Thanks to BADAZZtoldya, farawisa and Jorda96 for your reviews!

Thanks to to all who have favv'd and alerted my fic! It means a great deal to me ^^

As always, special thanks to the gorgeous Evil . lil. Angel for encouraging me to write while she draws! Love you hun :)

Warnings in this chapter are basically Altair hitting rock bottom.

oOoOoOoOo

5.

Eight weeks now.

Eight whole weeks since Altair had walked out.

Eight weeks that Malik had thrown himself into his work to try and forget.

He tried to forget that he knew exactly what Altair was doing. He had met Rosa a week previous out with work where they could talk in private. Rosa had told him of her flat mate's new partner Ezio who had told him all about Altair and all the….fun they had been having.

Rosa had ensured Malik that Ezio was all talk and nothing else. That he had been saying that knowing full well it would get back to him.

Still, it didn't stop him trying to call Altair afterwards only to have the line dead.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Malik snapped back to attention at the sound of the female voice beside him. His stomach turned slightly at the sight of that familiar blonde hair and those blue eyes.

He had barely spoken to Lucy since that night.

He had almost dropped dead when he returned back to work.

oOoOoOoOo

Running late, Malik thundered through the main door to the office block, hair askew, shirt tails not tucked in, tie crumpled in his hand.

Stopping in the reception area to straighten himself up, Malik was too busy fixing his frazzled hair he didn't see Lucy walk up behind him.

"I-is everything alright Malik?"

He didn't have to turn round to know who was talking to him.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" He hissed out the corner of his mouth.

"I work here. Got transferred into this building thismorning. No need to be such a jackass about it." She huffed, crossing her arms across her ample bosom.

"What? Because of….us….my relationship is in ruins."

"He left you?"

"Stay the fuck away from me." He growled as he shoved his way past Lucy.

OOoOoOoOo

"What the hell do you want?"

"Umm, you've been sitting here in a daze for ages….we're finished for the day."

Malik grunted before peeling himself from behind his desk.

"Any plans for the weekend Malik?" Lucy almost whispered.

"Seeing my brother." He hissed as he checked his mobile, stomach twisting at the background on the screen. Altair had snapped a picture of the two of them years ago while drunk. The aim was a bit off and the picture was shaky and a bit blurry but, it had captured the earliest days of their relationship.

"I've just stared seeing someone….real nice guy who co-owns a club down town. His brothers going through a hard time and I think he needs a bit of time away from him."

Malik turned away, totally uninterested, crammed all his files into his bag then grabbed his jacket.

"I think I understand how you are feeling. Des had told me a bit about what his brothers going through….broken relationship. For what it's worth….I'm sorry."

Malik stopped dead.

Des?

"As in Desmond….Miles?" Malik almost shouted as he spun round on Lucy.

"Uh huh. I don't even know the brothers name yet but, he sounds like he needs help."

"Altair…."

"What?"

"Desmond's brother….his name is Altair. He was…." Malik stopped before he could say anymore. This world was too fucking small for his liking between Rosa knowing Ezio through Leonardo and Lucy knowing about Altair through Desmond.

Lucy stepped back from Malik and the crushed expression on his face.

Quite ironic that she was dating the brother of the guy who Malik had cheated on with her.

Muttering her goodbye's, Lucy made for the main doors to the building.

OOoOoOoOo

The next afternoon, Malik was sitting, not even paying attention to his younger brother Kadar.

The younger man was blustering on and on about how he had undoubtedly fucked up his final exams at University. How he was never going to get a good job. How the guy he liked was just so dreamy and fabulous.

Malik was too busy people watching instead of focussing on his baby brother.

They were sitting at Malik's favorite coffee shop and Malik was hoping and praying that he could see Altair here.

"MalMal? You alright?"

"W-what? Yes….why wouldn't I be?"

"Well….it's just that you have barely spoken a word to me and well….I know you miss him I really do but….don't you think you should move on? It was afterall you who…" "You do not want to finish that sentence brother. I know what I have done and I want to make amends. I cannot just switch off my feelings like a light switch."

Kadar seemed to shrink in on himself as Malik ranted.

Seeing the look, that look, that pout on his younger brothers face made him stop and smile somewhat sadly.

"Come on. Lets get out of here. Mood I'm in I feel like blowing half my pay on junk. I'll go get the bill for this."

Malik was up and out of his seat before Kadar could stop him.

Malik froze when he entered the main shop as his eyes focussed on the man sitting near the back. His hood was pulled up over his head but yellow gold eyes shone past the shadows. He was hunched over slightly as if he was in pain. The closer Malik got he could see Altair's hands shaking. They looked thin, pale.

