Chapter 20: Desmond

Well, my first mission and I fucked up. And I mean in a big way. That would explain why I woke up, only in my underwear while Ezio dug bullets out of my back and Altair dug bullets out of Alanna. It was suppose to be easy. Go with Alanna and Jenna, pick up the kid, Mike and get back to the hotel. Yeah, sounded easy enough, but when you are having 9mm rounds pulled from every spot of your body, including your ass, it was a very shitting mission.

Alright, let me recap. Sebastian, Alanna's ex-boss, came to her, and told her where to pick up the kid, Mike. Sounds good so far. Yeah, it did to me too. She was only allowed to take two people with her. Jenna would go because it was her cousin after all, and then she looked at me. She told me I needed some real world experience. Altair actually agreed. The straight up ass, agreed with her! Are you kidding me? I'm thinking he hoped he was wrong and I just healed really fast, and I would get shot, die and he would not have to deal with me anymore. I got shot alright. Thirteen, ah no, there's another, fourteen times. At point blank range! I think a few went all the way through but I don't know.

Really, the last thing I remember is being drug into the car, then waking up with Dr. Auditore pulling lead out of my backside. Not the greatest way to show the world, "Hey look! I can take a bullet and come back to kill your asses later! Ha ha!" So not the way I wanted that to go down.

With these three, the Farm was looking better and better. I swear I think trouble follows them around like a little lost rabid dog, then when they think the dog is safe, bites them in their asses and laughs. I am really beginning to hate this immortality crap.

"Done." I heard the last bullet drop into the dish he was using.

I groaned and rolled slightly to see the mound of bullets on the plate. "How many did you dig out?"

"Twenty-three. That is impressive number. Altair still has you beat with the Tommy gun incident" Ezio wiped his hands on the towel. I could hear the laughter in his voice.

"I thought we would never talk about that again?" Came the grumble from the Arab man, then lead hitting the other plate. "That was embarrassing"

My back, neck, ah hell, everything hurt. My teeth hurt for crying out loud. All I wanted to do was curl up in a dark room and sleep for a few days, but that was not going to happen. Not from the look I was getting from Altair. "What happened?" I sat up slowly, feeling every part of me protest.

"Thought you could shed some light on it. Jenna said as soon as you guys had Mike, they opened fire. She was hit twice. Once in the arm and grazed in the leg. Mike was surprisingly unhurt, but you and Alanna took everything." Altair wiped the blood away from another hole and began to work on it.

I had to turn my head. That was gross. "That's about what happened. When they began to fire, Alanna pulled me over Mike with her. Better us taking the bullets, than having to explain why Mike is dead to his sister."

"Mike and Jenna pulled you two into the car and drove off. I now owe my buddy a new car. We already took it out to the desert and blew it up. That's why it took so long to get everything out of you. I tried to save the one through the heart for last. I knew once that one came out, it would be only a hour before you came to. Alanna took twenty-six. Three up on you." Ezio grinned and stood up. He threw a shirt and a pair of shorts at me. "Go get a shower. You reek of blood and other fluids."

I forgot. When you 'die', your body loses control of the other functions, like bladder control. Ew. Now I really wanted to go hide on the nice, safe Farm. I will never run away again. "Being with you three is hazardous to anyone's health, immortal or not."

"I get that a lot by myself." The amber eyed man shrugged and pulled the bullet out. "Wow, a 40 cal. Someone wasn't playing fair." He placed it with the others.

Alanna began to stir. "Next time I am taking an Uzi." I heard her mumble into the pillow.

"Nope, an AK47, grenade launcher, and full riot gear." I stood, hearing everything pop. "How long was I out?"

"12 hours. Give or take a half." The Italian rolled his shoulder and sighed. "I had better go check on my other patient." He walked out of the room, leaving me with the two oldest.

Now, Alanna I had no problems with. She was cool as hell, but Altair. That is a whole nother story. The man scared the piss out of me when I was reliving his memories, but here in real life, he was flat out evil. Well, towards me at least. When he looks at me it's like he is going to kill me, but has not come up with a reason why. What the hell did I do to piss him off?

I finally had enough. I wanted to know. "What did I do to piss you off? Please tell me so I know and can fix it?"

He looked at me, those eyes of his flashing golden. "You are here. That's all I need."

Really? "You know that is the shittiest logic I have ever heard. Tell me the real reason." I crossed my arms over my chest. I was not about to show him I was afraid of him.

Alanna watched us from her place on the bed. Her gray eyes going from one to another. Altair stood and walked over to me. "You are here because of a mistake I made several hundred years ago. I am going to fix that problem. You should have listened to us when you first saw the Apple. You should have heeded our words, Boy."

I dropped my arms to my side. I was tired of being called boy. "You know what, Altair. I am so sick of you degrading me and putting me down. Did you do this to Ezio when you saw him again?"

"Actually, they got into a fist fight in England." Alanna laid her head on her crossed arms.

I looked at the man in front of me. "So, if I punched you in the face, you would get off my case? I fucked up. I shouldn't of grabbed the damn thing. If I had listened, Lucy would still be alive and we wouldn't be hunted like animals by Abstergo. Is that what you wanted to hear, old man?" I voice rose in volume as my anger towards him grew.

