1720

Nassau, Caribbean

Andy came to us when we were in the Caribbean and fending the territory from Pirates.

The three of us found ourselves on those islands after aiding the end of the Royal African Company and the trade of slaves in slave ships. It was a brutal undertaking, though we did it without a second thought since we knew it involved innocent lives and money on their heads. Seeing all of those souls in the bowl of those ships, looking helpless, we didn't think twice to save them and take out the officers who were harming them in the process.

After we helped take down at least three ships that were in the harbor of Nassau, we decided to stay in town for a while and lay low, giving ourselves a break. We were moving around endlessly for some time and this last adventure with the slaver traders was enough to wipe us all out. Besides, the glistening sun and prestige white sands were tempting for us to dig our feet in, and attempt to tan, though that wouldn't be possible since the sun-damaged we would get would heal itself.

Of course, when we would decide to stay, Pirates would come through and try to ravage the town.

Luckily for Nassau, they had three Immortals to defend their territory.

Of course, we did it under the radar. No one knew it was just the three of us, we would help the other locals that were already fighting against pirates that were trying to take over the territory. We wanted to be more in the shadows, not being well known or seen by the others that were fighting against the foes that would come by.

Things were on a good shift for the three of us as a group. The more we were together and fighting together, the more we were binding in some kind of a family unit. Yusuf changed his name to Joseph and Nicolo to Nico, sounding less formal and more casual because of the way the world was changing. They were still going strong in their relationship, having a few scuffles here and there because of those looking at them in a certain way or at a threat. As always, Nico would calm Joe when Joe would get heated from snide remarks, and Joe would also ring Nico in every once in a while when he was exhausted or something moved him far too much. They were a good balance with each other, and while I loved from for what they wanted with each other.

I envied them.

I could tell they knew it and sensed it, times when I would walk in on them holding each other while they're asleep or when I could see them out of the corner of my eye sneaking kisses to one another in such a delicate way it was heartbreaking. I didn't want it to show when we would eat together or even walk from town to town. They were my teachers and showing me how to fight, they were my counselors to calm me down after a nasty raid or fight we were in, and they were my family through and through.

But then, the second night of us being in Nassau, I had the nightmare about one of the women we dreamed about for decades.

They were flashes behind my eyes, being placed in something dark and cold, chains being enforced, and then suddenly being engulfed in water all over to make it seem like I was about to drown. It happened so fast early into the morning as we were all nestled into our small hut fo a home that we bought with some spare money we received thanks to a previous raid.

I gasped as I woke up, sitting up in my spot and grasping my throat in a death grip. The water was so clear and so real in my throat as I heard both Nico and Jospeh shoot up from their beds as well. it took me a mere moment as I was trying to get the feeling of drowning out of my throat. They were asleep on one side of the room and I was near the window, all three of us woke up in freight as it felt like we experienced the same thing.

Floating black hair, wide eyes, and shouts in the darkness of the ocean.

"Eleanor," Nico said to me in a hurry as he rushed over to place his hands on my side to get my attention on him. He had a thin sheen of sweat all over himself, his eyeshade in shock from what he experiences too. I gulped, finally, no longer having that sensation of being under the water but having a nightmare.

"What as that?" I asked to ask him, not understanding. I looked briefly over at Joseph, seeing him also try to calm himself down and he was doused in sweat. But all three of us were thinking the same thing, the dread and the bottomless pit of fear coming through all of us. We all realized and sensed it, and I even felt it with the sensation of water filling my lungs.

It was all too much, and we haven't met her yet.

The three of us were sitting out on the beach in the wee hours of the morning, watching the sunrise, and were trying to figure out what to make of what we felt that night. It was a solemn moment for us, none of us saying anything for long moments in time, but we were feeling it over and over.

I felt my now heart going out to the woman that I saw in my dream, almost experiencing it through her eyes what she was going through once she was at the bottom of the ocean. it was so odd to think about, how I was almost channeling her and her whole should within that dream that it made me sick to think that I was going to vomit saltwater, just as she did.

"You both saw her, didn't you?" I asked in a croak, not wanting to bring down the mood but I had to know. I looked over at Nico and Joseph, seeing both of them locking their hands together in a death grip and sitting close, as if they were afraid that the other was going to blow away, just like in the dream. Joseph was the first one to look at me, Nico sitting on the other side of him as Joseph was in the middle. His face was solemn, a bit confused but none the less sad. Nico's face, on the other hand, seemed more determined and almost angry with what we went through there within the safety of our beds.

