Ok, I feel the need to alert my readers that this story is a version of AU. I know I virtually said it in the first chapter but I just want to clarify that it is.

Near four weeks she had been sharing her bed with Alex. While nothing was going on, other than her staying toasty warm, the rest of the guys weren't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand; Alex wasn't so weird and distant, and Megan had a spring to her step and didn't say much of anything about being cold. On the other, the girl could easily be taken advantage of (and just how easily was really a debate warred between Altair, Desmond, and Ezio. Desmond and Ezio saying she was a grown woman and could do as she pleased while Altair could only say how improper it was for a man and woman to be sharing a bed when not married. In other words, completely moot pointed.)

"Hey!" She greeted the 5 men who were coming back into the house from the back. They had been out training. She still couldn't believe that she had Assassin's living in her home, let alone goofing off with her when she needed to blow off steam like Ezio and Des were more than willing to do. They greet back with varying degrees of exhaustion, more so from Des and Shaun who were currently flopped on her couches in an attempt to regain their breaths. "I have got to say that my readers are going to love this next book when they finish printing it."

Altair and Malik give her small smiles as they sit at the bar; taking the drinks she had sitting and waiting on them. Ezio shakes his head; they defiantly hadn't been expecting a rather gleeful squeal when they had let it slip what it was that they did. And then all of a sudden, with as polite a way as possible, she was… grilling them as Desmond told them so she could get ideas for her stories. The next several days they found her in her study, every day, ignoring meals and all of the men, staying up late late and getting up early if that had been what was going on. Desmond, Shaun, Ezio had bets as to if she was sleeping and when. So far, none knew who was winning.

"This is insane. It's to fucking cold to be out there." She rolls her eyes. This was normal now, Desmond bitching about the training from his elders and Shaun just giving dirty looks at them. She had managed to see some of it one day, Des taking on Malik and the single armed man was wiping the younger's ass, before Leo herded her back inside from the cold. She was still upset about that but knew he had only done so for her safety. As soon as she had turned away a knife had buried itself in the siding of her home, having flown past where she previously stood. Needless to say, she went inside a little quicker.

"Quit whining, you're getting fat anyways." She says, leaning back over the letter she had received earlier and trying to hold in a smile. Suddenly she begins to frown, standing up and picking the piece of paper up to read once more. This of course gets everyone's attention and they look at her worried. "HELL YES!" She shouts pumping her fists in the air before doing a happy dance. Now they were definitely worried, more for sanity than anything. "I got on the bestselling list with my last book, it's a bit hit!" She says a huge grin plastered on her face.

"Let's celebrate then." Desmond says, Ezio nodding his head in agreement so hard she thought he was going to get whiplash, getting up off the couch and heading to the kitchen. She crosses her arms over her chest, cocking a hip as well, with her eyebrows raised.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" She questions, smile on her lips. She couldn't wait to hear his response on this. He gives her a grin, opening her liquor cabinet and pulling out several drink mixes.

"You have a bartender right here. It's not so hard for me to slip back into former ways." He says, continuing to pull out several other bottles. She blinks, having forgotten he had been one.

"Alright fine. I think we could all use a bit of down time." She answers with a grin. "Though I think it's more along the lines of you getting to sit on your lazy ass." She mumbles under her breath. He hears her and gives her a dirty look to which she returns with a smile. It was just to easy in which to rile the other man up. It felt like a brother/sister relationship to her, one that she knew and was comfortable with. In fact, she had the same relationship with all of them but to varying degrees. Malik and Leo were able to keep her on her intellectual toes, bringing to attention something she may have gotten wrong if it was from during or before their times. Shaun was like the brother who you could throw barbs at and he would throw back just as hard. Altair was more interested with keeping her healthy and active, not afraid to pull her out of her bed or study in order to do so. She was beginning to 'enjoy the burn' as they say. And she was getting better at hiding from the man on days when she really didn't want to. Ezio, well Ezio was there to help her goof off.

Alex, he was another story. They had progressed well in his 'training', though she had a bruise here or there. She was careful not to let him or any of the others notice it. So far she was doing a good job of it.

"Do you need anything else?" She questions a moment later, already making a list in her head of things that needed to be gotten in town. Some of it was important, like chocolate and ice cream. She could already feel the pangs of menstrual cramps starting, probably another day or two before mother's nature promise on her having children in the future showed up. She was going to get a few heating pads while she was at it, so she could stash them away in her study and room. She was glad that she only got her period every 4 month, thanks to the wonders of medical breakthroughs. The men wouldn't last if she got it every month. Hell, she wouldn't last if she did that was how bad she got on her own nerves.

