"It's your father," Dean said. "He's…"

I glanced between them. "He's what?"

Dean swallowed thickly before replying. "Dead."

My face fell as my brows furrowed. "...What?"

"He died on the way here," Anders said slowly. "I'm so sorry."

My fists clenched and I started to shake my head. "No…no – he couldn't have – how did..."

I took a shaky breath in, closing my eyes. Then my whole body started to shake. I wasn't sure if it was in shock or anger.

"Captain, you should sit-" Dean tried.

Anger.

I was shaking in anger.

I opened my eyes and shoved through the men in front of me. I could hear Connor call out to me as I jumped onto Riswell.

Gripping the reins tightly, I dug my heels into Riswell's stomach as Connor came running out of the tavern with Dean and Anders in tow. Riswell's response was to rear up before taking off the road in a gallop.

It was too dark to see much but Riswell and I knew the terrain. We made it to the docks in no time.

I yanked the reins back to stop Riswell. John had come from the ship and took a hold of the reins as I dismounted.

"Where is he?" I asked.

John nodded back to the ship with a solemn look. "Lower deck. Same room."

I ignored the looks my crew was giving me as I weaved my way down to my father's room. I could heard Cindy crying through the door but, for some reason I don't know, I couldn't bring myself to open the door. I just stood there. My hand clasped the doorknob but I couldn't twist it open.

I glared inwardly. I never had a good relationship with my father. Calling him my father always felt nothing more than an obligation. Achilles was there for me when my father wasn't.

So why the hell couldn't I open this door?

When I finally got over my hesitation, I slowly opened the door. The sight that laid before me made me wish I hadn't.

Cindy was draped across my father's stomach. Her fists clutched at the thin sheet that covered my father, her chest heaving up and down with every obnoxiously loud sob. Either Cindy didn't hear me or she didn't care.

Seeing my ever-strong sister having a hysterical breakdown in front of me frightened me. Looking up at my father scarred me to my core.

It was his skin. The bright gold that once infested his eyes had spread across his body. It was as if someone had painted a veiny mask across his face. The farther the infestation grew from his eyes, the darker it grew. His hands looked like they had been wrapped in a black cobweb. A strange, black liquid had leaked from his eyes, mouth, and ears. The liquid covered the sheets on the bed.

I averted my gaze to the wall, hand shooting up to my mouth the muffle the horrified gasp that escaped my lips. When I saw the wall was smeared with a black handprint, I squeezed my eyes shut.

A hand clasped my shoulder gently. I opened my eyes just a bit to see it was John.

The question that had bounced around in my head finally made it to my mouth with a shaky voice. "What the fuck did Iris do to him?"

XXX

I wasn't as sad as I could have or probably should have been. Looking back now, the tears I cried weren't sad ones. They were ones of anger. They were directed at myself for not being there. I also cried because of the fact my sister had gone too far. It was going to be hard not to kill her.

I couldn't get my father's image out of my head. For the next few hours, I kept myself busy with speaking with John about our situation and calming Cindy down to keep my mind off of it.

Connor, of course, had come onto the ship to check on me. He asked me if I needed anything and what had happened to my father. It caused another flash of my father to dart into my vision. Seeing my troubled face, Connor dropped the subject quickly.

After dealing with Cindy, all the while having Connor follow me like a lost puppy, it was time to question Richard's first mate, an old pirate by the name of Mentu.

"We can't get him to answer anything," John explained as he lead us to the room they were holding Mentu in. "He just sits there."

"That's because he doesn't speak a word of English," I said nonchalantly.

My answer stunned John for a moment before he found his voice again. "Oh, well…what does he speak?"

"Arabic," I answered. "Go get Bean. I think he knows some."

"I thought you spoke Arabic," Connor said as John left to fetch Bean. "Did you not speak it with Richard?"

"I only know a handful of nautical terms," I said as we reached the door. "I can ask him how big his mast is but considering his an old pirate, he'd take it the wrong way."

Connor took a moment to realize what I had just said. An adorable blush crossed his cheeks as John arrived with Bean.

"You know Arabic?" I asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Bean answered. "And German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and Recrade."

I furrowed my brows. "I probably don't want to know this but what is Recrade?"

"It's what they speak with the mules when they're used to smuggle drugs," Bean answered.