"I saw her eyes…filled with so much fear," Joseph gravely said to me, "I've never seen that with her before,"

"I can hear her cries as they placed her in that Iron Maiden," Nico said bitterly, Joseph squeezing his hand to both hush him from the bitterness in his voice, and to also calm him. It didn't seem real, and yet we all sensed it and experienced it at the same time. before we knew anything was to happen to her, everything went cold and black. Our dreams about the women, up until this point, were of the both of them together and fighting epic battles, exploring the lands from far away places, and defending themselves. This was truly a sense of reality that none of us explored or thought about.

Exposure….and our demise.

"What does this mean for us?" I asked to ask, sounding afraid. Joseph leaned on me carefully, sensing my fear and how I was looking dead ahead at the sea amongst the sandy bank we were sitting on.

"We can be exposed for who we are at any time," Joseph explained to me carefully, "We'll have to be more careful for now on. The world is evolving, and we'll have to go with it: more lingering eyes and more raised questions."

"The other woman," I said to him, seeing him raise his eyebrow at me now as I gulped, "Now she's alone…"

It was another award moment to think about: what would happen if I was going to end up alone? I was alone for the first fifty years, not knowing what to do or how to do it. Nico and Joseph were my saviors in a way to show me how to live, merely because they've done it hundreds of years before I was in this new life. They were experienced, going on 700 years, whereas I was only at 200 years give or take.

I was still young, young and naive at times.

It would break my heart to try and navigate what it would be like in this wold all alone, no one to grow with since everything else would die around me. That sense of guilt that would come behind my back like a phantom itch or sensation. My heart would break and I would go insane from the notion. Nico and Joseph would never leave each other, it was a miracle that they found each other at the same time in the Crusades, both coming back to life at the same time. That was rare, and they both knew it.

Now with me, I felt as times that I was stepping in on their lives a bit too much. They would reassure me over and over that they wanted me with them, both in strength in numbers, and they wanted to have that familiar sense of a family amongst each other. Since we could perish or die in God know how long, it made sense to have each other to help bring back to life if we could.

"Eleanor," I looked over at Joseph, seeing him stare at me to intensely in the darkness. Nico was looking too, his arm wrapped around Joseph's arm as Joseph's other hand was now placed on my knee that was drawn up to my chest. Maybe they could sense what I was thinking, their judgment on how I was somewhat grieving for this woman that I never met in person.

"You will never be alone in this world," he stated to me, seeing me search his eyes, "Nico and I won't allow it, not for one second. This world changes, and yet we don't. To see what this world does to itself and have no one to experience it with would be…beyond agony,"

"You two have each other," I said to them, not trying to sound bitter but it was raw to speak about. Joseph and Nico said nothing, Joseph tilted his head to side from the comment and exhaled carefully. But before he could give me some kind of explanation, Nico was the one who spoke up.

"Just because Joseph and I love each other doesn't mean you don't belong with us as a family," Nico finally said from the other side of Joseph. He sounded so sure about it, he too was giving me a look within the darkness of the night, yet I could see his pale eyes so clearly, "Joseph and I don't want to have you away from us, Eleanor. You're part of us, and we're part of you, right?"

Even at this time, I knew they were coming from a good place. Exploring the world and where we went seemed a bit safer with both of them in tow. There were plenty of memories, apart from battles, that made me happy and feel a bit better about being an Immortal. They taught me more than any tutor would, and they loved me through the times that were painful or heartbreaking. I couldn't hope but do the same for both of them, giving them counsel or advice and showing them my traits and tricks.

"Yes," I said to him, Joseph leaned over to have some weight against my own as he could somehow sense what I was experiencing at the moment.

"As stubborn as he is in how he speaks about what he's feeling, he's right," Joseph said to me in his kind voice, "It'll always be the three of us, always. I don't want to it see it any other way since I consider you part of my family and tribe,"

"As do I," Nico said in agreement, his smile was now seen and it was gentle. I felt my heart hurting in how they made it sound so simple and yet it was so profound, "And now that we know that things can still happen out of our control, we need each other more than ever,"

"Should we consider the woman who's alone now?" I had to ask since she was still haunting my mind. Just the thought of not having another to fight with and learn from, to grow as a person and as a warrior, or to just had a comrade who was Immortal, seemed unbearable.

