Now or Never

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

Thank you for all who favored, aleted, and reviewed the story. It means a lot to me. Again this is unbetaed so please excuse the grammar and spelling mistakes.

WARNING: I, as the creator of Now or Never, am not responsible for any lost, stolen, or missing items during the duration of this chapter. Please keep small children close at all times. If there are any children by themselves they will be given soda, a kitten, and sent off to the Brotherhood where they will train to become Assassins. You have been warned.

Have a wonderful reading experience!

Chapter Seven:

Six months had past with little incident. Anna still had trouble sleeping and would stay awake till first ray of the sun peaked over the horizon sketching. By now she had several drawings of the house, the eagle statue sitting in the parlor, portraits of Achilles and Connor, and a few of the visions that Juno had showed her. Those were promptly thrown into the fire once she was finished with them.

She was sitting at a window in the parlor her sketchbook in hand when she happened to look out the window. Kanen'tó:kon was running up to the house, panic written across his face. Frowning, Anna set the book to the side and dusted off the pencil shavings when Kanen'tó:kon burst through the door calling out for his friend.

"Kanen'tó:kon? Why are you here," Connor questioned, "has something happened?"

"William Johnson has returned – with all the money required to buy our land." Kanen'tó:kon explained, "He meets with the elders as we speak. I have begged them to resist, but I fear he shall have his way unless you and Anna intervene."

"Where is this taking place, Kanen'tó:kon?" Anna inquired, tightening the brace she had removed to draw.

"I can show you," Kanen'tó:kon answered, following Anna to the porch with Connor behind the two.

"What will you do?"

Anna turned around and with a calm expression said, "Kill William Johnson."

Connor was surprised by the way Anna answered with the simple statement. In a short amount of time, Anna's demeanor changed with the news. No longer was Connor looking at Anna, a friend and confidant. Here was Anna the Assassin, calm and collected, sure of what she will have to do and ready to face the challenge head on. It scared Connor slightly at the sudden change.

Anna and Kanen'tó:kon were walking to the horse stable when Achilles stepped out, "Watch out for Anna, Connor. She hasn't been sleeping and a mistake could mean death."

"I understand." Connor muttered as Anna pulled her horse to a stop, the reigns of another horse in hand.

It didn't bother Anna that it was easy to kill William Johnson, what bothered Anna was how quiet Connor was being. He still couldn't control his emotion in his eyes though, he was angry about something and Anna knew that if anybody was going to be the brunt of his anger it would better be her than any normal person. "What's on your mind, Connor?"

"You killed an unarmed man."

Anna stopped with Kanen'tó:kon looking between the two, she turned around seeing the anger in her friends eyes. "I killed a Templar, Connor. He would have killed us and slept like a child."

"Unarmed? How are we different from them if we kill unarmed men? Nothing more than monsters."

Neither he nor Kanen'tó:kon were prepared for the punch that Anna delivered. Kanen'tó:kon winced, glad that he wasn't on the receiving end of that blow. He felt it though his friend was the one getting punched.

"Don't you dare put the Brotherhood in the same corner as them, we don't kill innocent children." Anna snarled, shoving Connor forcing him to stumble back. "We protect them because if we don't who will? We sacrifice our lives so they can have a life we never could! And if you can't handle it then you better take that coat off and go back to your village."

"You don't know what it's like." Connor growled shoving Anna back. "To know that the man who kill my mother is still out there, not that you would know your mother is still alive and you're just a girl not from this time."

"Oh, pour Ratonhnhaké:ton who lost his mother, guess what millions of children lose their mothers to life. The world doesn't revolve around you! Do you think that Lee will care? Do you think any of the Templars care what goes on in your life? They don't. They would rather see you dead." Anna turned around and stalked back to her horse and left the two behind.

Kanen'tó:kon glanced at Connor who was rubbing his jaw. "Is everything alright between you two?"

"Everything is fine." Connor growled before stalking to his own horse. "Are you coming or not?"

Kanen'tó:kon shook his head and walked over to his borrowed horse and followed his friend back to the village. Whatever is happening between the two, he was glad that he wasn't involved.

Achilles watched the three ride off before going back into his now quiet home. It was strange how he was already expecting to hear Connor and Anna debating about one thing or another, hearing the rhythmical sound of flesh hitting wood as Connor continued to train, smelling something delicious coming from the kitchen where Anna had taken refuge, or see Anna sitting outside in the sun drawing in her book with Connor lounging close by. Sighing, the former assassin hobbled into the parlor where Anna had taken refuge before Connor's friend had showed up with bad news.

