I loved practicing my shots in the wee hours of the morning at the house.

This morning was no exception: a cool fog was rolling though that would be gone within the late morning, it was cool enough for me to go out and stretch my legs. I had a lot on my mind when I woke up with barely any light out in the sky. I only got a few hours of sleep, though it didn't bother me too much while I got dressed in my training clothes. I got my hair in a french braid, noticing it was getting too long for me to work with at this point. I had to get it cut, but not now.

I threw on a sport's bra, a tank top, and fitted jeans with some light sneakers. I knew the others were going to stay asleep at this point, which gave me some alone time out in the back of the house. Going down the stairs, I snuck into the basement to grab my bow and arrow. The basement was the one place that I kept insanely private, since it felt like it had more skeletons there hidden from the real world. All of the weapons that I stored throughout the years that included bows and guns, plenty of files with my identity that I swiped and stored away for safekeeping, and some equipment I used both in the Gulf War and in solo missions.

Once I made it outside, the cool air was nice and crisp as I inhaled it sharply, soothing my lungs. I then was getting my gloves on one at a time along with my arm guard, a bow stand to plant on the ground holding my arrows and my longbow. I had at least 10 bows on reserve at the house, but this longbow was one was for more formative practice…plus it was nostalgic and plain.

I had target placed out a certain distance against the side of a greenhouse that I made in the 70s, big and small targets, mostly for shooting and getting out of my head. I would shoot over and over, hitting the target dead on every time or other times barely missing. To me, being out in the open like this, it was therapy.

Within the first two minutes, I was going through the notions all over again with my shooting: draw an arrow, aim, breathe in and out, release. It was on repeat, the five targets I had up were being hit precisely right in the center, other targets were high up in the tree above the greenhouse and along the sides near the grassy plains. The only sound that was filling the air was the sorrow releasing from the bow, birds chirping in the trees the weren't too far away, and my heavy breathing from what was coming through me. Every time I drew an arrow and before I would loose, a thought slammed me hard.

Andy's a mortal.

Loose

I'm still a target with some Nazi freaks.

Loose

I'm still harboring guilt from what happened to me.

Loose

I didn't deserve it.

Loose

I didn't deserve it.

Loose

I didn't….

"You still shoot this early in the morning?"

I lowered my bow and whirled around, seeing none other than Nicky standing at the opening of the back doors of the house. I sighed and clutched my chest from the relief that it wasn't a threat, mostly in relief since my instinct was to be prepared and alarmed, even at my own home. But it was just Nicky, sporting messy bed hair and long pajama bottoms with a thin shirt as well. His arms were comfortably crossed in front of him as his bare feet and toes were digging in the green grass underneath him. Nicky was watching me from a good couple of feet away from him, the back door was opening partially.

"I could have shot you, Nicky," I semi-scolded him, seeing him almost smirk at me as I pointed my bow at him, "You know better!"

"No, I know you'd never shoot me," He replied calmly as I snorted, grabbing another arrow and getting it loaded in the bowstring.

"There's always time for a first," I commented, looking back t the target in front of me and pulling the string back, taking in a breath, "I take it you and Joe slept well?"

"We did, though I wish I could say the same for you," He said in his leveled tone as I released and hot the target dead-on without a second blink. I lowered the bow, placing it on the bow stand I had set up and walked over to the targets with nothing to say for a moment or two. Grabbing one arrow at a time from each target, I could see how Nicky was still watching me. I grabbed the last arrow, walking back over to where my bow was and finally

"Andy and I talked last night," I explained, placing the arrows in their holster next to my bow before grabbing one to load up.

"Best time for her talks," Nicky commented as I loaded one more arrow and aimed it dead ahead, taking in a breath before I released. It hit dead center, in which I finally looked over at Nicky. I could see how he was watching my every move, not saying a word, and yet he was saying plenty with his eyes and in his stance.

"She told me about her mortality," I said to him, staying calm about it. There was a flicker of realizing in his eyes, his stance was loose now as his hands fell to his side and hands on his hips. I grabbed another arrow and loaded it as I was gripping the bow handle a bit too tightly, "She seems more casual about it than I thought,"

"It was worse when we found out about it, Eleanor," Nicky said to me in a lower tone, having me read his face that he too was affected about this discovery of Andy, "None of us were ready for it,"

"None the less, she made it seem like it was just part of her life," I commented, aiming the bow now to a higher mark in the tree and releasing before I could think twice, "We have mere decades with her now, Nicky. It's not enough time for me since…since I lost time with her when I left. And she tells me this now?"