Bean pushed into the room first, leaving me and the two men in utter confusion.

"What the hell is wrong with your crew?" John asked. "They're a bunch of delusional dumbasses."

I shrugged and spoke as I moved into the room. "If I knew, I'd tell you."

I saw that Bean was already introducing himself to the dark skinned man. Mentu fidgeted in his chair but relaxed a bit when he saw me. I was a familiar face despite the fact I hadn't ever talked to him.

John took the reins with the questioning. He knew I was still shaken up from seeing our father.

Connor stayed near me. I wasn't sure if he could tell that I was a little dazed but I was happy he didn't leave. I needed him by my side.

After a few minutes of easy questions, John started to ask the harder ones.

"Ask him how Iris found them."

Mentu spoke as Bean translated. "He says she had the first attack down in Havana, right before we sailed to New Orleans. Since then she's been targeting Splinter. The Maynard isn't the first ship she's wiped out." Bean looked at me over his shoulder. "Just the only one that's directly linked to you."

I stared at Mentu, seeing Connor and John glance at me. "Bean, ask him why she's trying to get to us."

"He says she's not trying to get to your family," Bean translated. "She's trying to get to you."

"Why?" Connor barked the second the sentence processed in his mind.

"He keeps repeating 'the necklace'," Bean said. "He says…that's how she killed the crew."

I furrowed my brow. John had grabbed his necklace when Bean had mentioned it.

"Richard isn't a small guy," I muttered to myself before speaking louder. "How did she wipe them out?"

"Gold," Bean said. The old man scratched his head at Mentu. "He keeps repeating 'gold'. Wait…now he's talking about…"

"What?" John snapped.

"He keeps going on about some sort of magic," Bean said. "And more gold. Gold and black…spiders, too."

"Spiders?" John asked.

My mind raced. Spiders? What did spiders have to do with-

I stood quickly. "Bean, have Mentu come with me."

I darted out into the passageway with the men following close behind.

When I reached my destination of the room my father was in, I didn't have the guts to look into it again. I only made sure Mentu was looking in when opened the door.

"Did the bodies look like this?" I asked, afraid to turn my head in the slightest.

Bean didn't have to translate. The look on poor Mentu's face answered my question. Connor's face held the same expression too before his gaze darted to mine. I could tell he felt sorry for me.

"Well," I said after shutting the door, "That answers that question."

XXX

After finally convincing Connor I was okay, he and I retired to our bedrooms. It wasn't that late but the day was emotionally exhausting to me.

I shifted in my bed many times, unable to get in a comfortable position. My blanket felt constricting but I felt naked without it. My pillow was a lot harder than usual. I doubt my sleeping arrangement was the reason I couldn't sleep, though.

I gave up trying to sleep. It wouldn't be the first night without sleep for me.

I kicked off the sheets and made my way downstairs quietly. It was then when I noticed a candlelight flickering from Achilles' room.

I poked my head around the doorframe to see him reading.

"What is it, girl?" Achilles asked without looking up from his book.

I stood awkwardly in the doorway. "Couldn't sleep."

Achilles closed the book. "I heard of your father. I'm sorry."

I shook my head as I sat at the seat near his bed. "Don't be. It's just…"

Achilles watched me carefully as I crossed my arms on the bed, resting my chin on them. "What?"

"I'm not upset he's gone," I admitted. "The only thing bothering me is the fact that his body is horrifying to look at. Is that bad?"

Achilles thought for a moment. "Considering your circumstances, I don't believe it is."

I looked up at him. "How do you figure?"

"You have been with me far longer than with him," Achilles explained. "And you have said you feel closer to me than him."

"Yeah but…" I trailed off before finding my voice again. "The look Cindy gave me when she saw I wasn't crying…"

I moved to rest my forehead on my arms. Achilles placed a shaky hand on my arm when I did.

We sat and talked for a long time after that. It was long before I began to drift off but right before I did, I realized something.

Achilles and Connor had shown more sympathy than John or Cindy had. Cindy was still bitterly torn up and John wasn't into anything that didn't involve punching someone. The two men that I had known for years now had been more concerned and supportive than my family ever had been. They were always there even if I had managed to cause the crappy situation they were in. Never once could I remember a time that they weren't there for me. Achilles was more of a father to me than Abraham ever was and Connor…let's just say that what I felt was more than a crush. If I managed to fix the problem with my family then help him with getting to Charles Lee, then maybe we could…

That's when I knew that I was going to stay here, even if I had the option to go back.

