked.

"And Roberts is dead" And as he looked, she was Tessa.

He blinked.

"You don't have to be the one to kill Torres" And as he looked, she was Mary.

"But I do have to be the one to kill him. It has to be me. It was always me." He told her and she looked away.

He wasn't sure who he was looking at anymore. Caroline was his first love and she was dead. Tessa was his second wife and she was gone. Mary was the woman he wanted to be with and she…

With a startle, Edward woke up. He was alone in his room. He had come to sleep some before they arrived. It was the thirty-first of August in the year 1722. He had not seen Mary for some time. Over a year it was now. He thought of her daughter, who would have just turned two. He wished he could be with the two of them. Anne's son would be around the same age now. Anne had been lingering with the Assassins, unknown to what life she might lead now that Jack was gone and she had Jon to care for. So at least Mary had her and she her little Eva.

Of course, he knew Eva wasn't so little anymore. She was walking and talking now, probably exploring the village by her mother's side. He thought of his dream. He thought of who he wished to be by his side most of all. He knew, he knew in his heart who it had always truly belonged to since he met her.

He began to drift off again when there was a knock at the door. He sat up and answered it, running his fingers through his hair. Ben was on the other side, looking just as tired as he felt. They both felt unprepared for this meeting. They would be arriving before Torres and they would face him together. Edward only agreed to bring Ben because he knew Torres would be arriving with a fleet. He would need the help.

"We're here" Hornigold said simply.

"Shall we then?" he asked his longtime friend and Hornigold nodded. The two of them headed to the top deck and took a boat to shore. He knew the guardians of this land would not be happy at their intrusion but there was little that could be done for that. The two of them would be saving lives.

Once they were on shore, they hid their boat, their tracks and watched from their hiding spot as the Jackdaw sailed away to hide amongst rocks and wait for Torres' fleet to come in. Edward knew they would have to wait overnight so the two had brought a thin selection of supplies.

After a while though, Edward and Hornigold pressed into the jungle, sneaking past the guardians as quietly and quickly as possible, to set their own trap. They knew the guardians would stop a great many, but Edward didn't want one reaching the Observatory. He never did find out how Torres located the Observatory, even in his last life. He had thought that someone told him, but now that he thought about it, there were none to tell him. Perhaps someone who was loyal to him stumbled upon it or perhaps they saw a ship leaving it – either Edward's or Roberts'. It didn't matter though. He would die.

They set up a camp deep in the jungle, away from the guardians but where they could watch for Torres' arrival. They ate a cold dinner and took turns sleeping, waking each other every couple of hours. They were almost too anxious to sleep but they knew that they needed their energy more than anything.

Soon enough, dawn was upon them and Edward knew by this time the next day, he would be nearly back to Mary's side. He couldn't wait to see her. To kiss her again. To see little Eva and how she had grown. She would no longer know Edward but that was okay. They would have the rest of the world's time for that. He cleared his mind of thoughts of Mary though, knowing he needed to focus on this fight. He needed to survive.

As dawn reached a peak, they saw the signs that a ship had landed on the shore. The guardians stirred and Edward and Hornigold moved. They were on a high hill and it was hard to move swiftly and quietly through the dense jungle without alerting all to their presence. They managed though and each took to a tree and watched as the attack on the guardians began. It began with Torres loosing many men due to the hidden guardians, but Edward wasn't surprised to see as the men began to capture the guardians, the main party moving forward. Edward and Hornigold freed them as soon as they could, killing off guards as soon as the main party was far enough ahead.

They were letting them go for now. They wanted Torres to be confident that he was going to get the artifact when it was actually within Edward's robes, safe from Torres. They followed and freed, picking off members of the main party when they could. They knew the Spanish men were spooked and that was all the better.

So they followed, they freed, they fought. They got closer and closer to the Observatory and soon it was within sight. Here the guardians were making their last stand but before the fighting could begin, Edward allowed himself to drop into sight. He heard Ben hiss a warning at him, but he did not care.

The guardians paused and Torres and his men turned. Torres smiled at the sight of Edward.

"Captain Kenway, you are ever a splinter in my side" His voice was almost pleasant.

"Hello again Torres." He walked forward. Torres' men condensed around the old man. "What, hoping to get into the Observatory? What for?"

