Samantha

I went through the file they had on me a few times, each time uncovering something new. I was not surprised at what I found. My family thought I was dead, so I had no one except for the people that were in this house. The other assassins had all gone home, but I could not leave. I had no home to return to.

And now I had to deal with the fallout of Altair. He would watch me when he thought I was not looking, trying to figure out if I was his Alanna or Samantha. I guess since Alanna was here, I was Samantha. I had asked Kate to help me cut my hair and dye it. I pulled in the blue contacts and ran a brush through my auburn hair. That should make a little change in who I was.

Alanna had come downstairs a few times in the last day or so. The first time she saw me was before the changes I had done, she crossed her arms over her chest, looked me up and down, and nodded. "Damn they did do a good job. Crazy, scary good. Huh. They finally got something right." And walked out of the room.

I stood there in complete shock. I was expecting her to yell and scream about taking her life, but she was calm about it, and shrugged it off. Even the part of being with Altair. That was the part that got to me the most. Nothing could really faze her.

Ezio had told me in Alanna's defense that she had always been that way. It was the training from back then. To be detached from everything and not let them see you cry. You would think I would know that from walking in her life for as long as I did, but I guess I never got there.

I sat in the only spare bedroom left. A few pictures were laid out on the bed and I stared at them. They were photos of my real family. I was so absorbed looking at the pictures that I did not hear the knock on the door. "Hey, you want to get your head back into reality?"

My head shot up to see Alanna standing there, a smirk on her painted lips. "A…Alanna, I'm sorry. I was just trying to piece my old life together."

She waved me off and walked into the room. "Don't worry about it. Look, I wanted to talk to you. Walk with me."

"I don't think that such a good idea." I kept my eye on her. I knew how she was in the past and I knew she wouldn't hurt me, but this Alanna I was not sure about. I mean, I had been created to take over her life. I don't exactly know how she was feeling about that.

Chuckling, she grabbed my jacket off the back of the chair and threw it at me. "That was not a request, girl. Besides, I knew that you would have a problem with it, so Desmond had volunteered to go with us."

"Volunteered or told to?" I cocked a brow at her.

She sent a glare my way. "I asked, he agreed. Unless you want me to get Conner? Ezio and Altair are out for this chat."

Conner had not spoken to me since we came back from Abstergo four days ago. Actually, I had not seen him in that long. "Des is fine." I gulped and stood, pulling my jacket on.

"Good. I will meet you downstairs." With that, she turned and walked out the door. Desmond took that time to walk in.

"Don't worry, Sam. She's not going to eat you alive. If that was going to happen, you would already be dead. I really think she just wants to talk." He gave a smile. "I don't think she knows how to take you yet."

"I don't know how to take her either. I mean, looking at her is like looking in a mirror. A very real, very scary mirror." I pulled my hair into a ponytail. "I just don't know what she wants with me."

He waved me to follow and I did. "Sam, you are only looking at this from one side. Yours. You have to see that this has impacted her as well. She went to sleep in an Abstergo lab and woke up to find that someone else had taken over her life, and has been sleeping with her husband. She and Altair have always had a strange relationship. You know that." I nodded, only because I did. "Now, you are here and she knows nothing is going to be the same."

I understood what he was staying. "I know. It's just from my memories of her; I don't really remember her being this intense."

"The first time I met her, she threw a knife into a wall behind my head. She's a little on the hard side, I will give you that, but give it some time. She will warm up to you." He looked over his shoulder and offered a smile.

I chuckled. "So when did you start giving out advise?"

"It's the bartender in me. Bar top confessionals is what I used to call it. I was like a therapist, but without the pay." He grinned.

As we walked down stairs, I heard Alanna and Altair going at it. "You are not taking her from this house. Not alone." Altair growled at the woman.

"We will not be alone. Desmond is going with us. Your little clone will be safe for the time being. I am not going to hurt her." Alanna growled back. "I just need to get out of this house. I keep getting strange looks from everyone, and frankly, you give them to me too."

We stopped at the bottom of the stairs. They were nearly toe to toe. Both of them pissed. "I do not." He countered.