"There, you admitted it. You are an idiot. Just like Ezio was. Sometimes I wonder how in the hell I am related to you two? Oh, that's right. It's distant, but still there." He rolled his eyes, but stood toe to toe with me.

"If you want to get technical. Ezio is not related to you. His great granddaughter married one one of Darim's descendants. That is how you are linked." Alanna piped up. We looked at her. "What? I wanted to know, so I started tracing the genealogy. I knew where my line went. No where. I was an only child and so were my parents. So no more Dowd's. Anyway, someone want to pass me a shirt?"

Altair turned and looked at Alanna. "What did you need?"

She glared at him. "A shirt. Unless you want to wander around this place naked."

Now, I will admit, I wouldn't mind that. She was hot, but if I said that out loud I really would get punched by the older man. Hey, but a guy can dream, can't he?

Altair threw Alanna one of the shirts that were lying around. She caught it and slipped it on. "Alright. We all need showers and go to this meeting. I am going to personally put a bullet in that bastard's head for this." She slowly slid off the bed, and stood up. "I am heading for that shower. If you want it first, you had better get there before I do." She looked at me, and smiled.

I bolted for the bathroom, and slammed the door. "Hah!"

I heard her laugh. "At least you are in there. There are two showers in this place."

Damn! I can not believe I fell for that. We were in the penthouse. It was the only place in this hotel that would house all of us. I remembered that now. Yeah, I was stupid.

After showering and putting on some fresh clothes, I walked out into the main room with the towel wrapped around my neck. Maya, Jenna and Mike sat on the couch, talking quietly, while Ezio stood in the kitchen, sipping some coffee. "E 'bello vederti sveglio, Desmond."

I smiled and grabbed a mug. "E bello vedere anche voi, Ezio." I poured some coffee, added cream and sugar, and stood next to him. "How's the kid holding up?"

"Better than I would have thought seeing two people shot, and subsequently killed before his eyes. He is resilient. He will make a fine assassin, with the proper training." He smiled over the rim of his cup.

I chuckled. "You seem to have taking a liking to him."

"Si. He is a brave kid. His sister and cousin are helping him deal with this." He shook his head, but his eyes went back to the blond.

It hit me. "You like her, don't you?"

He turned his chocolate eyes on me. "She is a smart woman. I respect her a lot."

"Oh please. You don't have to lie to me, Ezio. You do like her." I took of sip of the coffee and let the warmth travel through me.

He waved me off. "So, how is your back?" He was changing the subject. Typical action for avoiding the topic. I would get it out of him.

"Fine. Stiff as hell, but I think I will live. This being immortal shit will take some getting used to. How did you find out?" I leaned against the counter, and hissed in slight pain. The wounds on my ass were not completely healed. The flesh was healed, but not underneath. I stood back up.

It was his turn to laugh. "Hurts, doesn't it?" I nodded. "You will be find in a few hours. They were clean wounds. I believe it was just a test to see if you two were immortal. You look enough like me, or even Altair, from a distance, I believe they thought they were getting one of us."

"Yeah, that gives a warm and fuzzy feeling." I rolled my eyes. "But seriously, if they were wrong, what would have have done then?"

He shook his head. "What do I look like, their shrink? I don't think so. I have done that yet." He tapped his finger against his chin. "Although, it is an intriguing idea."

"Focus Ezio. I swear I think you are ADD. You jump subjects faster than you jump from womens' beds." I narrowed my eyes at him. It was true. The man never stayed on one subject long. He was like a dog, chasing a ball, then it was like 'oh Squirrel!' then chase that.

The Italian laughed. "Sometimes you may be right. Fine, we will follow your train of thought for the moment. Now, what were you saying?"

Lord give me strength! "We were talking about why they shot at us."

"Oh, that's right. Sorry, I was thinking about going back to become a shrink. I could add it to the list of degrees I already have." He smiled and drank his coffee.

"Anyway. Where is the other two?" I looked at him, and he raised an eyebrow. I knew what he was implying. "Nevermind. We can do our planning session later. So when did those two get back together?"

Ezio just smiled at me. "With Alanna and Altair. One minute they love each other, then they hate each other, but it is always each other. I have watched Altair beat himself up for a few hundred years when she left. I don't know if she did the same, but they are together again."

The thought disturbed me a bit, but I shook it off. How in the world she dealt with him I would never know, but to each their own and all that crap.

"Hey Ezio, come here a minute." Jenna smiled and waved him over.

He smiled at the woman, and looked at me. "We will continue this conversation in a bit. Why don't you get some rest? There is a comfortable chair on the balcony. You could use some sun." He walked over to the small group. "Che cosa hai bisogno, Angelo?"

The women giggled at his words. I don't think they knew what he said, but most women blushed and and giggled when he spoke in his native language. I wish I could get women to do that. Maybe if I brushed up on my Italian... I shook the idea out of my head. I did not need a woman in my life now. It would only be more complicated and... Oh my God! I am starting to sound like Altair back in the Crusades. Someone just shoot me in the head and get it over with. Nope, never mind, that would do no good, because I was IMMORTAL now! I would just come back in a few hours. This was beginning to really suck.

I sighed, and decided to take my one man party to the balcony. Pulling open the door, I gently eased myself into the surprisingly plush chair. I sighed contently, and looked out at the sky. It was early morning. The sky was starting to lighten. I was beginning to wonder why everyone was up at six in the morning, then I thought that 'Wait. We are all assassins and used to being up by the ass crack of dawn.' Well, I have been out of it for twelve hours, so that's my excuse.

Relaxing in the chair, I didn't hear the door open. "You're Desmond, right?"

I looked up at the girl, Maya. We were never properly introduced, but I knew who she was. "Yeah, that's me."

She smiled. "I want to thank you for going to get my brother. It was a very brave thing you did."

I smiled back. She was pretty. "No problem. I couldn't let them have a kid like that. I was his age when I ran from the Farm. Well, a year older."

"I remember my father saying something about that. He was one of the assassins your father sent after you. You took your training to heart when you took off." She looked out at the rising sun.

"You can sit down if you would like." I pointed to the empty chair.

"Thank you." She sat down and turned her royal blue eyes back to me.

They were a beautiful blue. The one eye color I was a sucker for. Blue. Ocean, sky, gray-blue, it didn't matter. Her dark hair set it off. "So, why didn't you follow in the assassin ways?"

"I don't like blood. Actually, I pass out at the sight of it. When Mike came back in covered in your guys', I did pass out. I am such a wuss." She hung her head.

I sat up slowly and touched her leg. "That's nothing to be ashamed of. I wish I was, then I wouldn't be here."

Lifting her head, she smiled up at me. "Thank you, but if you weren't here, neither would Mike."

I laughed. "Yeah he would. Ezio or Altair would have gone with Alanna."

"They wouldn't even be back together, because what Ezio told me, the only reason Alanna came looking for them was because she needed help getting you guys away from the Apple. They would have never met up. Ezio would have never met my cousin, Alanna would have never got back with Ezio and Altair, and I would have never got to talk to you."

I was floored. Pretty much what she said everything revolved around me, but if I had never run away, Lucy would have never been killed. I looked down at my hand. If I thought enough about it, I could almost see the dark maroon, life giving liquid on my left hand. The thought sent chills down my spine and turned my stomach. Best not go there right now. I would not go there.

"Desmond?"

I heard my name called, snapping me out of my little pity world. "Huh?"

She smiled. "You looked like you were a million miles away just then."

I rubbed the back of my neck and smiled. "Yeah, you could say that. I was sitting on a white sandy beach, toes warmed my said sand, and an alcoholic drink in my hand." I wish. Sometimes I wish it was that easy, but I was not going to go there.

"Sounds nice." She sat back in the chair.

Ezio

I smirked at Jenna, who sat next to me on the couch. "Told you."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever playboy." She leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest.

I couldn't help but laugh at her childish behavior. "You are just mad because I knew they would hit it off."

She turned her head, eyes narrowed. "You just wanted her out of the room. I mean, you sent Mike off to get some sleep, then sent Maya out to talk to Desmond. Now, it is just you and me."

Smiling bigger, I leaned back as well. "Ti volevo a me stesso."

"What did you say?" Her arms loosened, and she had a puzzled look on her face.

"Non vuoi sapere." I closed my eyes, but kept the smile.

"Ezio Auditore, tell me what you said now. I have no clue what you just said and it is going to drive nuts." I felt her sit up, and lean over me.

I opened my eyes quickly, startling her. She sat back down and watched me. I chuckled. "Si sono facili da arrabbiarsi, angela. Calmati."

"Damn you!" She stood up and began to walk away.

"Jenna, I am sorry. I like to mess with people. It is fun, because most do not speak italiano. Please forgive me." I looked at her with the best puppy dog face I could muster. "Please?"

She turned around and looked at my face, then sighed. "Be lucky you are cute, or I would have left you sitting here by yourself. Now, what did you say?"

"I wanted you to myself, don't you want to know, and you are easy to get upset, angel. Calm down." Standing, I made my way to her. "I will teach you Italiano, if you would like. It is a fun language, but if it is to be a private conversation, we can not talk in front of the others. Well, in front of the older two. They know all, and it is scary."

She chuckled. "They know all huh?" I nodded. "Then, we shall not use words."

She did something that surprised me. She kissed me. I has never had a woman actually kiss me first. Well, besides that one time in Dublin, but we were both drunk. Best not go into that. It is rather, uh, naughty.

Back to this moment. It was soft, and yet held many indescribable emotions. I had not felt those since Sophia. It was something I tried to lock away, but it came back once more. I knew our future was not set in stone. Something bug was coming and it was coming fast. Live for the moment. And so I did. I kissed her back.

Okay, so everyone is hooking up, but we are coming to the part where everything is going to be torn down. So, just a friendly warning. This coming week is going to be crazy for me. I am meeting with a admissions director about going to college. Yeah, I am actually going to finally go. I am excited! That is tomorrow, and then I have to see financial aid later in the week. Plus I have work on top of all this. I will try to get a chapter out but the end of Tuesday, but please do not hold me to that.