"Perhaps we can try to find her," Joseph said, thinking to himself, "She seems powerful and capable of handling herself, but this must be hard for her," He paused, looking over at Nico with a curious look on his face, "What do you think, my love?"

Nico was thinking to himself too, his pensive face was a bit sterner than Joseph. He then let out a small sigh, looking at both of us.

"Finding her is a logical option, but for now, we should wait," Nico explained, though now I was confused. That didn't seem like something Nico would say since he too was wanting to go on the hunt for the two women for some time.

"Why wait? What if she needs us?" I asked.

"That may be the case, but she might almost need that time alone since she lost her comrade and friend do something this devastating," Nico explained to me, "Grief changes people, for better or worse. From what we knew of the two of them, they were connected in a way that seemed deep and authentic. This might take time for her to at least heal from what she was feeling,"

He did have a point: even an Immortal had feelings of those who were mortal. Grief and loss were still real, and we had it worse since we had to move on and other mortals would come and go while we were staying still.

"Maybe we can wait for a while," I slowly said, finding myself in agreement with him though I wasn't at first. Now, since the three of us were in a new spot and finding a moment to breathe as I could see the small speckle of sunlight about come over the darkness of the sky and make the stars disappear, "Maybe…we can stay here for a while,"

"Really?" Joseph asked me, almost sounding surprised by what I was thinking about.

"This might be a good place to rest, not worry about anything," I admitted to him, seeing him look over to give Nico a look and a small smirk on his lips, "What, you don't wish to stay here and lay on the beach, or swim in the ocean so blue?"

It was like I was tempting them, showing them what we could be missing fit hey wanted to move on to another place where no one knew about us. This place almost seemed to be like heaven, the first time I ever saw the ocean this clean and pristine, and the warm sun soaking on my skin every day. It was so soothing to be there, and have a few days of doing nothing nut just breathe…breathe and enjoy my life.

"We should stay for a few years," Nico suggested from his spot, "Maybe 5? After that, who knows. 5 years is nothing for us, but maybe we do need it,"

Joseph chuckled as he pressed a kiss in Nico's hair, "I rightfully agree, my love."

So, we stayed.

5 Years Later

"God…give me a breath!"

"You're slow, old man,"

"Your words will be the end of you, child,"

Nico and I chuckled as we both were collapsing onto the sand, taking deep and heavy breaths as we were done with another round fo sparring with swords. It was, of course, another glorious morning in Nassau, the warmth of the summer was coming very soon and we could feel it in everything we did. Today was one of those days that we wanted to relax and not have a worry in the world.

We all took on odd jobs to blend into the locals on the island, keeping the one house that we got the first time we arrived and making it more like home as the years went by. Joseph worked at the market, painting and drawing the shop signs and boards for a profit and would help sell the fish Nico would get as a fisherman. I was finding my own odd jobs here and there, mostly with housekeeping for more of the richer locals that were higher in society. To others thought it seemed mundane, even Nico and Joseph thought it wouldn't work out for me. But I, on the other hand, didn't mind it at all. It was good for me to learn some of those skills when it came to basic housekeeping so I could use it on my small shack of a home.

It was busywork, but it was needed.

Nico and I sat on the white sands, our small shack was right behind us as we could hear some of the locals chatting by and playing in the water of the lagoon that was close by. Nassau was one of those places where there were plenty of beaches for everyone to enjoy and not overcrowd. We never once felt as though our privacy was in jeopardy. Both Nico and I were taking deep breaths, both sweating from head to toe. Nico was wearing a tunic shirt with pants, and I was still in my petticoat, undershirt, and stomacher that was loose enough to spare in.

"You know how I feel when you call me that," I advised him, seeing him chuckle as he was trying to catch a breath and he nodded his head, pointing at me.

"I know," he replied, "Which is why I say it,"

I had to shove him playfully as both of our swords in the sand between us, we both were placing our hands behind us in the warm sand to lean back. We were under the cover of the foliage and trees, the shade was giving us some relief but not a whole lot since the sun was now blazing over out spot on the island. It was a picture-perfect day for us, nothing to do to worry about. We used these days to spare with each other, exploring the island's secret places that we haven't reached yet, and just napping under the crisp cool nights with the stars around us.

This was the peace we needed, and it was glorious.