Des gives her the list of things, so many that she actually had to write them down in order to be sure she got what he needed. Alex decides to go with her but other than him no one wanted to. She gets into her ford expedition, the other vehicle she owned, starting it up and waiting for it warm. The leather seats were cold; she could feel it through her jeans. With the mantra of 'my ass is cold, my ass is cold' sounding off in her head, she really didn't mind all too much. Nothing really could dampen her spirit at this moment. She had to get snacks, seeing as the ones they bought last week were all gone, and the few things she was going to need for three to five days.

Sometimes, she really hated to be a woman.

Alex climbs in the passenger seat, just now getting into the car. "Something they forget?" She questions, putting the SUV in reverse then into drive, pulling out of her driveway and onto the street. Looked like the snow plows made it up around her place if the cleaner streets were anything to go by.

"The riot act."

She laughs. "Again! Third time they've done that."

Alex shrugs, pulling the seatbelt over him. "Just want you to be safe."

"I am safe. I pity the imbeciles who try to take you on." She retorts, giving him a smile. She wasn't worried, well she was but not about her safety. More for Desmond and Ezio, Altair didn't take kindly to the two's jokes and pranks. And with her not around to curb them from doing any, well, she could only hope everyone survived. She'd noticed the escalation in Altair's training of them and the pranks to get him back. The first few were ignored because he even found them funny but after a while it went from funny to ridiculous, now they were starting to border on cruel.

"I agree." Alex answers, moving the visor down to cover his eyes and relaxing into the seat closing his eyes.

"Ohmygod! MEGAN!" Yells out a female voice nearly causing Megan to drop the bag of chips she was holding. Alex stiffens, preparing himself in case of a fight. Turning Megan sees a young woman around her age tearing towards her, pushing people out of her way. Taking a closer look she sees that the woman has pale skin, straight dirty blonde hair, and was possible her own height or a little taller. Upon reaching Megan she throws her arms open and envelopes her in a hug that was so tight, Megan feared her ribs were breaking. The woman pulls back, a bright wide smile plastered on her face. Megan notices that she had a splash of freckles on her face and her eyes were a crystalline green color. "Oh my god, it's so good to see you!"

"Um, ok?" She says, unsure of whom this woman is. The woman's brows furrow with confusion.

"You don't remember me?"

Megan shakes her head in the negative and the woman lets her go. "Afraid not."

"It's ok, been a long time anyways." She gives a sad chuckle. "My name's Jessica." Megan's brain functioning stops; she did have a friend way back when named Jessica but that had been in elementary and junior high. She moved schools right before high school, causing her to try to make friends at the new one; safe to say that it didn't work. Her rather blunt attitude then had set people off.

"Jessica… Jessica Hurles?" She questions, remembering the name but unsure if it was the right one. The woman's face lights up and she knew she had it right. A large grin breaks out over her face and she nods.

"Yeah, how have you been? How's your family?" Megan's face falls. She still hadn't told any of the men living with her about her family, the subject still a bleeding wound that had yet to heal. Noticing her downed mood, Alex's brows furrow and his eyes dart between Megan and the other woman. There was just something that he couldn't place that was setting him off kilter and it was coming from this new person. And if she was making Megan sad, it was enough for him to get this woman to leave. People were giving wide berth but still giving dirty looks to them, which Alex returns causing them to look away and his attention returned to the two women in front of him. Finally the new girl's eyes flick to him and widen.

"Who… Is this your, uh, husband?" She questions instead and Megan licks her suddenly dry lips. Was is hot in here or was it just her? She looks at Alex, mind not only frozen but trying to reboot with an answer.

She suddenly gives a low nervous laugh. "No, no, nonono. This is, uh, my… Boyfriend, Alexander." Megan says, that laugh still on her lips. Alex shoots her a dirty look quickly before nodding to the newcomer. The woman didn't seem to notice the look as she was switching between the two before giving him a smile and holding out her hand to him for a moment before retracting it at the nod.

"How long y'all been dating?"

"Just started." Was Megan's answer to Jessica. She twines her arm with his, both to give appearances and to also keep the man grounded. He was still using a little too much force for some of the things they were practicing. Handshakes being the biggest problem, she was still having to wear the brace after she ended up switching hands once the cast came off. The other woman's smile widens a little, the smile now forced for some reason. But she ignores it, wanting to get rid of the woman. Even though she was happy to have met someone she had known prior in her life, it stung that she had to bring up her family. She wanted to forget everything, to just think of these other people as her new one. What were friends but family you choose?

"But hey, we're kinda busy. It was so nice to see you again." She says giving the other woman a smile and holding out a hand. She still had her other arm twinned with Alex's, the man focusing on her instead of the other people surrounding them. Why she had said that he was her boyfriend he didn't know. He filed it away to ask later when they were going back to the house; along with that she had remained so close to him despite that she knew he didn't enjoy things like that. But then again, his anger had been getting to him the longer this person stood there talking to them.