"You know what I seek, Captain"

"Yes. This" He held the skull up, the mangy thing glinting in the sunlight. The guardians rustled, seeming unnerved to see the thing outside its containment. They knew what it was. He was sure that their ancestors, hell maybe some of them, had seen it before. It was a thing of legend – the Artifact of the Observatory.

"Captain Kenway, how would a rouge such as yourself get a hold of such a thing?" Torres asked but then he shook himself. "Give it to me."

"Go to hell"

"You could be a great man! A great Templar! You could help shape the world! You could have everything and anything you wanted!" Torres wasn't shouting but his voice was full of passion.

"I couldn't have the woman I loved." Edward said in a low voice. "My daughter, her daughter, and she would be lost to me if I joined you. My friends, my comrades, people I have known since I came to this place would be lost to me if I joined you. What is life without the people you love most?"

Torres was lost for words. Then his eyes widened. Edward felt Ben standing next to him, glaring at Torres. Ben was thought dead by the Templars so to see him there, in Assassins Robes had to be a punch in the gut for Torres. Edward smiled ever so slightly and slipped the skull back into his robes.

"You die now, Torres" He extended one hidden blade and drew his sword.

"Kill them" Torres said to his guard. But he forgot about the guardians behind them. As his guard surged forward to killed Edward and Ben, the guardians attacked. It was a slaughter and Edward rushed into the fray, Hornigold on his heels.

He had no mind for the death around him, his eyes focused strictly on Torres. The old man backed away, watching Edward and his death come, but he was unable to stop it himself. With one quick thrust of his hidden blade into the old man's neck, Edward knew he had won.

Blood spurted from the wound, dripping down Torres' neck. Edward pulled his blade out and Torres coughed, hissing in pain.

"Does my death fill you with glee, Captain Kenway?" He asked.

"No." Edward said honestly. "To me, your death is just a job done. A closing chapter on this whole mess I made. Now I can live in peace with the people I love"

"Can you?" Torres asked. "I hope you never find your peace Captain Kenway"

"Too late for that, mate. I already have" Torres gave him a funny look but he had nothing left in him and the old man passed away silently without another word spoken.

When Edward looked up, he saw that Torres' guard was dead, Ben had helped the guardians slay them. As he looked, he saw Ah Tabai and Adè coming up the hill. The guardians didn't bristle at them, but he figured they knew Ah Tabai's robes. Edward waited for the two to reach him and Ben, having quickly bent to retrieve the cube of Roberts' blood from Torres' pockets.

"You have done a great good, Edward Kenway" Ah Tabai said.

"Now let us set this to right" Edward said. The four of them turned towards the Observatory. "Keep your wits about you in this place, lads." They opened it with the guardians watching with solemn eyes, as if they knew what the four of them were doing.

They walked along the path that Edward remembered as if it were from a bad dream. The last he walked this path was to kill Torres in his last life. He was glad he had not allowed the man access to this place this time. He knew Ben and even Adè were looking wonder. Ah Tabai seemed untrusting of the place and kept his gaze set ahead as Edward did. It didn't take long to reach the theater. As they did, he heard the security measure begin to go off.

The room flooded with yellow light and the ground began shaking. Edward quickly handed the skull to Ah Tabai who took it and sat it gently back where it belonged. All at once the shaking stopped and the yellow light faded once more. The four stood there for a moment and Edward sighed.

"It's over. We can leave now" He said, mainly to himself.

Adè seemed happy and Ben grinned. Ah Tabai reached into his robes though and Edward knew what he was reaching for. The letter answering his own. The letter from Jenny. He held out his hand for it and Ah Tabai did not seem surprised.

"You know what it says?"

"It says my daughter is coming. We have a few things to discuss ourselves Ah Tabai. Let us leave this place and discuss them." Ah Tabai only nodded and then they all left the Observatory. On the way out, Edward sat the vial of Roberts' blood next to the hundreds of cubes of ancient blood. He was one of them in a way. He deserved to be among them forever.

They sealed the door behind them so none would enter again. The guardians were gone when they exited but Edward figured they had to attend to their wounded. They made their way to the beach in mostly silence. There the Jackdaw sat along with the ship that brought Ah Tabai and Adè to them.

"What is it you want to talk to me about, Edward?" Ah Tabai asked him as they stood on that beach.

"I have a gift for the Assassins. A long coming gift. You can use my base as your new base of operations. It's a large island, jungled but with a village on the far side with room enough for the Assassins. It's a bit smaller and less spread out than the one you have in Tulum but…at the same time I think it will be suitable for your needs"

Ah Tabai nodded softly. "We should really work on spreading out, among the people"

"In good time." Edward suggested and Ah Tabai seemed to agree with that.