"Would you rather hear from it later on when you started to see her age? Getting gray hair or going a bit slower than she used to?" Nicky asked me, having me pause to think about it for a moment, "She couldn't tell you sooner since we were in Venice, after what was happening with who was after us and after you, she wanted to think about it later,"

I felt a twinge of guilt, having me grab another arrow tightly in my fingers. I was about to load it up when I looked at Nicky almost in defeat. He could see it, how I was inwardly crumbling with the thought of Andy not being able to live for that much longer. And in a sense, I could see it with Nicky too.

"It's just…it's not fair for her, Nicky," I said to him, my voice no longer bitter but it was low and soft, "She's the one who got us to where we are today: really helping people and trying to do some good,"

"I understand," He said to me, slowly walking over towards me and letting his hands hang at his sides, "We all do, including Nile. Nile told her to keep going with what we're doing,"

I raised an eyebrow at him as we were standing side by side, a bit shocked by what he said.

"Really?" I asked, seeing him smile and nod his head.

"She found out through Copley about all the worked we've done, all the research he made about us for the last 150 years," Nicky explained some more as he rubbed his face to get some of the tiredness off his face as he went on, "Andy was struggling with trying to do more missions, in her mind the bad the outweighing the good,"

"She was always her worst critic," I grumbled, breathing out and seeing my breath escape into the air. I felt bad for how I was feeling since I knew Andy could take care of herself five times more than I ever could, she was a warrior. It was in her blood and her soul, and when push came to shove, there was nothing that could steer her.

"Andy wanted to tell you at the right time," Nicky explained, watching me hesitantly with his pale eyes and standing so still next to me, "Right after we left London for Venice after we banished Booker.." I made a face and cringed, looking away from Nicky for a brief moment so he wouldn't see it. Just thinking about another one of our own and where he would be in that moment, "She thought about you and where you could be,"

I got another arrow loaded and pulled back within an instant. I released, missing my target and my breath was once again getting shaky.

"Did she want to find me?" I asked him as I lowered my bow, trying to use my words carefully with him. Nicky as more straight forward when it came to talks like this, whereas Joe was more lenient and kind with his words. I didn't blame Nicky though, it was in his nature.

"Yes," he answered, having me finally place my bow on the ground and fold my arms in front of myself to bit off a bit of the cold that was coming through, "She initially did to tell you in person…but she figured she would have to talk with Copley first and see…"

"See if he could find me," I stated, nodding my head slowly. I knew a wave of frustration was coming through, and my head was swimming with all the reasons as to why I didn't get there sooner or helped in any other way. Nicky could read my face, carefully walking a bit closer to me and having me stare at him. His look was intense, his eyes drilling into my own now as we were close enough to talk under our breath but it wasn't necessary since we were alone.

"Eleanor, whether you were with us or not, Andy's mortality would have still happened," He explained as I was shifting back and forth in my stance and nodded in agreement, "I can tell how you're thinking about this and you think you could have done something,"

"That's putting it very lightly." I admitted to him, though I sighed and gave him a half-hearted glare, "I know where you're coming from, though." I had to give a small chuckle because this was both making sense and not making sense at the same time, "I even told her I can be her personal medic for now on,"

"Did you?" Nicky asked, having the mood a bit lighter as we were grinning at each other.

"If I have at least 50 years of practicing medicine experience under my belt, I can now put it to good use," I explained, seeing a smile coming over his face as I was feeling a bit lighter about this "But she'll be stubborn about it,"

"Very stubborn," Nicky said in agreement.

"We should start making bets as to when she'll snap at me when I try to help her," I commented, the both of us chuckling from thinking about that actually being a reality with Andy. I couldn't believe that we would laugh about this when all I wanted to do was cry because of that limited time I had with Andy.

"You gonna be okay?" Nicky asked me, once again going into his soft mode and making sure I was alright. The warmth of Nicky was back there on his face and in his eyes, which made me smile softly back at him. I had to give him an amused look as I breathed in deeply.