Understanding dawns on her face and she nods, promising to see them around. After she was gone, Megan nearly drops had she not instead leaned into Alex. Her emotions were now spent, between her lying about Alex and also avoiding the subject of her family. Her heart was aching, the invisible wound bleeding. Alex waits for her to regain her sense of self, and when she does she stands straight but doesn't let go of him. Now he was grounding her instead of her grounding him. The gather the remaining items they needed, the heating pads especially, pay and leave. Megan quietly starts the expedition, waiting as Alex puts the groceries in and then gets in, and they begin to head on to the house. Once they got out of city limits Alex decides to ask the question he had put aside.

"Why did you tell her we were dating?"

Megan jumps, looking at him in surprise. She hadn't really thought about it at the time, just tried to find a way to both explain and keep the other woman from flirting. Now that she thought about it, Jessica hadn't even noticed him till the end of the conversation. She had been more interested in Megan instead. "I… don't really know. I kinda just said the first thing that came to mind." She answers truthfully, eyes remaining on the road. Alex grunts, understanding then. The question had also surprised him but he had been about to answer when she had. What she had responded with had surprised him as well. But with all the attention they, all of the men now living with her, garnered she had come up with a good answer to keep him sane. "I'm sorry; I should have said something else. Should have said you were a friend."

"No, it's fine. I know why you said that." He answers and then remains quiet for the rest of the trip. She nodded and does the same, internally fighting down her thoughts so she wouldn't be so off when they got back. She didn't want sympathy from anyone, in fact she rather not (as she has been for over a year) that it never happened. That she wasn't an adult orphan. The pain wasn't real; it didn't ever happen so it doesn't exist.

Several hours later and more than enough alcoholic beverages in, Megan was feeling good. She had made the rounds dancing with Desmond, Ezio, Leo, and even Altair and Malik had joined in. The two older assassins had had only a drink or two with plenty of time in between them. It was interesting to say how they all danced different; Desmond wild and crazy, with lots of jumping and just being silly. Leo and Ezio were more old school, waltz and such. Ezio even showed her a party dance from Venice, all twirls and space between the bodies. Altair and Malik showed her, after searching forever on her computer for a song that sounded correct to them, a traditional dance that ended up just being twisted by Desmond into something more resembling a club dance. Many a time she had to stop and catch her breath, laughter erupting from all of them when she would fall to the ground instead of going and sitting on the couch they had pushed against her wall of windows. Alex had even par took of the spirits, the alcohol only seeming to give a buzz no matter how much he drank, and found himself enjoying the company more than he had before.

"Alex come on, dance with us!" Megan says breathless, her face red from both the liquor and the exertion, taking both of his hands in hers and pulling him to his feet. She continues to pull him onto their impromptu dance floor, Good Charlotte's Dance Floor Anthem playing loudly from her laptop they had confiscated into the living room. He was grinning, happy that whatever funk she had been put in gone. After about 6 different kinds of mixed drinks, Megan had ran upstairs to change shirts into a red low scoop necked tank top; it had about put the older era men in an early grave, save Leo who thought it was a wonderful top. She ignored them, instead continuing to dance with Leo and Des.

They were just acting silly now, too much alcohol in their systems to make them only think they were dancing. He stands there, attempting to not burst out laughing at them. She falls against him after tripping on her own feet, with enough momentum to actually knock them both over. Everyone begins to laugh tottering unsteadily on their feet before finally joining the two on the ground, all laughing harder because of it.

"I'm to tired to get now." Megan says after catching her breath. Everyone agrees, bodies limp from exertion and the effects of the liquor. Eyes heavy, they eventually drift off to sleep, ignoring the lights and music that remained on.

"Oh, my head…" Megan groans as she wakens, the sun's rays and the artificial light provided by the bulbs burning her retinas. She hears groaning to accompany and agree with her statement all in a pile of aching and cold bodies. She was warm, something heavy resting on her upper half, curled up against something solid and burning hot. She leans up, eyes barely open to see just why she was warm. Turns out she was molded against Alex's side with his jacket on her. Desmond jumps up and staggers to the downstairs bathroom and shuts the door, violent retching sounding passed the closed piece of wood. Shaun moans, his face green and turning greener the longer Desmond prayed to the porcelain god. As soon as he exited, the Brit replaced him continuing the prayer.

"Shit…" Desmond groans out, slowly making his way to the kitchen and starting a pot of coffee. He was splayed across the counter, waiting on the life giving sustenance to finish percolating. Shaun exits the bathroom, none the worse for wear though still a little green, and goes to the couch to lay across it. Leo just lays there with Ezio, both giving little whimpers of pain to the pounding in their heads. Altair and Malik get up, slightly unsteady, and continue on to go upstairs and possibly change clothing and shower. "Kill me now please…" Des moans.