Anna's book was sitting on the table opened to a drawing of an older woman that was still being worked on, Anna's mother perhaps? He flipped through the sketches watching them steadily improve with each page. The house, himself, Connor, the Aquila ship, and other places of the homestead were Anna's subject of choice.

Achilles set the leather bound sketchbook back onto the table, frowning when a loose piece of parchment floated to the floor. Grunting, Achilles bent down and picked up the paper. Turning it over his eyes widen at the horror penciled onto the paper. Was this keeping Anna up at night? Tucked into the recess of her mind? Shoving the parchment back into the book, Achilles rubbed his eyes and set about reading a book to keep him company while waiting for the two teens to come home. Alive and well.

Achilles was uncomfortable with this feeling in the pit of his stomach. The worry and fear that he is feeling grabs onto his heart every time he watches Anna and Connor walk out the front door. As if one of them will come back bleeding and broken or hearing that the two have fallen in the field. He didn't like this new found feeling, but he put up with it and tried to force it to the side till they walk back through the door.

It concerned him how close Connor and Anna had become during their stay at the Davenport homestead. Maybe it was the innocence in Connor's eyes that reminded Achilles of his own boy, and the times when Anna turned to him for guidance even though she already was an assassin when she came to them. It felt nice to be needed again, even if it was only to separate an argument that was seconds away from a fist fight. Sometimes those two argue more than any married couple. Achilles didn't mind, it made his home more lively and welcoming. Something it hasn't been in a long, long time.

Several days had passed before Achilles heard a horse gallop past the house. Setting the book he was trying to read to the side he stood up hearing the front door open then close. Anna had walked past the room where Achilles had taken refuge. He waited patiently hearing her stop and walk back to the room. "Achilles?" her voice was timid and laced with tiredness and hidden fear.

"I'm here." Achilles answered, it was a silent promise to always be there when Anna needed him the most he sat down as Anna slowly walked into the room and sat down across from him. Her skin, already pale from her Irish heritage, was paler with dark bags underneath her eyes.

"William Johnson is dead." Anna spoke after the two were quiet. "Connor and Kanen'tó:kon had gone back to their village to deliver the news."

"Yet you're here." Achilles stated.

"I'm not about to encroach on Connor's safe haven, even if he doesn't realize that his home is his haven." Anna explained with a shrug of her shoulders.

Achilles nodded in understanding, everybody needed a place to run when the world became too much to handle. Now it was time to confront the young woman when she was already too weak to fight back, a dirty trick, but Achilles feared if he didn't Anna would make a mistake and die needlessly. Pulling out the evidence, he places it between the two of them. Apparently Anna still had some color left for when she saw the drawing, she paled and looked away.

"I've heard," Achilles mused, "that talking about a traumatic event helps relieve the burden."

"Are you sure you want to hear this?"

Achilles was silent, his fingers interlaced with each other. Anna sighed and rubbed her face with her hands and began to tell Achilles everything. It took four hours and two pots of coffee for everything to come to light. Achilles rubbed his temples as he looked at the picture, thankful that Anna picked up the pencil instead of a paintbrush. He didn't think he would like to see it in color. He glanced at the young woman who was curled up on the couch with a throw blanket over her fast asleep. She shifted before settling but was sleeping soundly instead of screaming.

Connor was in a sour mood as he led the horse onto the Davenport Homestead. It was one thing to witness Anna interrogate a dying man, but another for his companion to bluntly say that Johnson wouldn't hesitate to kill them if given the chance. He couldn't remember ever yelling like he did at Anna, but she had gotten in his face and yelled back. Leaving poor Kanen'tó:kon to try to diffuse the argument.

Now that Connor had cooled off he felt bad at yelling at Anna. He couldn't understand how calm Anna was when she killed Johnson. Maybe Achilles could provide an insight to his questions, after he apologized to Anna for starting the fight, for basically calling her a monster. Anna's horse stall empty, he frowned as he made his way up to the house where no doubt his mentor was waiting.

Achilles was waiting for Connor and wasn't surprised that Connor first asked about Anna. "She's with Myriam; they went to a nearby town to trade the skins for supplies."

