Chapter Twenty-Four:

Moving On

2012

Rebecca smiled as she opened the door for us. "Geezus, Sam! What the hell took you so long?"

"We had a bit of a side-trip. No problems," I assured her, remembering the shard around my neck. "And I needed a bit of time away from this place, at least."

"For obvious reasons, I'm sure," Bill cut-in. "Rebecca, are we going to let them in?"

Rebecca's eyes widened. "Oh, yeah! Right…" She moved out of the way for us and locked the door behind us. "It's been a long day…"

Bill and I locked gazes. Him being the de facto Grandmaster of the Assassin Order didn't exactly make me want to jump up and down with joy, but I had to live with it.

Bill extended a hand. "Truce?"

I frowned, but grasped his hand. "Truce."

We both nodded and released hands. Shaun and Rebecca had gone ahead, whereas Walter was busy staring at the Animus.

"What the hell is this?" he exclaimed, his eyes widening in curiosity. "It looks so… alien!"

Rebecca looked at him and frowned. "I take it you're not Jeremy then?"

He shook his head and straightened. "No. I'm sorry about your friend, but there was nothing I could do. It was forced." Walter looked around our hideout, his eyes giving away how impressed and awed he was (despite how plain the hideout was, in reality). "This is an amazing age! So many things I've not seen before, or even dreamed of seeing!"

"Well, we're glad to have you aboard then. My name's Rebecca." She extended a hand for him to shake.

Walter smiled, bent low and kissed her hand. That honestly made me want to try killing myself again. "Sir Walter Hugh the Second. But please, call me Walter."

Rebecca practically hit the roof. "A dead guy just kissed my hand!"

Walter straightened again and looked at me. "Women of this age really don't know proper formalities, do they?"

"Look mate, in this age a proper form of greeting is a handshake," Shaun quipped. "Then again, can't really blame you. You're, what, a few hundred years old now?"

"Still have a way to go to beat Sara, it seems," Walter said with a smile, and put a hand on my head, making me frown.

Everyone was quiet. In a few seconds, they would all explode, and bombard me with questions and, "what-the-hells". My hope was that they wouldn't.

Bill smiled. "What'd you say your name was again? Walter?"

"That's right, yes."

The older man's eyes flickered over to me. "You wouldn't have happened to've known him, would you, Sam?"

I tapped my two forefingers together. "About that…"

Shaun looked at Walter. "Ah. Now I remember. I knew Jeremy looked familiar, and now I know why!"

"What?" Rebecca asked. I guess she didn't check my memory nodes like I'd told her.

"Allow me," Shaun said, and typed something into his computer. In seconds, he'd brought up a screenshot (an actual screenshot!) he'd taken of Walter and I when he was looking through my memory nodes like the snoop he was. "Here we go."

Walter stared at it. "Amazing! How'd you bloody do that?"

"Technology today is better than before, my friend," Shaun said smugly.

"I knew it," Bill stated. "It seemed too obvious."

As if for confirmation, they all looked to me. "Erm… y-yeah… This is Walter, from 1746 and whatnot…"

In the silence that followed, I prayed for no shouting. I did get my wish.

And, it seemed, Rebecca got a girly moment. "Aw! How cute!" she said.

"Did you really just say that?" Shaun exclaimed and recoiled in his seat.

Thankfully, Rebecca's girly moment was more important than the love of my life being resurrected.

1524

Ezio stared at the young man, who smiled and nodded. It seemed to be something only Ezio understood though. There was a meaning behind the young man's smile that was a confirmation of sorts.

"Get some rest," the young man said to Ezio, and then he left the bench.

My eyes followed the young man for only an instant before I took his place on the bench. Ezio clutched his chest and viciously coughed. I was worried a lung would fall out.

"Peace is not easy to come by," I said suddenly. "Ezio, during your life, you did what I could not. In many ways, you are a better Assassin that I could ever be. And a better person."

Ezio looked at me. In all the years I'd known him, despite how old his body had grown, those eyes of his still seemed as youthful and vibrant as when I'd first saw them, years ago in an alley not far from our current position.

"Amico, you have earned your rest," I whispered. When I looked at him, I could see he was no longer looking at me. He was looking at Sofia and Flavia, who were examining a few masks. "And do not worry; I will protect them from any harm, if it should befall them. This I swear on my life."

"G—." Ezio coughed again. "Grazie…" He smiled as his body weakened. "Ah… Mio caro Sofia… Mi dispiace."

And then I heard his last breath escape. Ezio's body slumped back into the bench, but his smile remained. My arm felt like lead as I reached over and shut his eyes.

"Requiescat in Pace, Ezio Auditore."

Before anyone noticed, I got up and left. Heavy as my heart was, I entered the place where I'd last seen the young man walk. Surprisingly, he was leaning against an archway, and seemed to be expecting me.

"I need to ask you something," I said as I walked up beside him. "Did you kill him?"

"Who?" he asked, smiling and stretching the scar on his cheek.

"You know who." I glared at him. "Did. You. Kill. Him?"

The young man's smile didn't vanish, but he shook his head. "No, I did not. You must have noticed my bracer, then?"

I nodded. The Templar cross was branded into his golden bracer, facing his body much like my hidden blades. His bracer, however, wasn't large enough to house a hidden gun, hidden blade, or even poison.