It was clear that Altair hadn't seen him because right at that moment, a quivering hand lifted from balancing on his cup to pulling the hood back off his head.

A gaunt looking face, thick black shadows under his dead looking eyes presented itself to him. His skin looked sickly, clammy almost. He was unshaved, probably for about a week and all Malik could smell the closer he got to him was smoke. Fuck knows what kind….cigarettes, hash….anybodies guess.

As Malik shuffled closer, Altair snapped his head up.

Malik could see the bruises on his arms.

Could see the addiction taking hold of the man he still loved.

Both men touched the matching ties around their necks before Altair lept up from his chair, shouldered Malik out the way and practically fled out the door. Totally ignoring the shouts of, 'You didn't pay!'

"Chill out." Malik snapped at the disgruntled girl behind the counter. "I will get his."

When he stepped back outside, Malik turned an accusing eye on Kadar.

"You knew he was there didn't you?"

A small nod to the head was his answer.

Clearly Altair was taking….something. Malik wanted to stay in denial that he hadn't fallen back into the hard stuff that he used to do but that sickly, sweating pallor told him otherwise.

"You think the two of you will ever get back together?"

"I….I….he needs help." Was all Malik uttered as he took his brothers arm and led him down the street.

OOoOoOoOo

Altair stormed into Frederico and Ezio's house, not bothering to knock or any such pleasantries.

Frederico glanced up lazily from the threadbare couch, a bemused expression on his face.

"What the hell happened to you? Ezio try to beat you up again?"

Altair said nothing as he thundered through the living room and into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

Calming his throbbing heart and head, Altair pulled his phone from his pocket. An inherited brick like phone he had taken from Ezio after he had smashed his own to pieces in a fit of drunken rage a few weeks previous.

His fingers dialled a number almost burned into their imprints.

He heard it dialling. Heard the voice pick up on the other end. Malik's voice.

Surely Malik could hear him on the other end, breathing rapidly, tears filling his eyes as he sniffed slightly in a vain attempt to stop them falling.

"Altair?" Came Malik's voice from the phone.

Tightening his fist around the ancient brick until the plastic started cracking, Altair screamed more to himself as he launched the offending item at the wall.

Calming his thoughts and cursing the situation he was in, Altair dropped to the cupboards under the sink. His money was gone and, although Frederico and Ezio called themselves his friends, they wouldn't let him freewheel anymore.

He would pay the two back….one day….he just needed one more.

Needed one more, just to forget that face he had seen just an hour or so previous. To forget the look of love and concern in Malik's tired eyes.

Setting everything he needed infront of him, Altair got to work.

No more than ten minutes later, Altair slumped down the wall, dropping painfully onto his backside as the now used needle dropped from his now strangely steady hand.

His head fogged and misted over quite pleasantly as the image of Malik from earlier that day distorted and frayed at the edges.

Still, he couldn't help the feeling in his heart no matter how fucked his mind and body became.

He still loved him.

OOoOoOoOoOo

A few days later found a groggy Altair being shook awake by his twin. Desmond was at his wits end with the slightly older Altair.

"Get up out of this fucking bed right now! Lucy is coming to see me and the last thing she needs to see is your lazy ass slithering onto the couch!"

Altair pulled the covers over his head and attempted to curl into a tight little ball when he suddenly felt them being swept off his body.

"What the fuck?"

"Up! Now! I've had enough of this. I suggest you clean up your fucking act or….heaven strike me where I stand but you're on your own Altair. I cant watch you do this to yourself again."

Desmond turned away from his brother. What was once almost beautiful features had collapsed behind the face of a druggie. He was thin, pale and well….Desmond hated to think it but pathetic. Such a strong man reduced to this by one bad decision.

What a fucking waste.

Desmond didn't even notice Altair throwing on his clothes until he was pulling his Converse on.

"Where….?"

"Want me gone? Fine." Altair lazily droned out. Fuck, even his voice sounded terrible. Giving the amount that he was smoking, no wonder.

OOoOoOoOo

Carrying himself down the street….just….Altair thought about nothing.

Nothing was happening in his life. Nothing was going to happen if he kept doing this.

Everything happened when he was with Malik but, no, he wouldn't go crawling back. Malik was the one that had fucked the relationship up. Not him.

Too absorbed in nothing, Altair ended up colliding with a soft, curvy body.

Not even apologising, he carried on walking until, "Altair? Is that you?"

His gaze turned to the thick English accent of a women, only a few years older than him.