"Are you leaving us, Edward? Why are you speaking as if you are not going to be there?" Ah Tabai hesitated with his next words. "Mary will not like…"

"Don't worry. I will return. I have to take care of something in England but I will return to her. I always will. First though…I want to return to Tulum and see her again. I must also wait for my daughter's arrival. But I must see Mary again…" It was clear in his voice of how he missed her. He saw a smile on Ah Tabai's face. "What?"

"To be young and in love" The older Assassin chuckled and walked away. Edward shook his head at himself and watched him go. He was right though. Now if only he could hear it from Mary's lips.

15 October 1722
Great Inagua

Edward stood, watching the party rage on for his crew. They were all enjoying themselves, their victory. They praised him, they praised the Assassins and they praised their new line of work. Many of the Assassins were celebrating too. The Templars had been pretty much eliminated in the West Indies so there was something to celebrate. They'd be back of course, with more tricks up their sleeves but the small piece of peace they had earned should be celebrated.

Edward turned away and saw Mary, holding Eva on her lap. Eva was growing into such a beautiful little girl. Her long, dark hair was in a braid behind her head and her eyes were a bright green shinning with such curiosity, Edward wondered how he and Mary would handle it. Eva saw him staring and jumped off Mary's lap running to him.

"Papa!" she cried. "Up! Up!" She reached up with her small arms and he picked her up, letting her slip onto his shoulders. She squealed with glee at all she could see from his shoulders.

Mary stood and walked to his side, smiling in that way she did when she was content. While he had not yet heard her say the words he wanted to hear so badly, it was clear to anyone who was looking that was exactly what they felt to each other. He leaned down and kissed her gently, while Eva squealed and demanded he turn so she could see the ocean. He turned with a sigh and Mary chuckled softly.

She took his hand, and they stood there looking out over the ocean. She squeezed his hand gently, knowing he was nervous.

"What do you think Eva will think of her?" He asked.

"She'll be excited. She has so much energy." She looked up at her daughter. She had not told her who her real father was yet. It had been Eva who had begun calling Edward 'Papa' after she saw him kiss Mary when they reunited. Mary had told her daughter that Edward not her father at least, but Eva still called him 'Papa' anyway. Perhaps the girl knew Edward's plans once he returned for the final time…

"Papa! Ma! A ship! A ship!" Eva began yelling. She excitedly began trying to scramble from Edward's shoulders. He had to let go of Mary's hand to grab the young girl and put her down. She wanted to run down to the boat, but Mary grabbed her.

"Eva, we're going together" She told her sternly.

"Ma-!" But she saw the look on Mary's face and was quiet, frowning gently. Edward, Mary and Eva all began the walk down. It felt like it took forever and Edward's heart beat nervously. He didn't know what Jenny would think of Mary and Eva – especially with Eva calling him 'papa'. Perhaps he should not have let her do that. Perhaps…

As they walked down the steps together, they passed Anne and her son, Jon, who watched them walk towards the ship. He was looking so like his mother with his bright red hair. He had his father's eyes though and that was easy to see as he stood by his mother.

The three of them walked on. They soon found their way to the docks and there Jenny stood with the Captain of the ship. Edward approached her alone holding out a flower he had picked for her. The Captain took her hand and led her gently down to Edward. He knelt and held the flower to her. She took it delicately, smiling gently. She was dressed so grandly, as a lady of class.

She looked just as her mother did.

"Hello Jennifer." He said to her.

"Hello father" She replied and her smile grew. He stood and she hugged him and he held her for a long moment. It was so nice to see her again, when he never thought he'd see his daughter again. Here she was. This was where things were going to change truly though.

"Jennifer…Jenny, I have to introduce you to someone, alright?" She nodded and he took her hand and turned to where Mary and Eva stood waiting. Eva was practically jumping out of her skin to run over to Jenny but Mary had picked her up, holding her. "This woman is Mary Read and this is her daughter Eva."

"My name is Jennifer Scott….Oh..." Jenny looked up at Edward. "I guess I should use your name now, right father?"

"If you feel more comfortable using your mother's, you may. She is the one who raised you, not I" Edward said honestly. Jenny seemed to think about it but she looked back at Mary and Eva.

"You look quite…odd Miss Read. Dressed in trousers like a boy" Jenny observed.