"Are you glad we stayed?" Nico asked out of the blue, his breath coming down as I was looking over at him in wonder. My hair was longer than ever, over my shoulder in a French braid to make it easier to whip up in a bun. Nico's hair was getting long again, and these days he was more prone to keep it short and out of his eyes. Both of our skins were kissed by the sun plenty of times, and yet we went back to being pale within hours. A somewhat perk we got as an Immortal.

"Yes," I said simply as I was digging my toes in the sand a bit, "It's better than being out there in Europe where plenty of things have been going wrong,"

"And yet Europe brings those problems here," Nico countered back as he huffed out one last breath before he sighed in relief.

"Good thing we're here then to stop them. I never liked their policies and how they try to control humans as if they were cattle," I advised, seeing him nod his head as his eyes were slowly going into the horizon of the ocean, I looked over to watch him too. There was Joseph, diving through the waves in nothing but his pants and a big grin on his face. His hair was getting shaggy and untied, though I would help him trim it since he knew how to do his beard without hesitation. He looked as if he was part of the ocean, moving along the waves with ease and seeming at ease. Stealing a glance over at Nico, I could see how Nico's head tilted to the side watching his lover, a small smirk on his lips.

"Joseph needed this," He said, his voice sounding soft as we watch Joseph stand waist-high in the water and take a breath, "I can tell how natural he is here in comparison in the other places he's been to. No one questioning him, threatening him under their breath. He's safe here." I rubbed his arm soothingly, seeing him he was a bit stressed with Joe and how he was treated in certain places we've been to in the past. As strong and capable Joseph was when it comes to taking care of himself, Nico naturally worried.

"We all needed this," I said in agreement, "This place hasn't brought us any fear as of late,"

"You curious to see what else is out there in the world?" Nico asked, looking over at me curiously as I was crossing my legs in front of me. We always talked about where to go next and what to see.

"I don't know," I admitted, "Maybe somewhere out in the New World. I've heard nothing but stories of new land and prosperity," I've heard stories, plenty from out here in Nassau about a New World that could be vastly different from any other place.

"Also witches," Nico commented, having me now look at him with an amused look.

"Witches? You can't be serious?" I asked in a scoff.

"Some of the talk in the tavern is how the Quakers out there are executing Witches, or what they think are Witches," Nico explained as I had to roll my eyes from the mere thought of religious leaders with such control.

"Witches…how despicable," I muttered.

"it's quieted down now out there, but maybe a few years we can go explore out there to see what it's like," Nico suggested, sounding hopeful about it as we were watching Joseph slowly come out of the water, walking over to us and getting his feet covered in the pristine white sand.

"You two are squawking here under the trees like old women as I swim, you're missing the perfect ocean!" he said in a huff, Nico reached over behind him to where Joseph left his tunic. Nico tossed it to him as I chuckled.

"We were discussing the New World," I explained, seeing him give us a puzzled look as he threw on his tunic over his head, "Some new opportunity might be there…apart of religious tyrants calming there are witches amongst them,"

"Witches?" Joseph asked, not sounding convinced as he got his arms through the sleeves, "Don't they realize there are far worse things in the world than witches?"

"Quakers don't have a strong sense of diversity amongst their own," Nico reassured them, Joseph leaning over to grab Nico's hadn't and hoist him up to his feet. Once Nico was grounded in the sand on his feet, Joseph planted a kiss on his lips and Nico chuckled.

"So, to The New World then?" Joseph asked as Nico leaned over to hoist me up with his hand. I got up easily, dusting off the sand on my petticoat, and nodding my head.

"I'm don't mind," I confessed, "Who knows, maybe we'll go out there and not like it and find ourselves back here,"

"We'll always come back here," Nico reassured me as Joseph had to grin from how Nico was casual about it, "This place was nothing but a blessing for us,"

"Says the man who hides in the shade as I play in the sun," Joseph countered in a tease.

"You can get away with it in the sun," I reminded him as I pointed to his skin in a loving manner, "Nico and I are too pale, our skin would surely perish in comparison to your skin,"

"And yet your skin will be back to normal within hours," Joseph argued with me, Nico rolling his eyes as he quickly laced his fingers together with Joseph before releasing them, "You two need to experience the fruits of your labor by swimming in this ocean,"

Before either of us could argue with Joseph, there was a sound of some kind of scuffle or fight breaking out behind us near the outreach of town, near the square. All three of us looked in the direction, the sound of glass shattering and screams were heard.