Connor turned around, intending to head out to meet the two girls when Achilles continued, "They left this morning and should be back soon…Anna told me about the argument," Achilles watched Connor's shoulders tense, "she didn't blame you for the fight. She mostly blames herself."

"But it wasn't her fault."

Achilles raised his eyebrow before saying, "She said that you would say that, it's not surprising that this argument broke out between you two. Considering how you two have been raised in two different worlds. One which deals with death and one that knows peace." Connor sighed and sat down knowing that this was going to be a long explanation.

Laden with food, Anna nudged the kitchen door open and dropped the boxes and bags onto the table. Rubbing her sore arms, she opened the packages and began to place everything where it belonged. Once everything was put away and sorted, Anna walked further into the house finding Achilles and Connor hovering over a book, ink smudges on their sleeves. Leaning against the frame with a soft smile on her face, she watched them for a bit before heading back to the kitchen to separate the spices that she and Myriam had bartered from the traveling spice trader.

Later that night Anna was sitting on her bed looking out the window as the sound of thunder shook the house. She rested her chin on her knees, remembering when she and her mother would sit at the open door and watched the thunderstorm. Her room lighting up as a crack of lightning flashed across the sky then darkened as the light slowly faded. Her newly repaired door creaked open, Connor peaking in before opening fully once he realized that she was awake. "Couldn't sleep?"

Connor shrugged and sat down on the edge of her bed. Achilles told Anna when she was washing the dishes that Connor felt bad about the fight, which she thought was ridiculous; she had taken far worse insults than what Connor had dished out. They mostly came from her brothers and angry Templars, but that was beside the point. "I'm not going to bite, Connor." Anna pointed out, patting the bed space next to her. Connor sighed and moved to sit next to Anna.

"I'm sorry."

"Shut up, just shut up, Connor."

Connor opened his mouth only to have it covered by Anna's hand. "Listen and listen good, I'm not some dainty girl that wilts when she gets insulted. Yes we had a fight and yes we said things we didn't mean, but we were angry and tired and scared. Now we are going to sit here and watch the thunderstorm in peace as friends." Slowly, Connor nodded a little amused when Anna's hand followed his movement. Grinning, Anna moved her hand and leaned back against the pillow she was leaning on before Connor tired to apologize. "As an added note," Anna continued, "I forgive you and I'm sorry as well. I never should have said those things."

Connor smiled and leaned back watching the rain hit the windows of Anna's room. "Anytime there was this big thunderstorm mom and I would sit at an open door and watch the rain fall." Anna whispered, leaning against Connor with a bitter sweet smile. "And if dad was there he and mom would sing songs from their childhood and recent songs. It was amazing to listen to the two of them together."

Connor listened to Anna talk about her parents, absently moving to hold her hand with his own; both were quiet for a while until Connor heard Anna softly humming. "Are you going to Scarborough fair? Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Remember me to one who lives there. He once was a true love of mine." Anna continued to stare out the window remembering her mother's favorite song that she would always sing no matter where she was in the house. "Tell him to make me a cambric shirt. Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Without no seam nor needlework. Then he'll be a true love of mine." She felt Connor gently squeeze her hand, curling into him Anna felt his arm move to her shoulders sending pleasant electric shocks down her spine. "Tell him to find me an acre of land. Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Between the salt water and the sea strand. Then he'll be a true love of mine."

"Are you going to Scarborough fair? Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Remember me to one who lives there. He once was a true love of mine."

Connor stayed awake as Anna fell asleep. The thunderstorm continuing to rain down, he absently rub circles on Anna's bare shoulder watching her room light up then dim. Something in their dynamic has changed. The fight they had revealed that both were scared of the unknown future, neither one had said that they were scared but he knew that he was scared. He felt Anna sigh and shift in her sleep, moving closer to his side ignorant of the light blush on his cheeks.

Anna once mentioned that she would have to find someone in this time if she ever wanted to get married but that it would never happen. Because of the short lifespan that assassin's seemed to have. Looking back at her statement now, it seemed that she was making an excuse, but he had a feeling that Anna's tongue could be sharper than it was back in the forest and he wasn't going to be the test subject to see if it was sharper when her mind wasn't clouded by fear and lack of sleep. Was it because he wanted more than just friendship with Anna? That was insane notion, Anna was his friend and friends don't fall for each other.

Right?

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