"Well let's see…..I have a bunch of Nazis after me….one of my closest friends lost her mortality…..and I just got back together with my family after I left them….." I listed those things off in a light tone between Nicky and me, then giving him a shrug, "I've been through worse situations."

It almost sounded like I was going through some kind of solo pity party. Those elements and things that were going on in me were slowly peeling away at me and making me feel more exposed. Nicky's face fell slightly, hearing all of these things coming out of my mouth, and yet I was casual about it. I didn't want him to feel and about it, it would break my own heart to break his. His heart and soul were far too kind for me to do something like that.

For all those years we were together, even with Joe, Nicky, and I shared a good platonic bond. Maybe in one life, we were bonded as siblings from how we interacted with each other. He would try to protect me, and I would try to do the same. He would teach me, and I would teach him.

It was almost an unwritten agreement for both of us.

Nicky took a step forward and hugged me gently, my arms going around him in an instant. I stayed still in his hold with me, finally feeling how he was somewhat clutching onto me in comparison to how I would clutch one him before. Maybe he was then how needed his hug, or I was. At least, we both needed it.

"I'll be fine, Nicky," I said to him as I rubbed his back with my knuckles, hearing nothing from him for a moment, "There are far worse things to fear and worry about, this is nothing I can't handle,"

"I know," He replied against my head as I felt him squeeze me a bit tighter.

"I'm in a better place now with you guys," I said to him, "I don't wanna be anywhere else, just so you know. If you guys are with me, I can handle anything," I had to say it to Nicky and the others, over and over if I had to, just so they knew that a new chapter was going to come through for me and my attitude was going to change.

I could see over Nicky's shoulder Joe right at the door, holding a coffee cup in his hand and was still wearing his pajamas just like Nicky. He said nothing, almost hiding in the darkness of the house but watching both of us with a sense of adoration. I saw him wink at me as he took a long drink from his cup and he grinned as I finally pulled away from Nicky. Nicky looked rather flushed as if he was trying not to cry as I framed his face in my hands.

"You okay?" I asked him, searing his eyes. Nicky nodded, having me grin and tap his cheek very lightly, "How about you show me that you can still shoot,"

Nicky looked confused as I walked away from him and reached down to grab the bow from the ground where I dropped it. I held it out to him, seeing that he was giving me an unimpressed look,

"I haven't shot in a while, Eleanor," he admitted, though I rolled my eyes, "At last a hundred years."

"Come on, Nicky. You have to have to remember what I taught you. Or is it that you can't anymore?" I challenged him, seeing him then raise his eyebrow at me. The other great thing about the relationship I had with Nicky apart from how we were affectionate and gentle with one another, we were also competitive. I would try to be the upper hand with him at a time, and he was the same with me. At times our competitiveness would be a bit intense, in which Joe would calm both of us down during those times.

Nicky rolled his eyes and grabbed the bow from me, walking over to where I was standing and grabbing an arrow from its holster. I stepped back and folded my arms, cracking a grin as he tried to remember how to stand and then how to load the arrow properly. Even sneaking a look behind at Joe and seeing him as was laughing quietly into his coffee cup. I grinned, looking back ahead at Nicky.

I taught him plenty of times way back in the day since he was the one who taught me how to properly fight with a sword. As willing of a student he was, he was also stubborn in not picking up something like this fast enough. Of course, I remembered a few times he would throw down his weapon in frustration and would need to walk away to cool down. It showed me that even the cool and calm Nicky had moments of anger and rage.

He pulled back on the string, aiming it in the right place and trying to get his arms in the right placement. I could see it on his face, he was over analyzing it since this was not his dominant weapon. I had to grin a bit wider since he finally released and the arrow barely hit the target on the side.

Joe's laughter erupted in the backyard, Nicky immediately lowering his bow and looking over to see that Joe was watching the whole time, his face flushed in embarrassment. I hide my laugher behind my hands as Nicky looked mortified in how Joe was laughing, not at Nicky, but just in the silliness of it all. It felt like it was the three of us all over again, no one else in our world.