"That can't be good," Nico said in a huff as I leaned down to grab my sword and Nico's as well, shoving his in his hand and tying my sword's strap around my hip in a hurry.

"If it's another bar fight with drunk pirates, we best leave them," Joe warned as the three of us were now trekking through the sand and over to the opening of the square that wasn't too far away, the sound of the fighting was getting louder and brutal while we were getting closer. I was about to say something else when some gunshots were and now we were sprinting through the sand and onto the grassy plains that were in front of the local tavern.

The sound was coming from within the square, buildings all around and a sectional courtyard right in the middle where the tavern was located had cheese of fighting and shouts heard all over. Other locals were rushing over to see what was happening, and I finally grabbed the sleeve of one local who was running away from the fight.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Some wild, foreign woman asking for a ship, clearly looking for a fight. Her eyes have the devil in 'em, Hell, she shot three dead already who tried to kill her," He grumbled, shoving my hand off and walking off as another round of shattering glass was ringing in the air. Joe was already running full speed at this point as Nico was hanging back with me, the both of us now trying to catch up with Joe and see where he went.

Once we were within the courtyard, we could see there was clearly a massive crowd around the scuffle. People were looking over the railings of the second and third floor of the shops, heads poking out of windows and murmurs were filling the square. This looked bad, real bad since this could also bring the soldiers around and cause more trouble.

"Where's Joseph?" Nico asked behind me, trying to look through the massive crowd himself and having worry etched on his face.

"I don't know. Go find him and I'll meet you over by the tavern," I said to him, seeing him move to the right into the crowd as I pushed my way through the people in front of me. They sounded frantic and fascinated at the same time with whatever was going on.

Clearly, what I saw took my breath away.

One woman, her back to me, was holding some kind fo ancient weapon within her hands and was in a warrior position facing off at least four local with their swords. She seemed slender, tall in stature, and light on her feet as her weapon was more circular and looked like a stamp than a sword itself. But it glistened of blood, all along the end of it, not her fingers.

What got me first, was her hair: long, matted, and black. What was familiar with her.

One of the locals swung at her, she dove out of the way with ease and struck him hard across his face with her weapon. He flew in the air, shrieks were heard as he landed on the ground in a heap, his face battered in blood.

"Wantin' to stir up trouble in our home, heathen?!" The second local yelled in a roar as he ran towards her. Once again, it seemed like she had the upper hand with him, draping with him for a mere few seconds before he too fell to his death at her hand. Something about her was off though, she seemed as if she was frantic and now deadly in trying to defend herself. Once she moved to the side, I got a slim look of her face. I froze in shock.

Her eyes, I knew those eyes. Was it…

"Mon Dieu," I said in shock as I knew then who it was. I didn't have to react to her though since a third was now coming too close to her and caught her arm. She merely looked at him with such data in her eyes that it even shook me to my core, and yet I was mere inches away from the action now. She grabbed his fingers on her arm, twisted them in such a manner it broke his fingers and he howled in pain. Once he released her, the woman reared her elbow into his face and he crumbled to the ground.

She was in some kind of a trance with her rage, her eyes blistering wide and with anger seeping through her pores as she was breathing heavily over to the body that she injured. Her fists were clutched, weapon at the ready at her side, and I felt a strange pull towards her. it felt like I knew her, that I really knew her, and yet I barely saw her make eye contact with me.

Of course, she would turn around and lock eyes with me, that's when I knew it was her.

She was the one who I saw n my dreams from time to time, traveling in some far off land and fighting as if she was dancing. She was wearing ragged clothes, her skin was covered in mud and dirt, which made her face stand out all the more. Her eyes were strikingly bright and yet lethal, even now when her eyes went big seeing me there. It was like I've seen these eyes for 200 years, but from merely far away and not close.

She was here, and she was real.

"You," She said in a gasp, almost looking scared to see me that close her. Hearing her voice was real enough too, though I barely heard it in my dreams. Her voice was deep and yet delicate at the same time. I didn't know what to say at first with her, but behind her, I could see the last local about to run over to her arm behind.

I instantly chose to defend.

Grabbing my sword from my hip hastily, I pushed the woman out of the way just in time to throw up my sword against the local's attack, hearing the swords clash and the ring floating high in the air. Once I knew the sword was out of range to come back for another strike, I kicked the local hard int he stomach to see him falter back a bit and almost stumble over.