I fell asleep that night with a smile on my face.

XXX

Over the next few weeks, John, Cindy, and I had sent out messages to all of our father's contacts, asking for any information on Iris. Most of the messages held no useful information. The ones that did hold valuable information were kept between Cindy, John, and I. Each message acted like a puzzle piece. Soon, with enough information, we'd be able to catch Iris once and for all.

I was skimming through a report when John came into the cabin Cindy and I were sitting in.

"She's still parked in Boston," John said as he folded the paper in his hands. "We can't find out why, though."

"Do we have any ties in Boston?" Cindy asked. "Is she trying to dig up information on us?"

"She's getting info, yeah," I answered once I finished the report. "There's a warehouse on the north side of the docks. The contacts say they've seen people go in but none ever come. One of the agents is absolutely positive she's in there but he doesn't know what happens to the people that don't ever come out."

"Do you believe she's there?" Cindy asked.

I nodded. "This agent was one of Abraham's best. His opinion carries some weight."

"If you so sure, why don't we go in and crack some goddamned heads?" John growled.

"You saw what he did to Abraham," I said in a calm but firm voice. "He died a slow and painful death. Not to mention the fact that she has the power to slaughter a group of seasoned pirates in cold blood. We're still in the blind and if we go now we're going to end up dead."

"Then we-" Cindy started.

John and I watched as Cindy's eyes rolled to the back of her head before toppled over. She landed with a hard thud on the wooden planks below.

John darted for her, only to have his knees give out from under him, too.

I stood up from my chair in a rush before I started to feel a familiar lightheaded-ness. A ringing in my ears and a shot of pain down my spine made me freeze before I fell to the floor. It wasn't long before I lost consciousness.

XXX

Connor stepped onto the Sicarious and glanced around for Piper. He hadn't seen her all morning. Because of the events that took place yesterday, he was more worried about her than usual. She had a tendency to hide when big events shook her up but Connor was determined to be by her side.

As a crew member walked by, Connor stepped in front of them and spoke. "Where is Captain Salvai?"

The man blinked. "Don't know. Sorry."

"Captain Kenway, is it?" a new voice came into the conversation.

Connor turned to see the man who sat up in the crows nest. Dean, if Connor wasn't mistaken.

"Yes," Connor said with a nod. "Where is your captain?"

"Last I saw of her she went down to the lower decks with her sister," Dean answered. "I was just about to go down there myself."

Connor nodded before following Dean into the depths of the ship. The crewmen became sparse as they went deeper into the ship.

Dean came to a door and rapped his knuckles on it. "Captain? You in there?"

There wasn't a response.

"Captain?" Dean tried again.

A few more silent seconds passed before the door swung open quickly. John had stood there, leaning heavily against the door with his hand on his head.

Connor glanced within to see Piper with her head in her hands while she sat on a chair. Cindy stood in a corner, one hand on the wall while the other clutched her stomach.

Connor moved to Piper's side quickly. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, what the hell was that?!" John yelled in a wavering voice.

"It's happened to me before," Piper spoke in a weak and exhausted voice. "Twice. The first was a few months after I met Connor. I was asleep for days."

Connor furrowed his brow. "Are you speaking of when you lost consciousness before we went to Boston?"

Piper nodded and turned her attention to her siblings. "Iris is a lot stronger than we thought."

"You mean she did that?" John asked. "Well then why was Dad there and why was he helping us if-"

"Dean, give us some privacy . Make sure no one comes in, understand?"

Piper ordered weakly.

Dean gave a short not before closing the door behind him.

"It's happened twice. The first was because you guys had followed me here," Piper explained. "The second was because Iris had caused it. She took control of my body but wasn't able to maintain the connection for more than an hour or two." Piper swallowed thickly. "While I was out, Louis spoke to me. He told me about destroying the serum but he wasn't able to talk for long."

"If she was able to take all three of us out…" Cindy inputted slowly.

"What Dad said is the best chance we've got," John said. "It's the only way we have a chance of going home."