"Hai guardato!" Nicky groaned as he was giving Joe a nasty look. Joe stopped his laughter as he finally walked out to the backyard barefoot, the cup still in hand as he was giving Nicky a loving look and smile since he could tell Nicky was getting flustered.

"That was good for someone who's been rusty for the past 100 years," Joe crooned at him lovingly as he approached calmly, a smile still on his lips. I rushed over to Nicky with a chuckle on my lips, seeing him glare at me as I took the bow from his gripped hand and my other hand was up in surrender.

"Better for me to have this before you shoot at your love," I advised him. Before Nicky could argue with me, Joe wrapped his arm around Nicky, sightly lifting him from the ground, peppering kisses along his face and neck to break the tension. Nicky was trying hard not to give into him as I was watching them both in affection.

"Oh come on, Nicolo," Joe said against his skin as he pressed another kiss on his cheek, "You're like Robin Hood out there, you're very attractive with a bow in your hand!" Nicky rolled his eyes and grabbed Joe's chin in his fingers with one hand and his other arm wrapped around Joe's shoulders, finally the two of them looking at each other intensely. Nicky grinned, no longer looking embarrassed but just amused in how Joe was trying to calm him down.

"You making fun of me?" he asked, a grin on his face as Joe roll his eyes to shake his head.

"I would never, Habibi," He replied with his low tone, planting a big kiss on Nicky's lips. Nicky grinned, kissing him back lightly as Joe finally placed him back on the ground before he faced me and pointed at me with his coffee cup in hand, "You had a great teacher, Nicolo,"

"And yet he was one of my most challenging students," I joked back at him as Nicky gave me another playful glare and they both walked over to me. There was no sense of tension between the three of us, the light of the morning was coming through a bit more now as things were coming over the countryside around us in a small yellow glow of the start of the day.

The three of us were talking back to the house, side by side by side and I felt as though things here at the house were peaceful, just what we needed.

So far, we got nothing yet from Copley, though out laptop was ready and on stand by, in case we were getting information from him. Andy sent him pictures of both the goons and the Nazi dagger, Copley immediately saying that he'll start analyzing those pictures. All we could do in the meantime was wait and relax.

Mostly wait.

Nicky and Andy went on a quick food supply run right after our early breakfast, leaving Joe and Nile with me as I went on a walk with them around the perimeter of the land I had there on the property. It was nice to have a light conversation with them, Nile mostly asking me about how I got close to my relative and what he was like.

"A very kind man," I explained to her as the three of us walked over hiking passages at the back of the house and Joe was absent-mindedly sketching the forest in his book while we were walking around, "He used to be a professor back in his prime over in the Universities in France, he taught history and political science. You'd like him, he was a bit of a spitfire too. Scared almost half of his staff away with his profanities and wild stories,"

Nile chuckled as we were walking under some trees, "He sounds like in an interesting guy."

"Yeah, I knew we were family in how he carried himself," I agreed with her as the sun was peeking through the branches and leaves, "I guess I was the only one that really stuck around him since I was more prone to being around stubborn old men. I have experience with that," Nile gave a quick look over to Joe, who was a bit behind us and she smirked. Joe looked up after the awkward silence, seeing that we were looking at him and he rolled his eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about," He grumbled as he flipped to a new page. Nile looked back at me as I chuckled.

"I rest my case," I commented to her under my breath while we walked together, "Anyways, His name was Kent Clermont. He loved long and well until he was at 101 years of age, but he didn't look it. He looked to be in his 80's since he was so fit, even with cancer,"

"It was nice that you got to spend time with him, the last member of your family," Nile stated in a light tone, "Did you ever wonder if there were others in your family tree?"

"Not really, and at this point, I don't mind not knowing. The members that I researched on and found out lived good lives, and that's all I wanted for them," I answered. It was nice to talk to Nile about it, since it really had me dive into my own history.

Andy was far too old to figure it out herself, and she had no real reason to wonder about her family. Nicky and Joe tried, but it was harder later on as the years went by. But like Andy, they were too far along to really invest in it and they both were at peace about. A part of me wasn't though, even when I was 600 years along, I had to give it a try. There were moments when I felt I would hit a dead end and try again. Having time to kill made it a bit easier to get the resources that I needed to find m family, wherever they were. And it lead me to this home.

I was glad I did it.

