Dance with Devils

Annie laid the purple flowers in front of her father's grave before sitting down beside it. She found no condolence from the tombstone, only more sorrow. It had been almost a month since her father's death, yet somewhere there was still an ebbing pain in her heart.

She let out a deep breath, "One day, father, I will see you again. And I will tell you how much your friends are giant arse holes."

Looking around, she felt the wind go colder. The sky was cloudy, and the sunset was not a beautiful orange and red, rather an ugly gray. She got up and wiped the back of dress. She pressed a small hand against the tombstone, "May God be with you, father." She said simply while closing her eyes.

A loud screaming made her open her eyes as she turned to look back towards the streets. Annie turned to walk towards the commotion until she heard the crack of twig beside her. She quickly turned to see what it was, only to see a blurry figure of blue and brown rush toward her. They turned her around to face the street as they shoved a tied up piece cloth into her mouth and another piece of fabric over her lips and tied it behind her head. Then they shoved a rough sack over her head, blinding her until they quickly hit the back of her head with what felt like the butt of a rifle. This all happened in a matter of seconds, for she had no time to prepare or even remotely fight back. And the immediate darkness did not help.

…

When she woke up, she found that the bag had been removed, and could finally see. She looked around groggily. Everything was blurry, and she had a throbbing head ache. It took a while for vision to focus, but when it did things were a lot clearer. She was tied to a fancy wooden chair, and of course the gag was still in place. There was medium sized window in front of her, with an oak desk to the right of it. It was dark outside, and there was a burning pain on the left side of her neck kept her from looking in the other direction, but something about this office seemed familiar.

She moaned in distress against the binds and gag. Then there was the sound of creaking wood that made her eyes wide and alert.

"Ah, so yer finally awake. Took ya' long enough." Annie inclined her head slightly to the right to see the figure of a man approaching her. She squinted her eyes to look at his features. She didn't recognize him.

"You mus' be wonderin' why yer 'ere," the man throws her an irritated glare. "I've taken you in fer questionin'." He was wearing traditional British recruit suit, but was obviously American. She mumbled something into the gag as he finally advanced closer towards her.

"You got somethin' say uh?" He pulled out a knife and slit the gag, and pulled out the tied up fabric from her mouth. He threw the wet cloth on the floor before staring at her.

She moved her jaw before speaking, "What do you want from me, I've done nothing wrong."

"So says you," he lifts his chin up, "Charles ain't think so."

She rolls her eyes, "Fuckin' Charles." She mumbles.

"Wot you say?"

"I said let me go, I'm no use to you."

"An' why would I do that?"

"Because." She said with a hard glare.

"Don' look at me like that girl. Now, I'm gon' ask you-"

"No," she interrupts him.

"I said-"

"No."

He grabs her jaw tightly and makes her look up at him. "You shut yer' fuckin' mouth."

Annie smiled sadistically, "Get off of me, you bastard."

He gives her an angry look before reeling back and slapping her hard across the face.

She winces and takes a deep breath after the blow. She accidently bit her lip, and tasted the familiar tang of copper. Then she looked back up at him with a glare.

"I have no reason to be here! I have done nothing- nothing!" She screams at him, wincing from the pain in her neck.

Suddenly the door slams open, and she hears a shot of a pistol go off. The man in front of her drops dead, a bullet hole in his neck. Shaking, she looks up to the assailant, now coming towards her. He cuts the ropes loose from her, and moves back.

"Hurry up and leave, but be careful, they know you're here." He says quickly before turning around for the door.

She stands, "Who are you?"

He looks back at her, removing his hat. A familiar scar under his eye points him out to her.

"Jackson," she gasps. He was one of her crew mates back before Charles took her ship. He must have gotten reassigned. "Thank you, but why do-?"

"They think you have something to do with the recent murders," Jackson says quickly, looking around frantically.

"Murders?"

"Look Annie you need to go, they'll be here any second to investigate. Be careful, all of Boston knows you are in custody." The sounds of footsteps get his attention. "Go!" He yelled before running out and locking the door to buy her some time.

She smiled, happy that he was still her friend. The sounds of doors opening pull her back to reality.

Annie runs to the dead body and pulls off the uniform. Quickly taking off her dress, she switches out the clothing. The uniform was too big and smelt of ale, but it would do. She pulled up the black scarf to hide her feminine jaw line and bloody lip, and stuffs her hair into the hat. A few pieces fell loose, but she didn't have time to care. Stuffing her dress underneath the large coat, she runs to the window. It was about a six foot drop. The door handle began moving and there were shouts behind it. So she ran and jumped out the window.

Bracing herself for the fall, she only felt some branches of a bush scrape at her, and a dull pain in her back side as she stood up and ran from the scene. It was only a matter of time before they open the door and discover the nearly naked body and figure out her plans. So she had to make a run for it.

Once she is on the street, she begins walking stiffly, trying to not look suspicious. When no one was looking she slipped down through an alley onto another main street. She did this two more times before finally letting out a breath. She didn't know where to go, her home wasn't safe, and everywhere in Boston has Templar eyes.

She groaned in frustration as she made her way down the streets near the docks. As she turned the corner she heard another gunshot.

I can never get a break… She complained to herself.

Trying to avoid the fight, she turns around only to be bombarded by a group of soldiers coming to aid whatever fight she heard. One of the men grabbed her arm and pulls her into fight, just after insulting her feeble size. He handed her a pistol and shoved her towards the conflict.

She almost dropped the gun when she what was happening.

It was god damned Connor…

He was fighting two redcoats, killing them off easily before turning his attention to the new wave of men.

Worry filled her head as she momentarily freaked out. She was dressed as British soldier, he would kill her in heartbeat, and she had no intention on dying today. Annie tried to pull from the crowd, trying to get away. But the men were in her way, and Connor was killing them off so easily and swiftly. She finally breached them and ran behind the corner of two large cargo boxes.

Connor's tomahawk bashes into a soldier's shoulder and he screams in pain. A pool of dead bodies lay around him, and he wraps a large hand around the soldier's neck, slamming him into the brink wall.

"Where is Charles Lee?" Connor growls.

"I-I don't know" the man squeaks.

"Tell me what I want and you can live," he says lower and grip tightening.

Annie sees the soldier shakily grab his concealed dagger. She pulls out her pistol quickly, and takes a shot at the soldier's neck.

It hits him straight in the temple, and the blade falls from his hands, clattering to the ground. She lets out the breath she was holding, good enough.

Connor looks at her, gun still in her hands.

He lets go of the dead man's neck and faces her. She quickly pulls off her hat to reveal herself. He also lets out a relieved breath.

Then he gave her a weird look.

"He was going to stab you." She says simply moving towards him.

"Nice outfit." He says with a nod. "But thank you."

She smiles and looks around to see their surroundings almost vacant.

"We should probably get out of here; back up is probably on its way." Connor says with haste. Annie nods and follows after him quickly down the desolate alley ways. "I know of an abandoned building not even a block away, it will provide protection for enough time to make a plan."

She nods as he stops and looks around. Sensing nothing he leads her through a large window into a shabby worn down house. The other windows were boarded down, as were the doors. He walks up the stairs, looking behind him to make sure she is there. They walk into a dark room and Connor lights a lantern and some oil lights on the wall.

"Thanks for getting me out of there, and for not killing me. I appreciate it." Annie says as she sits in one of the three chairs around a large circular table.

He turns and looks at her and sits across from her, and she continues. "Ah, I'm sure you're wondering about this ugly uniform. Well to put it simply, I was kidnapped, I escaped, and I had to hide because I am now a 'wanted woman.' I have no idea what I've done, but I have nowhere to go. I'm just about royally fucked; Charles Lee and his men are probably searching all over Boston for me, oh yeah, and for you!" She covers her face with her gloved hand. "They've probably already set my house on fire or something." She says quieter and more gloomily.

"I suppose you are kind of like me now." Connor says as he pulls his hood down.

She snorts without humor. "Yah, except I don't have the big scary assassin cloak, and armed with every weapon in existence. When I say I desired to be wanted by someone, this is not what I meant."

"I wonder if this is because of me."

"What do you mean?"

"Someone may have seen us talk at the bar, and then ran back to the Templars."

"Bollocks, I thought people didn't know who you were."

"But Charles Lee does, and so does everyone in his tight company. This is my fault." Connor's voice was dripping in apology, but Annie wasn't going to believe him.

It was silent for a moment before she speaks. "Well, you're a smart man; tell me how to get out of this. You may have the resources to just run away, but I do not." She peels off the gloves and jacket, throwing them on the floor. She lays her folded dress on the table. "It's bloody hot in here."

He nodded in agreement, "I do have an idea."

Annie kicks off her boots and peels off the socks leaving her in a white shirt and red pants. "Alright, let's hear it."

"You might not like it."

She crosses her arms and leans back, raising a shaped eyebrow.

"Well, I was thinking that you are not my enemy. We can help each other-"

"And I always seem to find you in weird ways and places." She adds, listening more intently.

He nods, "You could come with me. I have land that you could live on."

She looks in his eyes, "Connor, what do you spend your days doing?"

Connor sighs, "Fighting. I fight whoever gets in my way, whether it be for Washington or no."

"Let me change," is all she says.

He gets up and shuts the door being him, and waits beside it. Hearing the heavy clothes fall to the floor, he looks at his hands. Wondering what her final answer would be lingered in his mind, yet he felt like it shouldn't matter. He doesn't need to protect her, make sure the Templars don't pull her into the fight. They were connected in ill ways, yet something was ebbing at him…

… She's the enemy's daughter.

But not the enemy.

The door opens and he walks back in. All of the discarded clothes were thrown into a corner, and she was wearing her usual dress, in exception to her missing her hat.

Annie plops down into the chair, and he stands beside the table.

"So this place...?" She asks.

"It's a homestead, to be exact." She pulls up her lip in an uninterested way. "I understand if you don't like the country, but that's all I can think of. Even New York has Templar eyes."

"Well-"

"Or..." Connor says with a new realization.

"Or what?"

"You can come with me."

She stares at him. They have met three times, each being under a bad occasion. Let alone he is the man responsible for her father's death. Yet here he is, offering her a spot to act as his companion. Everything thing about this screamed no. Any sane person would have walked away, but not Annie. This was opportunity. She smiles; this was her chance for adventure and purpose.

"But," Connor starts, "We'd be fighting the Templars. Your… friends."

"They're not my friends. Not anymore, at least. You know I still remember what you said to me the night we first met. How the Templars only want control, yet you fight for freedom. I have realized that you are right. I love my father, but what he was fighting for was a façade. Calling it justice when really it was a fight for power. Though I have never been… one who stood up for what is right, I have seen what the Templars do. And it's what I hope the world never falls to. So if you are really offering this to me Connor, then yes. It would be an honor to join your hand in this war."

Connor had not expected this; he had prepared himself to fight her on this. His lip twitched into a small smile. He knew she did not want to become an assassin; there was no glint in her eye that showed him this.

"Are you sure? I cannot guarantee you-"

"Connor, I understand. I may die tomorrow or even today. But I have almost nothing to live for these days. I just hope no one else ends up living a life like mine, so I'll do anything I can to help ensure that." She stood up, and looked up at him.

He nodded and extended his hand. She smiled and took it shaking it as a final agreement.

There was a lot to discuss, but they had time later for that. Their first priority was to go to her home and get anything she needed. Connor didn't know what Achilles' reaction would be, and didn't even consider it.

Annie led him through the streets discreetly to her house.

It was dark and she couldn't see any damage from down the street. "This is it," she huffed, worried.

They approached slowly, ensuring no one was around. When they got closer to the door, she saw a window had been shattered and the door was left unlocked. She cursed under breath and she rushed towards the house.

"The nerve!" she growled in anger.

"Shh, they might still be around," Connor warned.

She mad a face before walking in with Connor trailing behind her, alert. They looked around downstairs, finding the kitchen a mess. There were pots on the table and drawers were left out. She cursed even more the farther they went into the house. In the den the fire had been snuffed and her table was broken. A lot of the damage was pointless.

They finally made their way upstairs, where the damage was even worse. By now it was obvious the Templars sent people here, because it wasn't thieves.

There were two rooms and a bathroom. He inspected the guest bedroom as she checked the bathroom. They seemed to have been sorted through then left alone. But when he heard her scream when she opened her door, he knew something was found.

He runs over, and looks around.

The whole room was trashed. There were clothes all over the floor, along with jewelry and other personal items.

Annie was standing motionlessly next to her bed holding a piece of parchment. He took a step towards her, and she turned around slowly.

Another step, and she ripped up the paper silently.

"You were right."

He looks into her eyes, but they are distant.

"I am dead to them," she says as she pushes past him to grab a gold silk bag that was lying by the dresser.

He couldn't see what all she was packing, but knew it was essentials. Once she had filled it, she grabbed her burgundy cocked sailors' hat and faced him. She puts it on and flips the bag over her shoulder and nods. He followers her out and waits as she shuts the door.

"I do plan to come back and get the rest of my clothes."

"Of course, now follow me. The forest is dangerous at night."

She followed closely behind him, her hand grabbing onto the leather strap over his shoulder and down his back. They snuck out of town, and once they were in the frontier, they talked.

"What did the letter say?" Connor asked, looking down at her as they walked.

"It was all arrogance." That didn't seem to satisfy him so she continued. "What I told you, and some petty insults."

"Insults?"

"Yeah, they called me a cherry." She makes a disgusted face, and looks away. It took him a while to understand what it meant. "You know, Charles wasn't always an asswipe. He used to be decent. They all did."

"People change, for the better or worse. I know that first hand."

They walked on the trail leading to the Davenport Manor in peace. Though Annie did complain about how they should have gotten a horse.

When they approached the large house, Connor got a little nervous, as did Annie.

"What if he doesn't like me? And tells me to get lost?"

"He won't, and most he'll curse at me for bringing a girl home."

"It's kind of like a parent thing," she added with a smile.

Connor looked away biting his lip, "You can say that. He is my mentor."

She sucked in a breath as they stood in front of the door.

As soon as they opened the door, they were greeted with a short angry looking man. Annie wanted to run and Connor sucked in a breath.

"It's been two weeks, two damned weeks!"

This was not a good start.