*SPOILER ALERT* IF YOU HAVENT PLAYED AC2 OR BLOODLINES I SUGGEST YOU DO THAT BEFORE READING THIS!

Abstergo Industries Compound – 2012

Desmond blinked a few times as the images the Animus produced faded from his vision. By the time the dizziness had worn off and he sat up and looked to her, Shayna was already gone. He saw her slip into the room they shared and he couldn't help but frown. Something was obviously bothering her. Before he could ponder that, he realized that Lucy was standing next to him. Her eyes were expectant. Vidic was not to be seen either. He regarded her for a moment before his eyes slid back to where Shayna had disappeared to. This did not escape Lucy's notice.

"Should I be concerned," she asked with venom in her soft voice. "Or is it the bleeding effect?"

"What are you talking about," he growled, far more irritably than he wanted.

"Her. You hardly leave her side! You're fiercely over protective and you look at her with adoration!"

"She tried to save my life, Lucy."

"And I didn't?!"

Desmond stared in disbelief. Was she really throwing a fit and over Shayna? Guilt began to eat at him. He and Lucy had been an item, sort of. He cared about her but there was something about Shayna that he liked more. Maybe it was the bleeding effect, maybe it was gratitude. Or maybe it was pure concern because everyday, Shayna seemed to be getting weaker, more depressed and obviously hurting. Perhaps he just had a thing for a damsel in distress.

"I didn't mean it like that," he said, defeated.

"Then how did you mean it," she yelled, tears welling up. "Because every day, Desmond, you slip away from me. Every day I see how the way you look at her changes. And I can't take it."

"Lucy, you're overreacting."

"Am I? I think you need to figure it out, Desmond, and figure it out soon."

Lucy then turned away from him and left the room. Desmond sat there for a moment, shaking his head before heading to the room. Shayna was sitting on the bed, looking at him from the corner of her eye. He shifted uncomfortably under her piercing gaze. She looked as if she would speak but she did not. Instead her whole body seemed to tense, a graceful flexing of muscles and tendons beneath milky flesh.

"I know you wish to ask," said she. "So ask."

Desmond thought for a moment on the things he'd seen in the Animus. True, some of it had been disturbing but he had nothing to comment on. Nothing that baffled him like the roses had. It was rather clear that their ancestors had a deep bond and an undying devotion towards each other which they fought against in fear, just as Shayna had told him. What more explanation did he need than what the Animus showed him?

"There's nothing to ask," he said, taking up his usual spot on the chair. Shayna watched him still and something about the look in her eyes made him squirm.

"It's not the bleeding effect," she said softly, her eyes finally dropping, a light pink tinting her cheeks. Desmond stared, curious as she continued. "I feel it too. It's not the Animus and it's not gratitude."

"Then what is it?"

"Something natural. But it need not be dwelt upon or acted on."

Shayna kept her eyes from him and began fingering the dogtags around her neck. Desmond was curious about her. If she felt the same for him, why not act on it? Why not express it. True, he had Lucy to worry about and really no business getting involved with the woman in front of him, but still. Shayna hadn't so much as flirted with him and he found this odd. Perhaps, he should question it. Perhaps not. For all he knew, she had someone waiting for her. If that was the case, then he felt horrible for her presence here.

"Were you in the military," he asked her. She looked up suddenly, clearly surprised.

"No," she said, eyes returning to the dogtags. "My father was. Army. These are my twin brother's. He was a Marine."

"Was? Both retired?"

"No. My father did… Medical retirement. He was shot in Vietnam and lost his arm. My brother went over to Iraq and came home in a coffin six months later."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be. Jaylen knew the risks. He died a hero and received the Purple Heart, just like our father. I wear his dogtags to remember."

"Still," said Desmond. "You two were twins. Doesn't that mean you have this super close bond?"