Once Nicky and Andy made it back to the house with new food and supplies that could last us a few weeks, I had a quick nap in the living room. I knew the others were there too, but I was tucked away in the loveseat that was far from the TV. Joe and Nile were watching a football match, Joe giving Nile tips on what to watch and what to look for with the players. Nicky was reading a book near the TV in a lounge chair, and Andy was typing away at the laptop with Copley. It was a nice quiet afternoon, and once I was asleep, I was instantly active in my brain.

The first segment of the dream was me seeing Booker, but he was drained and broken. It looked like he was drained in the face and hungover, tear stains on his cheeks and shirt as he was sleeping in his makeshift in a minimal apartment. I didn't know where he was precisely, but maybe it was somewhere near England. Either way, he was alone, and the look on his face made my heartbreak since he looked like he was drinking himself to death.

Was that what was really happening to him?

But that vision was gone and another one was flickering through, only in small glimpses like memories from the past. This wasn't like when I dreamt of the others when I was away, and I did that plenty. Those were clear and almost precise, almost like I could reach into the dream itself and touch them.

This was not that case.

It was a young adult male, handsome in the face though I barely saw it for a second. His skin was light, though he looked toned. What got me was his eyes, they looked so pristine, and they reminded me of sea glass that I would find along the beach. It felt like he was somewhere far away, and I had no idea who he was. He wasn't dying and becoming an immortal, that much I knew since I could be able to feel him dye. This was….well I didn't know who he was. But all I could see was his face: a distinct jawline, those seagrass eyes, and a look of ownership about him.

He locked eyes with me and everything went back.

I gasped awake, my eyes awake and my breath was out so fast I got dizzy. I clutched at the cushion underneath me and I shot up from my position on the loveseat. I couldn't get that face out of my head, those pristine eyes that almost made me lose my breath. Joe poked his head over from where he was perched at the couch, Nile looking over too as Joe raised an eyebrow at me.

"Eleanor?" Joe asked, sounding a bit concerned since I was reacting to my nap so suddenly. Nicky perked up from reading his book as Andy was looking away from her computer. I cringed a bit, not wanting all of them to flood over to me now but it was just as visual in my head as it was when I was asleep. I took a long deep breath, trying to slow down my heart rate and getting my head clear again.

"I'm fine," I said in a gasp, taking another few deep breaths as Andy walked over to squat down in front of me, She was seeing how I was now in a thin sheen of sweat, pressing her hand up against my forehead. The others were slowly coming over now, just as concerned.

"You're breaking in a sweat," She said to me calmly, then looking over at Nicky, "Nicky, get a wet hand towel." I could hear him walking away at a brisk pace to the kitchen as I was trying to find my voice to Andy.

"I saw something…" I said in a whisper as Nile was grabbing her glass fo water, kneeling in front of me too as she was giving me her glass. I took a long drink, smiling at her as I felt a bit better.

"What did you see?" Andy asked, having me take another drink as Joe was by my side, pulling a bit of pressure on the back of my neck to give me some ease. It was feeling a bit better, I had to give him credit for that since he knew pressure points.

"it wasn't…" Andy started to ask but she trailed off, having me give her a look and shook my head. I instantly knew what she was talking about I could see the grave look all over her face and in her eyes.

"No," I immediately told her, seeing a sense of relief there since she knew that we didn't have to worry about one more thing on our plate, "It was something else. I saw…I saw Booker,"

Joe said nothing, though I knew he had a twinge of anger there in his eyes when I mentioned him. I didn't blame him, though the others were looking a bit more remorseful about it since I was the one dreaming about him, however, I wasn't there for the betrayal. I then felt a hand towel doused in ice-cold water being placed on the back of my neck, giving me instant shiver and I couldn't help but give out a small cry from the side sensation.

"Sorry," Nicky apologized, easing some of the towel off of my sensitive neck and I shook my head.

"It's fine," I reassured him as I was feeling a bit better with water in me and a cold compress on my neck.

"You saw Booker?" Nile asked, a sense of hope in her voice as I gave her a small but sad smile.

"Yes," I said, sitting up a bit more as I could see they were all looking at me. I knew they all had mixed feelings as to what happened back in the labs, and although I wasn't there for any of it, I almost went through those feelings with them. That linked Joe talked to be about in Venice, those sensations that when one feels pains we all feel pain. I felt it with them when Booker was no longer in the picture.