Piper visibly grew uncomfortable when John had mentioned going home. Connor didn't know what to think of it.

"Let's just get some rest," Piper said. "We can't do anything about it right now. A few hours will help us clear our heads."

John and Cindy retreated into their cabins after that, leaving Connor and Piper in the quiet room.

"Are you alright?" Connor asked softly as he brought his hand up to rest on her shoulder.

Piper met his gaze for the first time that day. Her eyes seemed exhausted, olive toned skin pale.

She took a slow breath in before answering. "I will be. Can you help me up to the manor?"

"Yes, of course," Connor replied quickly.

The man offered Piper a hand which she took gratefully. Her fingers were cold to the touch and her palm had grown clammy.

Even though it was obvious Piper didn't need any physical help getting to the manor, she kept a firm grip on Connor's hand as they made the trek up the cliff. Not only did she do that, but she also leaned against Connor's firm arm. Her other hand had come up to curl around his bicep.

Not that Connor minded. He liked the feeling of her hand in his along with her being so close to him.

Connor dropped her off at her door and was opening his mouth to speak when she began to talk in a small voice. "I-I'm scared, Connor."

Connor took a moment to get over his surprise. "Why?"

"Because I don't know," Piper admitted, eyes fixated on their still linked hands. "I don't know what Iris is capable of. I don't know if we'll be able to save her. I don't know how this'll turn out. I don't know what'll happen to my brother and sister. I don't know if I'll even survive."

Connor grabbed her other hand. "Do not say that. You are stronger than her and, with your brother and sister, you will be able to stop Iris. You will get through this."

"You don't know that, Connor," Piper said as she shook her head and looked up at Connor.

"I do."

"How?"

"Because," Connor said pulling her closer, "I will not lose you to anyone. Not now."

Silence fell between the two as they stared at each other, the gap between them shrinking slowly but surely. Connor's breath fanned against Piper's lips as he was pulled closer by an unknown force. He felt her hands grip his tighter while she moved to close the gap between their lips.

His heart raced and he realized how badly he wanted this. He realized how much she truly meant to her and maybe she would stay here with him if she knew how he felt. Maybe, just maybe, he could have a normal life with her. That's all he wanted.

Piper made no effort to stop what was about to happen. That is, until her wavering voice timidly ended the moment. "I can't."

Connor froze. She couldn't have just said that.

He slowly opened his eyes to look down at the girl. Her brown orbs were shining with tears.

"I-I want to," Piper spoke softly. "I want to so badly but...if something happens, if something goes wrong...I can't do that to you. I don't even belong here and..." She took a shaky breath in. "You deserve someone better than me."

"I do not want anyone else," Connor pleaded quietly. "I want you. Please do not do this."

Piper closed her eyes, squeezing out tears that had been blurring out her vision. "I-if things were different..."

Piper's hand moved up to grip the back of his neck gently. She pressed her forehead against his as she spoke in a wavering tone. "I-I...I'm so sorry.*"

She began to pull away and Connor allowed her. No matter what he felt for her, no matter how hard it was to let go, he let her slip away from him with ease. If this what she thought was best, Connor would abide by it even though he felt as if his heart was collapsing in his chest.

Slowly, shakily, she stepped into her room. Her door closed soon after.

Connor stood there and stared at he spot Piper used to stand. He felt a knot begin in his throat and swallowed.

Connor's fists clenched at his sides as he fought to keep his emotions in check. Not only had he had let her go but it was obvious she didn't want to. He felt like a fool for having feelings for her for so long and not acting on them. If he hadn't been so scared, maybe things would be different.

But what was done was done and there was nothing Connor could do about it.

He retreated to his room and, similar to Piper, slid down to sit at the foot of his door and began to cry.

*Fun fact: Piper was about to say 'I love you.'

So I'm posting from phone so that's why this isn't bold (I can't figure it out and it's pissing me off).

Anyway, ALL THE SADNESS AND TEARS AND SADNESS! I'm thinking of about two or three more chapters until this is finally finished. I was toying with the idea of doing a short, probably ten chapter story of the Tyranny of King Washington DLC. Of course, I won't start posting it until I'm completely done with the story as to try to avoid a long pause between the chapters.

Please review! Tell me how I'm doing and if you have any input, it's always welcome!