People were shocked to see me do this for some stranger, but it all happened so fast that I wasn't thinking twice. Before anyone else could react, though, the distant sounds of marching feet were heard coming our way.

"Soldiers!"

Now the crowd was scattering since being caught in this kind of situation by His Majesty's soldiers was a death sentence to most. I instantly panicked, whirling around and grabbing her first.

"Come," I said to her hastily, one hand on my sword and the other around her wrist as I was tugging her through the crowd. I could see the tavern not too far, a small sliver of hope that Nico and Joseph were there made me speed up our pace. People were pushing past us, but we were still attached tightly as I found a small sliver of a spot to hide in the darkness. I pushed her in first, making sure she was well enough in the dark before I snuck in too. It was just in time, soldiers flooding into the courtyard and seeing the three bodies all over the floor. The last one must have left too, which will raise our suspicions for sure.

"Thank you," She said in a murmur behind me, having me look back at her. Seeing her in the small sliver of light of the courtyard, I could tell she has been through enough for a lifetime, if not more. Her face looked fragile and yet tough, and I smiled at her.

"Of course," I replied, "I saw you in my dream, I know your face far too well,"

"I know your hair," She replied, pointing to my braid, "Took me long enough to find you." I had to smile from that gesture alone, a small smile was there on her lips as well.

"Long enough," I agreed.

Modern Day

"He's linked to some kind organized group out here in Europe, mostly in the Germany territory but all over," Copley explained as we were on speakerphone with him at our safe house in Venice. He finally called us the next day after my talk with Nicky, getting some information on my attacker back in Paris.

Just talking about it all over again was enough to get me on my nerves, but I was trying not to show it too much now as we were all still pondering what to do next with this one singular attack just on myself.

"He was a young member, barely 25 years old, though both of his father and his grandfather were involved with Nazi background groups and organizations, ever since World War II," Copley explained some more as we were all sitting around the coffee table on the couch and love seat. I was next to Andy in the loveseat, whereas Nicky, Joe, and Nile were on the couch. All of us were solemn in this news, though we've heard worse from other groups.

"They've been around Europe for the past several decades: starting riots in small towns and causing chaos at elections without showing any true affiliation. The only major hiccup that they've had in the past was during the Vietnam War over in the states, but nothing crazy after that," Copley explained since it sounded like he was reading off of his computer, "I did find something though, with his family tree."

"What is it?" Andy asked next to me.

"His great-grandfather worked for the Nazis during World War II," he explained, "Some kind of surgeon and doctor, yet his credentials weren't available to verify. Was there the whole war, bounced from one camp to another within several months but was at one camp in particular for almost a full year."

"What was his name?" Nile asked, leaning in a bit in her spot on the couch. At first, we heard nothing, almost like Copley was faired to say the name itself.

"Dr. Freidrich Stieve,"

I was as still as a rock, my clasped hands were now shaking and my breath was almost labored. I remembered that name, it was etched so far back in my brain and memories that I forgot it was there in the first place. Just hearing the name alone, it made me feel like I was somehow out of my own body and back to a place that as dark…dark and cold. Flashes went off in my mind, a cold sinister voice that as threatening and yet laced with honey, moments of pain against my skin, and in my stomach.

I shot up from the loveseat next to Andy and walked over to the opening onto the patio, saying nothing and trying not to show it in front of the others. But it was painful, once again it was like I was transported back into that place that I wanted to forget. Out of all of the things and encounters that I went through, all of those decades of battles and fights, none of them compared to what I felt in those short moments. In that hell.

"He's the one who—" Joe said uneasily before Andy stepped in.

"We're encountered Stieve a long time ago during the war, trying to liberate prisoners in one of his camps," Andy explained to Nile, "He was a Nazi Doctor, one of the worst ones,"

"This kid's his Great-Grandson?" Nile asked,

"Yeah," Andy replied, his voice thick and low.

"Evil must run in his family," Nile muttered.

"Monstro," Nicky muttered in a low tone, his voice sounding like it was laced in venom. I took one long breath in and my hand at my side started to shake. I looked down at my shaking hand, my heartbeat in my ears as I was hearing his voice over and over in my head. I could see his face hovering me with his round glasses and endearing smile, a smile that showed that he thought he did no crimes and was an angel from God. More like a demon from Satan himself.

