Desmond woke to the sound of someone knocking on his bedroom door. He groaned as his now sore body protested any movements, however, he rolled over anyway right into the warmth beside him. Arms wrapped around him when he pressed into the warmth and he sighed softly in content. A deep chuckle reached his ears and his source of warmth vibrated with the sound. Another sigh left Desmond's lips, but this time it was one of acceptance that he was most likely not going back to sleep.
"Come now tesoro, you cannot sleep all day." The thick Italian accent reached his ears, but he still kept his eyes closed.
"Really? Watch me?" Desmond grumbled.
He had never actually slept in before about a week ago when his soul mates first appeared. He had spent the first part of his life on the farm where his father and trainers ran the place more like a boot camp then even the military probably did, and the second part he spent looking over his shoulders running from the very life he ended running right back into. Now while he knew he needed to get up because he and Natalie needed to be looking into the Apple and the appearance of the five arrivals, that didn't mean he couldn't be a little stubborn about it. He could actually get away with it without being dragged out of bed in this situation. At least he hoped he wouldn't get dragged out of bed.
He felt more then heard Ezio sigh beside him before the Italian began to pull away from him. Desmond cracked his eyes open for a second and watched as the taller man got off the bed. Unsure what Ezio was planning but wanting a few more minutes of sleep, Desmond burrowed into the blankets to stay warm. The Catacombs had heating but that didn't mean it didn't get cold over five stories under ground. He was just about to drift back to sleep when the blankets were suddenly torn right off him and he was assaulted by the cooler air of his room.
"Sorry tesoro, but as the bella said yesterday we have a busy day ahead of us and you are already supposed to be up and helping her with research into the Apple." Ezio said as Desmond opened one eye to glare at him. The bastard even had the balls to grin at him in that way that charmed himself out of any kind of trouble and the one that made it really hard for Des to remain irritated with the Italian.
Sighing, Desmond rolled out of bed and stretched only to jump when a pair of arms wrapped around him. He looked up at Ezio, slightly irked that even if only by a few inches he was shorter than all of his Soulmates, and gave him a questioning look. The Italian smiled down at him for a moment before kissing his forehead and moving towards the door. "Bella is in the library and asked for me to inform you to meet her there once you have eaten. If you need me or the other two, we will be in the training room." Ezio informed him, throwing a dazzling smile over his shoulder before leaving the room entirely. Desmond stared after him for a moment, before he felt his cheeks heat up from the realization he had just received a kiss from one of his soulmates. It wasn't an official kiss, he supposed, but still it was the first sign of affection he'd received from them, that wasn't them attaching themselves to him like leeches. Not that he minded them being his own personal leeches, it just shocked him is all.
Shaking his head, Desmond quickly grabbed a change of clothes and went to shower. Once he was done and his hair mostly dry, he went to the kitchen to grab an apple from the fruit bowl Natalie had made sure to put in their kitchen and headed for her library. The door was slightly ajar when he arrived and he was greeted by a mewling feline winding its way between his feet, causing Desmond to nearly trip over the fluffy creature. He didn't understand how Natalie seemed to walk around with a death trap like this following her around.
"Boris, come here pretty kitty, Des isn't used to walking with you." Natalie called from where she was at the large table. Shay sat beside her going over the book that was placed in front of him, not even bothering to glance at Desmond.
The cat meowed at her in response before bounding away from Desmond to leap onto the table and rub it's head against her offered palm. He shook his head at his best friend and moved towards the table to look at the books she had open. All of which were in languages he couldn't read.
"Find anything of use yet?" Desmond asked, sitting across from Natalie as Boris moved to demanded attention from him.
"Not yet, but there is a lot more mentions of the Apples of Eden then we originally thought. Though they weren't always called the Apples or even Orbs. I have mentions of them being called Golden Spheres, Relics, Artifacts and even Weapons of Atlantis. The Apples of Eden must go back even further than just Altair getting ahold of one for them to have the title of Weapons of Atlantis. Considering we as a secret society are the only ones who actually have proof of Atlantis existing, the theory I've read up on even says the Weapons of Atlantis being removed might have been the cause for the civilizations disappearance from the world." Natalie replied thoughtfully her eyes never leaving the page she was reading.
"So you're saying the Apples were the reason Atlantis fell?" Desmond asked curiously. He remembered their lessons on the lost branch of the brotherhood in Atlantis, which all their members had vanished from except for a few who had been away to other branches at the time of its disappearance. Natalie's family was rumored to be descended from one such survivor.
"Not just the Apples, Desmond. There are other artifacts like the Apples that were created by the First Civilization. I've read mention of a robe or shroud of some sort that Evie and Jacob came into contact with, and there have been mentions of such things like staffs or even actual weapons like swords having properties similar to the Apples. Whether they were all meant to be like the Apples or became that way due to the First Civilizations downfall, I'm unsure, but it brings way more questions to mind then answers. However, I still haven't found any mention of the items dragging people through time or even mentions of people appearing when they come into contact with them." Natalie replied with a sigh, finally looking to Desmond.
"Well that's not all that surprising, I mean think about it Natalie, how many people throughout history have had the names of people from the past as their soulmates? And even if we could figure that number out how many of them came into contact with the Artifacts to even have the chance to meet them?" Desmond pointed out.
Natalie thought over that for a moment before an expression of realization popped onto her face. Desmond was confused until, she turned to look at Shay then to Desmond's chest.
