A/N: oh, screw it. I've been trying to think of a chapter when Amai and Altair go to Acre, but it's not coming together in my head. Long story short, she thinks it's dirty. On with the rest of the fic.

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(AltairPOV)

"You found him once in Jerusalem," Al Mualim said, "And there you shall find him again."

My blood boiled in anticipation. Finally we would get the chance to rid the world of Robert de Sable. The idiot had tried to take Amai away from me, so he could consider himself a dead man right now.

As Al Mualim finished informing us, I looked over at Amai. It may have been my imgination, but she seemed upset or unnerved, or something. She couldn't be having second thoughts... Could she?

We were descending the stairs when I couldn't take it any longer. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she murmured, avoiding my eye.

Of course I didn't believe her. "I'm going down to train with Abbas. Do you want to give him another scar?"

"No, I'll just go up to my quarters for a while. Come get me when you're ready to leave."

And with that she walked away, leaving me standing alone in the doorway of the library.

...

Whenever I was going to Amai's room I passed my own. Such was the case now, but this time I stopped. There were no sounds out of the ordinary, but something just seemed off, so I went in for peace of mind.

I'd been right. Amai was sitting on my table, shoulders quivering, knees pulled into her chest. She was crying?

I walked over and stood in front of her. "I thought nothing was wrong?"

She looked up at me with a bloodshot gold glare that said something along the lines of, Don't start.

My tone softened. "Well, what's bothering you?"

"We both know that Robert's got it in for me now," she spat his name with contempt. "Ever since we left Solomon's Temple I knew we'd have to kill him, but I didn't know it'd come so soon, I just-" her voice cracked and she buried her face in her knees again.

My eyebrows shifted in concerned sympathy. "You're afraid." It was neither a question nor an accusation, just the statement of a fact.

She nodded feebly. "Go on, say it."

"Say what?"

"That I'm just a scared little Templar girl who's in over her head."

I crossed my arms. "I wasn't going to say that."

She looked up at me disbelievingly, her eyes watery and lashes glistening with tears.

"Listen," I sighed, thumbing a tear from her face. "There's nothing wrong with being afraid. Fear is what keeps us careful, keeps us from doing something stupid. We've all been afraid at one time or another- why do you think I brought you here? You all had me cornered; I was scared out of my mind."

"But assassins don't cry." she mumbled stubbornly. I was beginning to regret telling her that.

"Don't worry about it," I said dismissively, sliding a hand into her hood with the intent to make her look at me. She leaned her wet cheek into my palm and I pulled her closer, into a hug. Her knees dropped and she put her hand on mine. My chin rested on top of her head.

"You're ready for this," I murmured to her, "I trained you myself."

"You and Faruk."

A light smile spread across my face. "We both say you're ready."

She said nothing, which slightly frustrated me.

"Amai, I'm going with you," she knew this already, but she needed the reassurance. "I'll be there, fighting by your side like always. I won't let you get hurt."

"... You promise?"

I was so surprised I almost laughed. "That's what you're afraid of? That someone would kill you?"

"I'm not afraid to die," she corrected a little too quickly, "I'm afraid to suffer."

"You have my word- I'll torture the moron who'd try."

I felt her smile spread across my chest. "I know you would."

She sat up, dried her face with a sleeve, and grinned. "Let's go kill the bastard."

...

A/N: aww, cute^^