"No need to cry, Fräulein. I'll fix you soon enough,"

It was embedded in my brain, programmed to have me break down to the lowest part of myself as if did all those years ago and now it was coming back all over again on replay. Maybe it was the conditioning that he tried to place on me, as he did with others. Then again, he knew something was unique about me and was willing to put more effort into my demise than others.

"What happened to the Doc?" Nile asked as I looked back at the group, seeing them hushed together over the phone with an uneasy loss on their faces.

"He disappeared after Germany surrendered, Died somewhere in Brazil in the late '60s. Though now we know his family lived on in the current day. All of the males in the family and some affiliation with Neo-Nazi parties and demonstrations throughout the years, including the one you encountered in Paris named Daniel. The party he runs with has a ruthless leader who's been in trouble with the law a handful of times." Copley explained to us over the phone, "This group, however, hasn't had any kind of interaction of run-in with the law within the past few days. There's no real reason behind his attack on Eleanor,"

"Send us any information you have on the group Daniel was in," Andy ordered Copley, "Where they're located and what we can learn from them. Who their targets were in the past, who they worked with, all of it. I wanna find these guys and where they hide out in a few days tops,"

"On it," Copley answered quickly, sounding determined. I saw all of the group now looking over at me, their eyes slowly looking down at my shaking hand that wasn't stopping. I was hearing their conversation, but my brain was on another trip somewhere else that seemed so far away. It took years of me trying to forget and push out my mind to just have it all hauled back to me in such a force it made me want to scream. I grabbed my hand to moved it out of their line of sight. The last thing that I wanted them to see was me crumbling like this from a trigger, though all of them except Nile knew.

Andy got up from the loveseat, walking over to me and watching me carefully. She could see what I was thinking, what I was remembering, and how it was harder to just breathe through the new knowledge that his great-grandson was almost going through what he did.

"He's dead," She reminded me, and I nodded my head.

"I know," I said hastily, seeing her carefully place her hand on my shoulder and I looked at her with wide eyes. She was reading my eyes and my stance on how I was rattled by just one name. But she knew, as did the others. For them, they saw me in this state before and I ran from them, yet this time it was different. It had to be.

"He's dead," She said again, her voice was very careful and low. I took in a hasty breath, saying that mantra over and over in my head. I didn't want to cry, I just wanted to punch a wall in how one person could make me feel unhinged. Maybe Andy and some glimpse into what it was like, what it felt like to have your brain scrambled, and reprogrammed in a sense…to no longer feel whole.

"I'll call back when I get something," Both Andy and I looked over to see Nicky hang up on Copley, then slowly looking over at me with his eyes. Joe and Nile looked too, Nile almost looking confused as to what was going on with me and why I was like this. She had to know, I had to be the one to tell her all that happened to me and why this was affecting me so much.

Walking back over to the others, I sat down gently in the loveseat as I folded my hands on my lap, thinking a bi first before I looked at Nile dead in the eyes.

"There's a reason why I wasn't with these guys for a while," I started with her, seeing her cock her head at me in some confusion. I could see how both Nicky and Joe were starting to understand what I was about to do, sitting ups bit in their seats and ready to stop me.

"How long is a while," She asked with a raised brow.

"About 80 years," I answered, rolling my shoulders, Joe shifting in his spot next to Nile and clearing his throat.

"Eleanor, you don't have to do this—"Joe said to me calmly, but I looked at him softly.

"She needs to know, Joe. Better now than later," I said to him to cut him off. He went quiet, understanding where I was coming from and giving me a single nod. Nicky looked hurt already, seeing me re-hash what I was about to tell to Nile. I could tell inwardly he was screaming at me not to tell Nile, this was not the time or place.

"Non ora, per favore," Nicky said in a quiet tone to me, both of our eyes locking in place as I sighed.

"Devo, Nicolo," I said to him, seeing Joe place a weary hand on Nicky's back to soothe him. Nicky stayed quiet, his eyes were drilling into my own for a moment more before I looked back at Nile. Clearly, she knew something was serious, the mood in the room went down very low.

There were parts to what happened that the others didn't know about, and some they did. And maybe this was going to be suicidal on my end to say something like this, to show my vulnerable side. I wish I had Booker with me there, someone to lean on since he was more of a pillar in these times for me. I wish I could be fully honest in how I felt, I wished for a lot of things.

"I'll tell you why I left and what happened to me,"

Google Translate :

Non ora, per favore = Not now, please

Devo, Nicolo = I have to, Nicolo