"Yes," Shayna smiled, though sorrow tinted it. "We did and it was hard to lose him. It's a wound that will never heal but I have come to terms with it."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

Shayna didn't say anything. She was looking at him, as if she didn't know if she should cry or do nothing. Desmond was surprised when she moved aside and patted the bed beside her. He proceeded very cautiously to sit beside her, his eyes questioning her all the while. She still clutched Jaylen's dogtags in her hand as she stared up him. She had lovely eyes, he had to admit, and he found himself getting lost in those deep blue pools of liquid fire. He saw a lot in her eyes and realized this was the first time she let him gaze so deeply into them. Before she had always avoided meeting his eyes but now she held his without flinching, exposing the windows to herself fully and unashamedly. More startling than this was when she moved closer to him, curling up, and rested her head on his chest. He instinctively wrapped his arm around her and held her, puzzled by her actions.

"Are you alright," he asked, for she had been distant before now. "I didn't upset you did I?"

"No," she replied.

"Was it the Animus?"

"No."

"Shayna? Are you okay?"

"Please just hold me, Desmond. Don't go anywhere… please?"

"Okay," he said, concerned as he gave her a slight squeeze. He could hear tears in her voice and he decided to get comfortable. "I won't move. Do you want me to stay here in bed with you all night too?"

She nodded and shifted to a more comfortable position for them both. Her arm snaked around him and she clung to him as she nuzzled into his chest and sighed. He could feel her shake a little bit with silent sobs and knew he could do nothing but hold her until it passed. He rested his chin on her head and took in her sent in with a deep intake of air and shivered slightly. No, he would not mind being here with her tonight. Lucy or no, this was exactly where he wanted to be right now and he felt oddly comfortable.

It wasn't long before she was asleep in his arms. He couldn't help but feel flattered by this because since she'd arrived, he'd slept in the chair, sitting upright and allowed her to have the bed, knowing full well that she didn't trust him. It wasn't in their upbringing to trust people but now she clearly trusted him. He wiggled free of her and got her under the covers, because they were both shivering. She stirred, calling out his name and he reassured her, kissing her forehead before he too climbed back into bed and took her in his arms again. As he waited for sleep to take him, he couldn't help but wonder about the things he'd seen in the Animus. Things didn't fit into place. He remembered seeing Altair with Maria, falling in love with her and even consummating that fact. Where did that fit in with Sibylla? How did these two women coexist, clearly loving the same man? He was deeply disturbed by something he felt he knew deep inside as he asked himself what happened to Sibylla that allowed room for Maria. A great sadness washed over him and guilt began to plague him, bringing him back to the present. With Shayna here, where did Lucy fit in, if at all?

Sleep didn't come for many hours as he brooded over these things, all the while holding Shayna securely and possessively in his arms. When he did sleep, it was fitful and troubled. He saw things he didn't want to see; images of a girl, (was it Shayna?) leaping from a cliff to meet a watery grave. Visions of death and suffering and things that drove him from sleep, but not from the bed beside Shayna. He wouldn't leave her alone when she had reached for him like she had. Finally, he slept semi-peacefully as the sun began to rise. A few hours was better than nothing, in his opinion and just maybe, Vidic would give them an unplanned break from the Animus today.

No notes for this one... nothing historical really. hahah.

Anyways, sorry this took so long to write and sorry that it's so short. Not much inspiration for it and when I did, I didnt need to write much. It's part filler and part character background. Necessary despite the fact that I didnt want to write it.

Oh and might I add: part spoiler.

Spoiler for both AC2 (the MariaxAltair) and Bloodlines a bit (though I've played neither but I DID do my homework). Part of the reason this took so long is because I was thrown off by the games and the pairings. Argh had to work around that.

The other spoiler is for the story itself, though I wont elaborate. Sorry. Gotta wait till it;s written. I almost cracked and wrote the end of the series as a spoiler for you guys but I figured I'd lose readers and I didnt want to spoil it because every idea I had for one-shots just... have to be in the series itself. -nod-

And OBVIOUSLY it takes place post AC2... . DesxLucy introduced here... ugh I hate it.

okay. it;s done now... back to work -sigh-