"Yes you do. You look at me like you don't know if I am me or her." She threw her hands in the air. "I mean, come on. I have been asleep for a long time, not dead." I heard her sigh. "Look, I just want to talk, nothing more. We will not leave the street and if something does happen, Des will be there to put an end to it. Fair enough?"

I could tell he was having a problem with this. I took that time to step into it. "I will be fine. I know she wouldn't hurt me, and Desmond won't let her. Besides, I can handle myself. You know that." I walked over and laid a hand on his arm, earning me a cold glare from Alanna.

He looked down at me. "Are you sure? I mean, I could go with you guys instead of Desmond."

I gave him a smile. "It will be fine. Like I said, I can handle myself. She is not the only one that kill someone in a few hits." I smirked at Alanna to show her I did not fear her, at least not on the outside. Inside was a whole different story.

Finally he relented. "Fine, but Alanna," He looked over at her, "if anything happens, you will be held responsible."

Her gray eyes became slits. "Perfectly."

Alanna

I walked down the street with Desmond behind us, and Samantha to my right. I was not crazy about her. For crying out loud she was created to be me, and she did a good job at that, besides being so damn sweet that it gave a toothache. Oh and don't get me started on the whole innocent thing! I couldn't hit her. That would be like striking a puppy, or a small child.

"You can get the idea out of your head that I am going to throttle you here on the street. He cares about you too much for me to do that." I looked straight ahead. "I think everyone cares about you more than me."

She looked at me wide eyed, like a small child. Would she stop that? I was starting to feel bad for being an ass towards her. "He?"

Could she really be this naïve? "Altair. I wouldn't hurt you because it would hurt him." I sighed. "Look Sam, I am taking off soon. I don't belong here, not anymore." And spun around and glared at Desmond. "And you tell anyone about this, I will personally string you up by your toes and use you as a piñata. Do you understand me, boy?"

He put his hands up in the air. "I won't breathe a word of it, but why?"

Two pairs of eyes were on me, and I looked down at the ground. "I don't fit in here anymore, alright. I don't know anyone, and in the same breath, they don't know me. Every time I walk into a room, it goes quiet and they just watch me. I think they believe I am the copy." It was the truth, at least to me. I was not the same person they knew. They thought I should be like Sam, and I could not be that way. Maybe at one time in my life I was, but not now. Not after everything had seen and done. The amount of blood on my hands was staggering. "That was why I did not want Ezio, Conner, or Altair here. They would put up a fight. I am telling you two this because I think you should know."

"What about Altair?" She asked.

I looked in her eyes and saw then and there that she loved him. "Samantha, you love him, and in return, he loves you. He is yours, not mine. As much as it pains me to say that, it is the truth."

"He loved me because he thought I was you." She countered, but I merely shook my head.

"No, he loves you for your innocence, something I lost long ago. I saw it in the way he looks at you. The way he talks to you. He has never been that gentle with me, except for when he first found me on the streets of Acre." I turned and began to walk because I did not want to them to see me cry.

I knew this was the best for everyone. Since my return, I was in the way. I did not know what was going on, or what had been happening. They had to explain everything to me, and I was tired of it. Best to be gone and not worry about it.

"'lanna, hey wait up." Desmond ran up next to me. "When do you plan this great escape?"

I was not going to tell him that. "A few days." Tonight. I was leaving tonight. I was not sitting around here and wait for someone to explode. Namely me.

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

I slipped out with the cover of night. I grabbed my gear that they gave back to me. It had been worn by Samantha, but right now I didn't care. As quietly as I could, I slipped out the front door. I could make it far on foot and then I would hitch a ride back to the ranch. At least I knew that was still there. With my bag over my shoulder, a few bucks in my pocket, and my stuff, I began to walk down the street.

"Where are you heading off to?"

I stopped dead in my tracks. Altair had found me. "Leaving."

"And why are you doing that?" He asked as he walked out from between two cars. "I figured you would do something like this."

"I was hoping you would just let me go. It's the best for everyone." I moved past him, but he grabbed my arm, spinning me around. "Just let me go."