"M-Maria?" He managed to stutter out.

He saw her push something or someone behind her legs, almost as if she was shielding whatever it was.

"Stop pushing me mummy." Came a young childs voice from behind her jean clad legs.

Altair watched as a small boy defiantly nudged Maria out of the way and stepped back round to her front.

"Maria? Who…." Altair whispered as he took in the childs appearance. Sandy brown hair, big golden coloured eyes, full lips but with his mothers pale skin.

Maria took a step back from Altair, pulling the child with her.

"No Maria….I just."

"No, remember last time I asked you to stop? Despite me being pregnant you beat me black and blue Altair!"

"I didn't know."

"Looks like you still don't know." Maria snapped before she crouched down to her sons eye level.

"Darim? You go sit right there. I have to talk to this person for a minute. I will be right here." She almost cooed at the boy as she pointed to a bench about ten feet away.

"He will be turning six this year. Has the attitude of his father though."

"I left him Maria."

Her previously hard face fell slightly.

Him?

"After you I, I ended up moving in with. Well, his name isn't important. I, we, well things happened and it's over."

Maria shook her head.

"I wanna know him….Darim that is."

"What? Your kidding right? When was your last hit? How many joints have you had thismorning? Your like a child Altair. A child who has lost his favorite toy. You go in a sulk with everyone and do all you can to make them worry about you! How do you think I felt giving birth to a child all alone? Not having his father around because he beat me senseless because his mind was too drug addled to do anything else?" Maria practically screamed as her eyes watered.

Altair stepped back from the young woman.

She was right. Despite her own flaws, she was totally right about his.

"How can you be a father to Darim when you cannot even look after yourself Altair? I suggest you stop wallowing in your own self made misery and do something! Get your fucking life back on track."

"Maria."

"I'm sorry Altair but I just do not trust you. Not around me. Especially not around MY son." She hissed through the tears in her eyes as she turned and grabbed Darim's hand, leading him away from Altair.

Altair turned in the opposite direction. His mind jumbling round her words.

Instead of trying to rationalise what she had said, rage filled Altair's body at the thought of her callous words. Desmond's threat earlier that day. Malik. Malik….always Malik.

His vision filled with red as he walked purposely through the streets. His feet took him in one direction.

Knocking on the beaten up door, Altair waited impatiently until the door creaked open slightly.

"Well well, not seen you for years boy. How's things?"

"Fucking peachy Antonio. Gonna let me in?"

"You got money kid? Charge it to Ezio. He fucking owes me for breaking my nose."

Antonio, a tall, slim black haired male opened the door and guided Ezio into his humble abode as he so often called it.

"Heard you bumped into Maria today?"

Was their anything Antonio didn't know?

"What of it? I came here for one thing and one thing only."

Antonio nodded slowly, mentally processing what Altair had asked him for.

Leading him into a smaller back room, Antonio prayed slightly. If the kid made it out of this one, he was fucking strong.

Thirty minutes later, Altair stumbled down the street away from Antonio's house.

If only Rosa knew what her father did for a living, she would never even speak to him again.

Instead of becoming more relaxed, Altair found himself angering further. His eyes burned as everything turned pulsing shades of red.

His blood boiled and his partially collapsed veins throbbed.

His hands clutched onto the sides of his head as he stumbled down the street. He felt sick but powerful at the same time.

He yearned to beat someone into dust. Fuck someone over the way he had been fucked over.

The young man walking down the street, clad in black was his target.

Pulling his hood up, he crossed the deserted road and slowly withdrew the butterfly knife he had pinched from Antonio when he wasn't looking.

Falling into step with the man, Altair seemed to recognise his walk.

Shaking his buzzing head, Altair raised the knife and lunged at the young man, one arm wrapping round his arms and middle, the other held the knife against his throat.

A startled yelp escaped the other man when Altair threw himself on him.

Altair could almost hear the other mans heartbeat although his too calm body language tried to tell him a different story.

Saying nothing, Altair pushed himself closer to the man, his nose practically buried in short but messy black hair. That scent. He knew that scent.

Two dark skinned hands pushed through his momentarily weakened hold and grabbed onto the arm that held the blade to his throat.

Altair could feel a leather tie looped around the other mans neck.

His heart pounded as he roughly spun the other man around and slammed him against a wall.

His eyes widened and he dropped the knife as a whole new nausea filled his stomach and throat.

Dark brown, almost black eyes stared back at him.

Altair staggered back clutching his stomach, one word escaping his dry and chapped lips.

"Malik."

oOoOoOoOo

Only a couple of chapters left to go.

How will this end?