"Technically we're the only two I know of that have people from the past as our names, however we know of exactly five people who have the name of a person from their future that all came into contact with an Artifact of some sort. Altair, Ezio, Connor and Shay all came into contact with an Apple of Eden of some kind whether they were different ones or the same one that found its way into their hands through the passage of time, but all of them came into contact with one. And Jacob came into contact with an Artifact of a different kind but there is no mention of an Apple of Eden ever being in the presence of either Evie or Jacob, but they came into contact with a Robe of Eden. Yet not a single one of them had either of us appear to them when they touched it. Why is that? When either of us touched it, it instantly reacted and had them appear to us in a flash of light, yet after that we could clearly touch it without sending them back to where they came from. Was it because we knew what time our Soulmates came from where as ours knew nothing of how to find us?" Natalie inquired allowed thoughtfully.
"It would make sense. None of us had any clue either of you were from the future, let alone that we'd be long dead before we meet you." Shay said, turning to Natalie to watch her work this out thoughtfully.
"But that's not entirely true." Natalie said, looking to Desmond.
"What?" Desmond inquired.
"You only followed Altair up to the point of him beating Al Mualim, you didn't follow him after that. However, our family records have written accounts from Malik stating that before meeting Maria again Altair practically obsessed over the Apple after receiving it. Many of the records are written first hand by Malik himself and speak of him having talks with Altair about what he was doing with the Artifact. Altair's response was always that he was watching his Soulmate grow into an extraordinaire Assassin. It also states he couldn't wait to meet him in order to help him grow into the Assassin he was seeing in the Apple. So while you stopped following Altair after he got the Apple, it seems he started following you at least up until he left on that trip with Maria and his eldest son. I never made the connection to those writings until now because I didn't know about your names when I first started reading in our Archives." Natalie replied.
Desmond stared at her in shock. Altair had made no mention of him having watched Desmond through the Apple and he had no sign of recognition on his face when he had first appeared. Desmond questioned this and Natalie got a thoughtful expression for a moment.
"Well, being pulled through time would disorient anyone I suppose, even someone like Altair. I would not be surprised if it also fuzzed his memory a bit. Maybe if we asked now he might remember such actions and lack of recognition from him, but this does give me some theories of why they are here." Natalie replied to his question.
"Care to share with the rest of the class?" Desmond inquired, petting Boris as the cat gnawed on the fingers of one of his hands.
"Well my first theory is that they were plucked from time and we have to return them to the exact moment we plucked them from to keep you and your brothers from ceasing to exist." Natalie said thoughtfully, making Desmond's heart sink for a moment, "Or my second theory, which is far more probable since it's been over a week and if you haven't disappeared yet you most likely won't when they stay, is that when each of them came into contact with an Artifact it basically scanned and created a copy of them through time to the same moment we touched the Apple. It would explain why Altair wouldn't recognize you, the version of him sent here would've been a version that hadn't watched you through the Apple yet."
"So you are saying we aren't real? That we're copies of our original selves?" Shay demanded, sounding angry.
"Well yes and no. You aren't just a copy anymore. While the Artifacts were doing their thing yes, but once they spat you out here, you became as real as you were in the past. In fact it would also explain why you all so easily accepted your sudden arrival into the future and the acceptance of the technology here. I think you could even remember everything up to the end of your life given time. The Artifacts basically gave you a sense of what you would be around while it kept your copies in them. Once we touched one of the Apples, like a wireless connection, each Artifact sent your copies to the exact Apple we were touching and it spat you out." Natalie explained, expanding on her theory as she looked back down at the book in front of her, "I mean we have the Apple that Ezio himself used, which was one that was used specifically to create illusions. Not to far fetched to think that the Apple could create such tangible illusions that it made you all real when it spat you out."
Desmond felt his heart skip a beat at Natalie's insinuation. If she was right then that meant none of their soulmates actually had to leave either of them. If she was right then that meant he didn't have to send them back. That meant he could keep them by his side just as he'd wished when he'd first received his names.
"Are you saying what I think you're saying Nat?" Desmond asked shakily. He had to be sure before he could let himself hope.
"Well if I'm right, and we both know I usually am, this means they weren't plucked out of time and therefore there's no reason to send them back. If they weren't plucked from a specific time, then there's no reason for them not to stay." Natalie replied with a grin. Desmond was out of his seat the moment she finished speaking and rushing out the door. He had to see them right now. He needed to be sure they wouldn't disappear, he couldn't explain that sudden fear, but it was there. Up till now he'd been living with absolutely no hope of ever keeping them beside him, but now, if Natalie was right and he hadn't found a time when she wasn't, then this meant they could stay.
Desmond flew down the hall back towards their hall and burst through the doors of the training room. Ezio and Altair, who were watching Connor and Jacob train on the mats, turned to look at him with a bit of surprise, their bodies tensed and ready for attack until they realized it was him. "Ciao, Tesoro, did bella already finish with you for now?" Ezio asked. Desmond didn't respond as he practically threw himself at Altair, who had been standing closest to him, as he approached. The Arab man caught Desmond against him and blinked at Ezio in surprise as the younger man buried his face in his chest. "You don't have to leave." Desmond practically sobbed into his chest, making all three of his Soulmates tense in panic. Connor waved Jacob off, who quickly moved to leave, and approached the other three. Ezio was running his fingers through Desmond's hair while Altair held him closer to himself. "Of course we aren't leaving, habibi. There is nothing in this world that could make us leave you." Altair muttered, smiling softly under his hood as Desmond pressed closer.
Hearing those words, feeling the three around him as the all moved to comfort him the best they could. It was exactly what Desmond needed and he couldn't help but smile through his tears as he continued to cling to Altair. Knowing he didn't have to give them up, knowing that they wouldn't leave no matter what anyone or anything had to say, it eased all the remaining fears Desmond had and allowed him to sink into the embrace of his Soulmates with a smile on his face.