"But that wasn't it though," I said to them, wanting to steer that talk in another direction, "There was someone else that I saw," Now they looked just as confused as I felt when I was going through this dream. It was a bit odd to be telling them this, and yet they seemed invested. The cold hand towel was losing its bite of coldness against my skin as I took it off my neck to wipe some of the sweat off around my eyes and mouth.

"You saw someone else?" Nicky asked, trying to make sure he got it right. I nodded my head.

"But he…he wasn't dying or about to die," I explained calmly to them, "It's not like when see each other after we die, you know? But it felt…it felt real. Almost like—"

"He was about to die," Andy ended it for me, her voice steady but it was soft and low. We all looked over at her. The others were confused as to what she was talking about, but I instantly knew what she was talking about. She was reading my mind in a way and I had to wonder what she really knew and what she was talking about.

"Like seeing the future?" Nile asked, trying to wrap her head around it too as she looking beyond confused. I was getting a bit frustrated in how it was both confusing and how I didn't know how to describe it to them properly. I finally looked up at Joe.

"Can I borrow your sketchbook and pencil, please?" I asked, seeing him squeeze my neck lovingly as he nodded and walked over to the couch where he left it.

"Okay, I know I'm really new to all of this," Nile confessed, "But this even sounds a bit out of our category,"

"It is," Andy reassured her as Joe walked over with his sketchbook and pencil. I took them both gently from him, flipping to an open paper that was clean and I started drawing the man I saw in my dreams, "It's never happened before. Only when we die the first time when the dreams start,"

I was no artist like Joe, my own drawings were chucked scratch in comparison to him as I was trying to get the right way the eyes were shaped, his jawline, and the hair. It was very rough, but I didn't mind it at all as I was getting just his face there on the paper.

"Did he say anything in your dream?" Nicky asked as I was finishing up the sketch. I shook my head.

"I had no other clue than his face….which is nothing to go on," I mumbled in frustration as I then looked back at the finished product. Joe took the book in his hand, walking over and looking at it himself before he was showing it to Andy. Something inside of me was saying that I looked crazy, only knowing his face and nothing else. Usually, we would get clues as to where a new Immortal was located, what he or she was wearing, and maybe even the voice and langue.

Andy stared at the picture, the others including myself were waiting to see what she was going to say about it. It made me feel a bit deflated in how we were making such a fuss about a dream that wasn't even important. But it was important to me in my gut and in my soul, at least that's what it felt like.

"It's nothing to work on," I said, mumbling a bit in defeat as I was about to hide my face in the now slightly damp towel. But Andy shook her head.

"The dreams we have mean something," She reminded me, having me look at her in confusion. The others did as well, this was not something Andy would say all the time. She was more of a realist, whereas someone like Nicky or Joe would preach on how our dreams meant something more than they were. This was new coming from our recently mortal Andy. Which brought up something else that I wanted to ask her:

If she was mortal now, can she share dreams anymore?

"Maybe it's a sign?" Joe asked in a suggestion, shrugging his shoulders as Andy ripped the paper out of the book and handed the picture to me, "None of us had this kind of dream before."

"It could be something bad, Joe," Nile said in a low tone, having me sense her uneasiness.

"Or something good," Nicky countered with Nile kindly, sensing what Joe was talking about. I said nothing, but I locked eyes with Andy and I saw an odd look on her face. I could tell, this was another thing that she knew that she wasn't going to say just yet. She cleared her throat and handed Joe his sketchbook back.

"We'll keep an eye on it," She said to the group, "Maybe it's not…not something we should dive into you just yet. Maybe after we deal with those guys after Eleanor. But right now, we'll pause it," She explained as I nodded in agreement.

"If it happens again, I'll draw some more and see if some more happen," I explained, in hopes that it will help out the situation some more. This was the last thing we all needed: since we were already in a warehouse in the middle of nowhere and trying to find a way to end some kind of manhunt on our group thanks to what happened to me so many years ago. Not to mention juggling the fear and concern of Andy being mortal, and now me dreaming of some random man.

A man with sea-glass eyes. Story of my fucking life.