"Shut up you git. You're whining is making my head worse." Shaun bites out, head underneath her blanket.

"Me first, kill me first." Megan says, laying back down and hiding under Alex's jacket which offered blessed darkness. She more feels than hears his rumbling laughter. Des and Shaun offer protests and then argue who deserved to be offed first. Suddenly Alex gets up, effectively removing her largest heat source, and she attempts to cling to him but backs off and hides back under the jacket when the light once more invades her eyes.

"Come back, was warm.." She moans out.

Her head was still killing her but she was in her room and the place was as dark as she could make it, thick blankets all but nailed around the windows in her room and her bathroom door firmly shut. Her TV was on and some ghost show, called Ghost Adventures, was on and making her happy if not a little freaked out. The hand reaching out of one of the guy's shadow had almost made her scream. Alex had left to go 'eat' and had yet to return. But he promised to watch the show with her and she was to enraptured to change the channel. She only wished that she could fast forward through the commercials.

"Hey Megan-"

The door suddenly opening and the voice causes her to scream as loudly as she could, clutching her blanket to her chest, and hears a stampede coming up the stairs while the door opener gives a startled scream of his own. The light get turned on and she flops back into her bed, flipping the bird to Des as she does. Said man was plastered to her open door breathing hard with a dark look on his face at Altair and Ezio who both had strange knives from their wrists against his throat.

"Fucking hell Des." She says with a laugh after a moment, to which both of the older men remove the sharp pieces of metal from his person.

"Shit, what has you so freaked out that it nearly cost me my life?" She just points to her TV, still flopped back on her bed unable to see what was going on with the show. But she could see him roll his eyes at the show. "Any ways, some chick called. Wanted to know if you and Alex wanted to 'double date'."

"Fuuuhhhccckkk." She moans out, throwing an arm over her eyes. She saw the look he was giving her, the shit-eating grin, and grabs a pillow and chunks it at him. It falls short. "Screw you Desmond!"

He laughs, picking up the cotton stuffed thing and tosses it back at her. It lands over her face with 'poomf'. She rips it off and glares at them but then stops to think the question over. Really it was a no brainer. Alex hadn't liked the girl and while she may have known her back when they were children, she didn't know her anymore. Did she want to? "Tell her no. But do it politely!" She answers, yelling the last part when he walks off. He gives her a loud, though grumbly, affirmative.

"Wanna watch with me?" Megan asks after a minute. Altair, Ezio, and Malik were still standing in her room; glancing around it as if to assure themselves she was fine and there was no threat. When she asks, they give the TV a look before either giving a grin or laughing, telling her no. They exit, closing the door but leaving the light on by her insistence. She didn't want another accident like that whenever Alex finally decided to show up.

Four hour long episodes later said man walks into her room to find the light on and her curled up under one of the many blankets that made up her bed, looking almost like a babushka when she looks at him. A smile breaks out over her face as she realizes just who it was, and pats the spot beside her as she removes the rather ratty navy blue blanket from covering her head. He found that the smile she gave him whenever she noticed him returning or right before she woke up in the morning was stirring something inside of him. As to what, he wasn't sure. Possibly his long lost humanity? He didn't know.

He nods to her, giving a slight upturn on one side of his mouth as a smile, and removes both his jacket and his hoodie; setting them on the chair that she had pulled from storage and placed in her room. It was circular and slightly fuzzy, the color red but only a little faded, and had no support besides the rim around the outer part of the chair thus leaving you suspended in the air. He believes she called it a saucer chair. He removes his shoes and sets them beside it as well before making his way over to her, laying down beside her. She jumps up, runs over to the door and shuts it then turns off the light before returning to her spot to once more envelope herself in blankets but closer to him.

"I nearly got Des killed earlier." She near 10 minutes later causing him to burst out laughing.

Alright, another chapter out! -smiles- This one was kind of influenced by me going to the bar about last thursday. Didn't get drunk though. Gave me a good idea for the chapter still. I wanna thank all of you who are reading this story. Even if you don't review or fave, just getting on her and seeing the traffic graph's numbers makes me happy. It shows me that people actually read this.

I wanna thank Raychaell Dionzeros. I'm so happy that you really, really love the story!

I aslo wanna thank MoonlitMeeting for her reviews for chapters 2 and 3. I think Alex wouldn't be to happy with being used as a space heater too.

I know I'm a little early with this chapter but I said every week. It won't be on the same day but always one time a week. It really depends on my ideas and influences, along with my personal life and if it allows me to work on it. I'm aiming to make sure all chapters have atleast 4,000 words per chapter or more. As always, please send an e-mail or pm me or review. I allow reviews!

Thanks!