"I did not kill him," the young man repeated, seriously this time. "He is—was—a worthy enemy against us. With the respect he'd shown to all of our members that he'd killed, we are simply showing him the same respect."

"And how long will it last?"

"As long as it will." The young man smiled again. "Until then, eh Assassin?

I let him go. The young man walked away, not even looking back. He reminded me of Vieri de' Pazzi, to be honest.

And then I heard the shouting from the plaza I'd just left. I looked back to see Sofia and Flavia by Ezio's body, a crowd gathering. I hadn't noticed before, but the alley that Ezio and I had first formally met was right across from where Ezio was sitting. It made me smile.

"Four against one?" the boy said, smirking. "I admit, the odds are not in my favour."

"You probably cannot even fight!" the man said. "Your brother usually does your fighting for you!"

"But that does not mean I cannot fight," the boy replied. "Look, if you leave now, I will forget this ever happened."

The men laughed. "Puttata! Let's get him!"

I watched in fascination for a while as the boy handled them expertly, but then they started yelling and more men dressed as they were came after the boy.

"Get the Auditore bastard!" one yelled.

Auditore? I smiled. Thank God for convenience.

Before any more men showed up, I leaped into the air and kicked one in the side of the head, then elbowed another in the face. I ducked as someone punched at me, and then smashed his jaw with a strong upper-cut.

Eventually, I was back-to-back with the young Auditore. From the damage I had done, I had drawn a bit too much attention to myself.

"Get the boys!" they roared.

My eye twitched. That was something I absolutely despised, no matter where I went. I smashed two in the face with my fist and then spun around, lifting my leg over the crouching Auditore and catching one of his many assailants by surprise as he met my boot and slammed into the brick wall.

"I am a woman!" I snapped angrily.

The men, almost as if in a daze, backed away. "Bitch! You'll pay for that!"

"I'd love to see you try!" I chided.

Behind me, the boy's throat cleared. "Erm… What is your name?" the boy asked.

"Sofia d'Alviano."

"Piacere, Sofia. I am Ezio. Ezio Auditore." He lowered his fists. "We better run now!"

I ducked as I heard something I was all-too-familiar with. A sword cut just above my head, and I knew then that it was lucky Ezio had warned me. "Grazie, Ezio. But I do not run."

As the sword came for me again, I blocked it with my shortblade. I locked the blades and glared at the man holding the sword.

"You dare to draw a weapon in a fistfight?" I spun my blade expertly and forced the sword out of his hand, then caught it from the air. "You, my friend, are a dog!"

The man quickly backed away, and the turned and ran. His friends followed quickly.

"I could have handled them," Ezio said.

I smirked and chuckled slowly. "I am sure you could, Auditore. I just happened to be in the neighbourhood." I slid my shortblade into the sheath on my back, and I guess that was when Ezio noticed my weapons.

"You are… very well-armed," he commented.

"Really?" I asked. "Well, I recently lost a weapon that I liked, but I guess I still look quite dangerous."

"Especially the way you conceal your gender," Ezio remarked.

I scowled and crossed my arms. "I am not concealing anything."

"Then why those clothes?"

"Why must I wear I dress?" I asked him. "You would not like it if you were told to be in a dress for the rest of your life. Besides, the breeze is uncomfortable."

Ezio laughed at me, which only made me scowl deeper. I rolled my eyes and started to walk away when I heard him through his uncontrolled laughter.

"Aspetta! Please! I am sorry!" he managed through gasps of laughter. "It's just… I have never heard a woman speak of a dress in that fashion! I only ever hear about the new dresses coming, not the breeze!"

"And you will stop thinking about it before I do any harm to you, Auditore!" I threatened.

Ezio managed to contain his laughter and started to walk with me out of the alley. "Where are you going?"

I smiled. "Somewhere."

"You aren't easy to talk to," Ezio said.

I shrugged. "But it is fun to confuse people about me," I told him. "One moment, I am fun, and the next I am trying to kill them."

"I hope not!" Ezio replied, smiling. "The ironic thing is that I cannot tell if you are truly joking or not!"

"Then it is working!" I smiled. "This is where we part ways for now. I suggest you get home before those men try to find you again."

Ezio grinned. "They will not come again tonight. They need to lick the wounds you gave them!"

I noticed I was still holding that man's sword, and so I tossed it in the air and caught it by the blade, then held it out to Ezio. "Still, it would be best if you were better protected, Auditore."

"Please," Ezio said as he took the sword from my grasp as carefully as he could, "don't call me 'Auditore'. My name is Ezio."

I nodded. "I will think on it."

Ezio bowed and tried to kiss my hand, but I had it in his hair and quickly messed it up before he knew what was going on. When he finally did realize, I took my hand and ran off.

"I will be closer than you think, Auditore!" I yelled to him as I sprinted away.

Still, behind me, I heard Ezio cry, "Aspetta!"

2012

"We're leaving," Bill said as I came into the hideout. "We want to make sure the Templars keep guessing our position. We're putting everything in the van, and we're getting out of here."

I nodded and started to help. Walter and I had just gotten back from a walk in Central Park, but I wasn't exactly tired. Walter didn't seem to be either, since he jumped in to help. In a manner of minutes, everything was packed into the van (Desmond included. Poor guy…) and we were set to go.

"Where are we going, exactly?" I asked.

Bill smiled as Shaun jumped into the driver's seat. "You'll see."