He looked down at me, and sighed. "Why do you think it's the best for everyone? Do you know what everyone is thinking?"

I met his eyes. "I am not one of them anymore. My place was taken by Samantha. They like her better, and frankly, I could care less."

"Bullshit. You would not be leaving if you did not care. You would make everyone's life miserable until they saw you for you. You are leaving for a completely different reason." His hand tightened on my arm, but not enough to hurt. Just enough to get his point across. "I know you better than you think, Alanna."

I jerked my arm away and glared at him. "How? How do you know me better, Altair? Since you have been shacked up with Samantha for the last two years. You didn't even notice it wasn't me! You say you know be better than everyone, but you could not even tell the difference between us!" My tears came, and I let them flow. I was hurt, betrayed and most of all, felt useless.

He just stared at me. I didn't think he could come back after something like that. I knew I couldn't, but I threw another one at him. "Maybe, just maybe, another few hundred years apart might do some good." And I took off in a dead run. I knew he would never catch me on his best day, and so I kept running. He called my name, but I did not stop.

I ran for what felt like hours, but when I stopped, and checked the time, it had only been a half hour. Collapsing on a park bench, I let my head fall into my hands, and wept. The Templars had taken everything from me. My freedom, my life, my family.

"Hey, are you alright?"

I looked up to see two teenage guys standing there, looking at me curiously. I wanted to snap at them, but I cleared my throat. "Yeah, just having a bad night. Thanks for asking though." I gave them a small smile and wiped my eyes. "Do you know when the next bus comes through?"

One of them checked his watch. "In about ten minutes. It will take you over by the airport."

"Thanks." I stood once more, ignoring the burning in my legs and walked onto the main street. But I wasn't surprised to see him standing there, leaned against a cherry red Charger. "Go away. I have nothing more to say to you." I continued past him and towards the bus bench.

"Suck up your pride and get in the damn car, Alanna." He called after me, but I just held up my hand and flipped him off over my shoulder. I heard him chuckle. "Real mature."

I turned around, but did not stop walking away. "You have told me that a million times, but I still don't care." I smiled at him.

"Just get in the car." He sighed. "Please?"

That got me to stop. "You are asking nicely for once? Who are you and what did you do the man I once knew?"

"Things changes, 'lanna, even me." He walked over to me, pulling off his jacket as he did. He wrapped it around my shoulders and held me there with it. "I want you to come back."

Breathing in the scent of him almost made me cave, but that was still an almost. "I can't go back there. That is not me anymore. That is not my world. You should go back to her. Be with her. She loves you, and I know you love her as well."

"Alanna I…" But I cut him off.

"Listen to me. I know you thought she was me, and the things I said back there were from pain. I have lost everything, Altair, but I know if I make you stay with me; it will only hurt worse for the two of us. You have to figure out what you want more. The real me, or the one you fell in love with." I was going to make myself cry again, but I would save it for later.

He leaned forward and rested his forehead against mine. "I thought you were dead. We all thought you were dead, but when we found her with no memories as to who she was, but had the same scars and look. I thought she was you. I thought I had you again."

Letting my eyes drift shut, I knew this was hard on him as well. "I know what you are saying, but you have to choose. Like I said. The real me, attitude and temper, or Samantha, soft and pretty much innocent." I removed myself from his arms. "You know where to find me when you figure things out."

Shaking his head, he looked at me. "No I don't."

I laughed. "Yes you do." And I took off his jacket, and handed it back to him. "Here, you need it more than I do right now."

"Keep it." He head up his hand.

Throwing caution to the wind, I took two steps forward, and kissed him for the final time. "Je t'aime plus que la vie elle-même."

"Jusqu'à ce que nous sommes libérés de cette malédiction." He whispered back.

I took that time to walk away. Not to look back.

Je t'aime plus que la vie elle-même – I love you more than life itself

Jusqu'à ce que nous sommes libérés de cette malediction – Until we are freed from this curse

One last chapter and this will be completed. I wanted all the emotions that she was feeling come out towards him. Thank you everyone who has read this and stuck by me this whole time. I will be forever grateful.