"Mary is a sailor, like myself." Edward explained. "And it's quite hard to sail in a skirt" Jenny was looking at Mary again, this time with eyes as wide as discs.

"Can I learn to sail, father?" She asked.

"Someday. Not today though" And he chuckled lightly when he saw the shock on her face. She expected him to say no, that much was clear. "See, Jenny, Mary is going to be watching out for you while I'm away."

"But I just met you, and you're going to go away?" She looked so heartbroken at the thought. He glanced up at Mary and saw the shock on her face. She had not known of his trip. Ah Tabai knew but he had been the only one that Edward had told…well other than…

"Not for long, Jenny. I have…to do this." He told her. "I will explain when I return but there are…people who would seek to find you again and take you from me and I…I could never let that happen Jenny."

"Take me away? Whatever for?"

"Because they don't like who I am and who I work with" He told her honestly. "I'll tell you everything when I return. Until then you'll live here. Mary will help take care of you and you can help her watch Eva and play in the ocean every day."

Jenny didn't look convinced, in fact she looked on the verge of tears. "But father…if these people would try and take me away from you, wouldn't they try to hurt you?"

He chuckled. "Don't worry about that Jenny. I can take care of myself just as well." She was still frowning but she nodded.

"And you're coming back?"

"I promise."

"Mother said you promised to come back to her but you never did" Those words were the innocent words of a child with a spike of adult bitterness.

"No…I never did come back."

"She said you tried to get her to divorce you and get remarried. She said you didn't really love her"

"I did try to divorce her, Jenny but that's because I wanted her to have a good life. The best life possible. I knew she wouldn't have it if she stayed married to me. I loved your mother more than anything. But she's gone now and I have you to watch out for. I have to do what's best for you."

"Is this what's best?"

"I think it is"

"Alright…But you better come back! I'll never forgive you if you don't!"

He smiled at her and pulled her in for another hug. Then he turned to Mary who was giving him a sour expression. He glanced back at Jenny. "Alright, I'll make sure to be back. Don't worry though, I don't leave for a little while yet. Why don't you take Eva and go walk along the beach. Just don't go into the water alright? You can't swim in a heavy dress like that"

Mary and Edward watched as Jenny carefully took Eva's hand and the two walked towards the beach. Jenny kept the younger girl well enough away from the waves. Plus there were several robed Assassins on the beach, watching the two girls. Nothing would happen to them while they were there. He turned to Mary, knowing there was one more person he had to appease before he could leave.

"You never said anything about leaving again" Her voice was harsh. "You've barely been back a month, Kenway and you're leaving again?"

"I have to Mary. If I put this off, when I finally must do this, I will be gone all the longer." He could still she was still mad.

"I want to come with you."

"No, Mary" He told her. "Listen, I need you to remain here and watch Eva and Jenny"

"Edward…"

It was a rare moment when she called him by his first name and pulled her gently closer. It was like the world closed around them the moment he stepped so close to her. There was nothing but them and he savored that moment. He knew he'd miss it. He knew he'd miss her.

"I love you Mary. I will always come back to you." She looked up at him with grim eyes. She really hardly had to look up. They were nearly the same height. He smiled at the thought. "I will be back. When I do, I won't leave you again."

"You won't? And how I can I be assured of that?"

"Because when I get back, we're getting married."

Now her brows knotted with a frown. "And when did I agree to that?"

"Just now."

"I don't recall that, Kenway" Her voice was dry.

"You don't want me to leave without you? Well make me stay by your side. Marry me. Become my wife and I'll never leave you behind again."

"I'll think on it. Of course, by the time you're back I could have found someone else"

"That's just as well. I'll duel him for the honor your hand, my lady!" She gave him a dark look and he couldn't help but laugh. "I love you Mary." He kissed her nose.

"And I apparently love you" Her voice was a little dry yet. He was silent in surprise by her actually saying it. "I'm actually considering marrying you" She scoffed, as if at the thought. He just grinned.

"We'll be married when I return" he promised her.

"We'll see" She promised him.

They parted with a kiss and he called the girls back over. He wasn't leaving until the morning and so he wanted to spend as much time with his ladies as he possibly could. He was going to end this and live a life worth living. He was going to be happy. There was no more question to that.

So it was either 'longer than normal, kinda clunky chapter' or super short chapter and medium chapter. I shoved the two together and I don't think its too clunky. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed.