Hey! No I have not died a horrible and painful death, fallen off a cliff into the abyss of lost authors, or been eaten by stray dragons. Although seeing a dragon would be really cool. Huh? Oh, sorry, focusing again. Yeah, that's been me the last month. Could not focus to save my hide, and nothing would come in the form of a chapter. So, after redoing the iPod, getting an evening to myself, (did I mention that I am a mother of four very active kids?) I have finally pushed past the block (I think), and bring you this chapter! So, without further rambling, I present chapter 10 of Eden's Twilight.

She could no longer tell the difference between the seasons, or the years as the time slipped past her. It had become a blur in the hundreds of thousands of years since her entombment in the ancient machinery that had kept her mind intact for so very long. But intact was a relative word when one talked about a mind that had not be attached to a body in many millennia. Thoughts, like data, tended to become corrupt over that long of a time frame, and her hatred for the humans had so long to fester. She was no longer what she once was. She was more like a virus, and the long tendrils of her now roving mind had probed the interconnecting fibers that the humans called the internet.

Thanks in part to the energy Juno had consumed from the large amount of life force she had taken from Desmond Miles, she was able to ward off the flare that once destroyed her people, saved a race that she was now going to command. It was coming together as she had foreseen so long ago. And at one time they had called her insane for the idea of storing her conscious mind inside a machine. Look who had made them a fool now. Even Minerva, for all of her wisdom and caution, had followed behind Juno and stored part of herself in a machine as well.

She could see the tiny peons marching through their pathetic lives as she peered through traffic cams, and video feeds. See how they spent their monies on frivolous belongings that would be outdated within a few months. How they compensated for their meager existence with trying to find a way to live longer than nature, or her, intended. It was laughable really. They yet did not harness the right technology for such an endeavor, but how they tried anyway.

Abstergo. Now there was a company she was most interested in. Their tech was based solely off what she was familiar with. What her people had designed. So navigating through the complex networks felt like nothing more than stretching a limp after waking up in the morning. It was natural, like a reflex, and they never knew her mind had probed the deepest part of their systems. And that's where she found it, sending her straight back to the Grand Temple with a heated temper. Desmond had somehow survived a second time, but how she had wondered. Was it some trickery of Minerva's once more that plucked the boy from her grasp once more? Or was it something else? Something she was missing? But that couldn't be right. She had done all the calculations. All the variables. There was no way he could have lived through what she had done to him, and yet he still took breaths.

Well, he will not be for long, she thought to herself as she walked through the ancient halls of the long forgotten temple. It was almost time to move once more. To merge with a place that had all but been forgotten to the sands of time. The Observatory was her next destination, but there was one more thing she had to do before she could bind herself to the machine that ran that place. That was to find someone to take her there, and she knew the perfect person to carry out the mission. A smile crept across her features as she began to put her plan into motion.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

"Easy, easy."

Vision, that felt he had just used not a few minutes ago, but knew from the ache in his body from being stationary for a time, began to come back, and as his eyes adjusted to the room around him, Jack knew he was no longer in the basement of Abstergo, but on the couch of Melanie's office.

"Wha…?" His tongue felt like a lead weight in his mouth. Heavy and unable to form cohesive words to string together to inquire about his new surroundings. All he could really do was turn his head and look in her direction, hoping she would understand that he needed answers.

And she did not disappoint. "We found you unresponsive after John gave you that cocktail, and began to rant insanely about the coming of something. Do you remember anything that happened? He cut the feed to your room, and placed it on a loop so we were unaware of anything that was going on until it was too late to stop him." Her haunted eyes were casted to the ground. "I am so sorry for this happening. It had been John all along that was the hacker, making it to look like you."

"What did he give me?" The words became easier to say as the sedative began to wear off and his tongue would work on command once more.

She shrugged. "The doctor that examined you said it was nothing lethal. Something to put you under for a time, but that was it. But why did he want you?"

I can think of a few, Jack wanted to say, but since they believed that it was all John's doing, who was he to correct them. "I don't know." Grunting as he sat up, the world began to tip on its axis as the equilibrium in his brain was thrown off. How he wanted so much to throw up, but pushing the bile back down into his empty gut, he managed to look at Melanie. "I was just reviewing data."

A look of concentration came over her pale face, and then it was gone. "Well, whatever the reason, he's dead, and there's nothing that we can do to figure it out now. Now I'm sure that you want nothing more than to go home after all of this. You are free to leave whenever you'd like, but please see the doctor tomorrow morning to make sure there hasn't been any ill effects that creep up overnight."

Jack's brow rose at the last part of her sentence. "Any Ill effects?"

Taking a business card from her desk, she walked over and held it out form him to grab, which he did. Doctor Martin Sunnor. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. It was a mild sedative that John gave you, but without a complete analysis of the contents, we just want to be safe." Giving one of her perky smiles, she nodded. "Be careful heading home, and give him a call in the morning."

She took a step back, giving him ample room to get to his feet, Jack did just that, waited once more as his world tipped just the slightest, and he walked from her office to the small cubicle he had been given. Everything was just how he had left it the day before. His coat hung on the rack at the end of the wall, the forgotten bag of chips he had planned to have a lunch sat next to the keyboard, unopened and untouched. Even his pad that was left downstairs sat in its charging station, green light blinking, informing him that he had a message from someone. Probably some group email from Melanie telling the staff what a wonderful job they had been doing.

Taking a seat, he sighed as he let his head drop into his cupped hands, covering his face from the world. It had been a stressful two days to say the least, but at least it was now over. He could now rest easy knowing that the spying and hacking had come to an end, and there was nothing more that he would have to find for John, or the Assassins. It was over, finally, and he could move on with a new chapter in his life that didn't involve some crazy ass plot that would get him killed if anyone found out. I need a vacation. Somewhere warm, and sunny, with a really stiff drink in my hand. That was almost enough to make him want to book the flight now. It would be warm and sunny in the Caribbean that time of the year. He could go there. See the places that Edward had seen with his own eyes. Maybe rent a small sail boat and troll around the hidden coves of sea. He had the cash. Hell, he had almost enough to buy a small boat from his time at Abstergo Entertainment.

But there were things that he had to do before that. Lifting his head, he spied the earpiece that John had called him on so many times, but all that it would hold now would be silence. The man was dead he knew that much. He could recall the last few moments before all went dark, and then waking up in Melanie's office.

Edward had just finished the final assassination of Torres and with the help of Ah Tabai and Anne, stopped the Observatory from destroying him and his friends. That was when the assassin leader had handed him the note from England. Caroline was dead, and had been that way for a few years, leaving him the care of a child that he knew nothing about. A daughter by the name of Miss Jennifer Scott.

Coming out of the Animus was not something Jack had chosen to do. A glitch that ejected him before the memory was complete? Someone needing something from him? But he wished it was that simple. As his eyes readjusted to the modern world around him, his chair was quickly swiveled around to have John hovering over him, a bad almost sadistic look in his mismatched eyes. The same eyes that he saw on Bartholomew Roberts.

He began to rant about the second coming of someone and then that was when the man turned on him, plunging something sharp into the side of his neck. Then the burn began. It was a slow burn, robbing him of most of his senses, and as water does once released from its containment, Jack slid to the floor, body unresponsive to the simplest of commands.

Sounds drifted in and out of his brain, only partly registering anything that was going on. He could see, but barely, and he could see John raise his hands to the air and the last thing he remembered the man screaming was, "Guide me into the gray, my beloved." And he was shot dead by security. Something warm touched his outstretched fingers, and he had a feeling it was blood.

That was when oblivion claimed him, and awoke some time later on the couch in Melanie's office. It had certainly been a strange day. One he cared not to ever repeat in his life.

Shaking his head, he grabbed the earpiece and slipped it on so it would look like business as usual. Then that was when he heard Shaun's voice. 'Testing, testing, one, two? Is this thing even on Rebecca?'

'Oh would you pipe down. Yes it's working. Jack just may not be able to talk yet.' Rebecca spoke up next, and Jack's eyes rolled heavenward.

"You do know I can hear you." He spoke low and looked at the screen of his terminal. Maybe he could get lost in some more of Edward Kenway's memories. Forget about this horrible day for a while.

'Great! Hey, we both want to say sorry for John's craziness. We didn't know he was…' Rebecca was trying to be nice about the whole ordeal, but the Brit butted in.

'Being a complete nutter butter? Yeah, that's something we didn't know when we chose him as our inside man. Didn't think the bloke would try to kill you though.'

'Shaun!' The woman chaste him. 'Sorry about that. Look we just wanted to tell you, you did a great job, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. We won't be around anymore, but we'll leave something for you to find us with in a locker at the bus terminal.' There were some whispered words, a curse, and then she was back. 'Actually, I was just told that someone will be by your place to talk to you about the whole incident in a few days. Don't worry, they're friendlies.'

"Uhhh." Jack couldn't suppress the moan as he slumped in his chair. "Someone like you?"

'Yes, well no. Sort of. We work for the same group. Where we're just tech support and information gatherers. They are the real deal.' Shaun was not one to beat around the bush, and right now he was glad for that.

Sweat began to gather around the collar of his shirt. "They're not gonna… you know." He had just survived an attack from a crazy madman that had been born into multiple lives, who was trying to bring back a woman long dead, just to be taken out by the people that he was trying to help all along?

Laughter came from the other line. 'Off you, you mean? No, nothing of the sort. You are fine there. Look, we need to get off here before they find out about this communication. They'll be by, like I said, in a few days. Good luck.' Rebecca cut the audio on her end, leaving Jack to sit there, wondering who the hell was coming to see him.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Three days back and already his dad was sending him out. Well, sending both of them out. Desmond had been adamant that he was not doing this anymore if he couldn't have Isabella by his side once again. They were a team, and besides, the guys were quieter with her around. The headaches were still there, beating a tattoo into the front of his skull, but they too were duller than normal. Almost tolerable. Almost being the key word there.

"Dad, you can't be serious? I just spend the last year in hell, then two weeks running through the Russian wilderness. I was shot, sleep deprived and most of all, starved. Also in those two weeks I found out I have a son, and personally would like to spend a few days with him before I'm pulled back into the chaos that has become my life. A little normality is not that much to ask for really." Desmond gripped the phone between his shoulder and cheek, trying his damnedest to get the child in front of him to eat the putrid looking brown jarred food. Collin was having none of it, and wore most of it all over his chubby laughing face.

'Son, if I had someone else to send I would, but with Abstergo having John's body, they're going to look at his memories and see Rebecca and Shaun. I had to pull them out of there before they were caught.' He could hear the wind whistling in the background and knew his dad had stepped outside the safe house he was in.

Isabella sat a damp towel on the table next to him, smiled, and took the jar from his hands. "Go have your conversation. I'll handle this."

Grabbing the jar back from her pale fingers, he shot her a half-hearted glare. "I'm pretty sure I can get him to eat." Pulling the phone from its resting place, he crammed it into her now empty hand. "You talk some sense into him. He never would listen to me anyway."

With a sigh and a shake of her reddish hair, Isabella walked off. "Sorry William, he's not really in the most talkative mood." Her voice faded away as she walked from the room.

Turning his full attention to the boy in front of him, Desmond managed to get a spoonful of food into Collin's mouth. But his son had other plans for his lunch, and with a laugh, spit the food out of his mouth, causing it to the spray all over the tray and partly on his father's hand. "I'm guessing you're not a huge fan of this." Bringing it to his nose, Desmond took a small sniff and nearly gagged. "No wonder. This shit smells like, well, shit."

Collin laughed, and slapped his chubby hands against the tray, causing some of the droplets of food to spray up and land on Desmond. "Ugh." He looked down at the front of the gray shirt. "I think I'm wearing more than what you ate." Another laugh from the chocolate eyes child. "Fine, let's try some fruit. Your mother said you like that better." Taking another look at the tray and bib. "I hope."

That jar went a little smoother. Only a few spoonfuls were lost in that small battle. After changing, and handing his son a bottle, which appeared out of nowhere, Collin was down for a nap, and Desmond felt like he could use one as well. That was harder than trying to talk to Shaun when he was in one of his moods. Not only was he physically drained, he was mentally as well.

"You know, there is an easier way to get him to eat."

Lifting his arm off his eyes, he saw Isabella leaning against the doorway of the living room, a small smile on her cherry lips. "Yeah well, you have a little more practice than I do."

She laughed as she walked completely into the room, taking a seat next to him on the couch. "But you looked so cute sitting there in almost as much food as he was."

"Hahaha." He sneered and placed his arm back over his eyes. "What's the verdict on Dad? Did you get him to leave me alone for a little while?"

"Well no." And he looked at her once more. "We leave for Montreal in the morning."

"What?!" Coming up off the couch, Desmond glared down at the woman that was his life, or was until about five seconds ago. Now he wanted to strangle her. "You were supposed to get him to go away, not get us sent to another country!"

Not one to be pushed around, and never one to back down from him, she was on her feet as well, meeting his heated glare with one of her own. "First of all, it's just Canada, not Afghanistan. We'll be there a few hours, get the info, and be back here the following day. Second, there's no one else that can be spared. We lost three teams in the last seven months. Two were found with their throats laid open in their sleep, and the third is still MIA. No one has been able to find them in two months. Right now, we are all that's really left. Tori is needed with my dad and your dad, guarding whoever they snagged. The last time Seth was up there he was pulled over, and ended up having to run for his life because they found out who he was.

"No one can get there, except us." Her green eyes were mere slits, and to tell the truth, it actually turned him on when she stood up to him. Challenged him. Also terrified him too, because she might just get it into her head to gut him and be done with the headache.

"I hate it when you get all gung ho because something always goes wrong when it's just the two of us." Desmond met her glare, but there was a glint of something in her eye that he wasn't sure about.

"Told you before, you're a walking curse, but," her eyes softened and she stepped a bit closer, laying a hand on his chest, "you're my walking curse."

Oh he was beginning to get her game. "Ohhhh no. You're not going to butter me up, and think I'm going to do this willingly." Taking her arm by the wrist, he removed it from his person, and stepped away from her. "Damn it, Isabella, I'm done with this shit. I just want to have a normal life with you, and Collin, and hell, even that dog that wants to eat my shoes every time I leave the room." Misty, the mutt in whom he was speaking about, raised her head from her spot near the door. "Yeah, I'm talking about you, mutt." She bared her side teeth, causing Desmond to respond in the same manner.

"Oh yeah Des, real mature. Arguing with a dog." He didn't even have to be looking at her to know the she had just rolled her eyes at him.

He snorted when Misty laid her head back down. "I'm not doing it."

"Fine. You can stay here, and I'll go." She turned on her heels, and began to walk away.

"Oh like hell you are!" Desmond was pissed. More so than he normally got at her. "You're not going anywhere without me."

"Ha!" Throwing her hands in the air, she kept walking. "I thought you weren't going?"

There was no way he was going to walk into another of her traps. "I'm not, because you're not going. Face it. I can get your mother to tell you she's not going to watch Collin. This is bullshit, and you know it."

"It may be bullshit, but it has to be done." A sigh escaped her lips as she came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. "Look, stay or go, I don't care, but I'm doing this. We need to know what happened to push John over the edge, and from what Rebecca told your dad, Jack knows something."

He had been caught up on all the current events. How they were using two moles inside Abstergo Entertainment. One was the computer tech, John, and the other was Jack Winslow, some poor smuck that got recruited because he was placed in the Edward Kenway project.

"Bella, you have me over a barrel. Damn I don't want to do this. I just finally got you back, and we're together. I don't want to fight with you." His feet brought him up behind her, and wrapped her in his arms. "Why us?"

A tremble ran through her. "Because of who we are. Something about us makes us special, and like it or not, it's true. I don't want to fight with you either, but this has to be done."

And so he was caught. "When do we leave?"