Pretty much a fan-girl service right here, took a couple of hours to write and it shows. Lemons and sort of not much else but the story gets dark after this so enjoy it while you can :) If this is offensive please blame demisses she is the cause of this I wouldn't normally write this stuff :p

Altair was with Malik in a back room discussing a communication they had received from Masyaf, a communication which Malik only brought to his attention once Maria had wandered outside to look at the rows of pottery on the shelves. It was human nature for his friend not to trust her and he had to give him credit for treating her with respect and not asking her to leave so they could discuss assassin business.

They were speaking Arabic so Maria could only make out the odd word or phrase. She heard Stephen's name mentioned a few times and made one of her on the spot decisions that she would stick to come hell or high water. She wasn't listening on purpose, she had closed the door when she left the room but Malik had opened it again. 'He probably thinks I'm going to steal the pots.' She chuckled quietly as she imagined herself trying to climb the vines with pots tucked into her clothes. Her smile faded when she heard footsteps behind her and found herself face to face with Malik.

"When you have a moment would you join us we need to discuss your information?"

She sauntered in behind him hating that she still hadn't been to get her own clothes yet. Altair never looked up from whatever he was reading and Maria found herself seated across from both assassins. To say she felt isolated would be putting it mildly but she was not of their order and in a sense the feeling was accurate.

The assassin scribbled something on the parchment he was reading and Malik glanced at what he was writing. She very quickly grew tired of waiting for his attention, yes she had asked him to be unemotional with her but he was just being rude now. She drummed her fingers on the desk and saw his head move a fraction but still he read on. She huffed and shifted in her seat and to her absolute astonishment he held up his hand to shush her.

"I have to finish reading this one moment more please."

"You could have read it before you sent for me."

Malik smirked, "He never sent for you I thought he would ready."

Maria smirked back; he knew damn well what he was doing. He wanted her to see and understand she was an outsider only to be trusted so far. That was just fine with her.

He finished reading and lifted his eyes to Maria. "You mentioned you knew a way into the fort would you be willing to share that with us now?"

"I already told Malik where it is."

He turned to Malik who confirmed this by nodding, "You mentioned a key."

She rolled her eyes at both men. "It's not literally a key. There is a hatch you lift and it will eventually lead you under the fort. It smells a bit and I wouldn't go there if you paid me. The key is to go in when the fort's at its busiest that way you will never be heard when it's quiet you can hear the rats thinking down there."

Malik had to admit what she said made perfect sense but he had questions of his own to ask. "I hope you realise you will be with us when we go into the cistern. If it's a trap I want to make sure the person who set it is nearby."

"I'm sorry but I have my own affairs to tend to. I gave you the information, practically drew you a map. I'm sure you two clever men won't struggle on your own. If you think it's a trap then by all means avoid falling into it." She leaned against the back of the chair and folded her arms.

Altair cocked his head at her and for all his intellect it still took him some time to see what was happening, she was separating herself from him and his order. "Malik, it's not a trap I'm sure of it, I have seen first hand the treatment she had received from her brothers." He looked back at her, "What business must you attend to so soon; if it is Homs I want you to know I fully intend to be there with you, I have business of my own at the castle."

"We don't have to travel together but yes it was Homs." She felt rather pleased with herself when neither man showed any sign of noticing her lie. "Now if that was everything I really must go to my rooms I have delayed long enough."

Malik stood and walked around the table to her, "Maria I have already told you that I need you to prove yourself before I can trust you fully. My brothers mean a great deal to me so please try not to take my caution to heart I am merely protecting what I must." She nodded and he continued, "You will be travelling with us into the cistern Maria there is no way to avoid that."

"Are you suggesting I have no choice?"

"I am suggesting you make it easier on everyone concerned and come along willingly."

Being shy one arm did nothing to diminish the threat he carried and Maria found herself wondering what the hell the old man fed them up on that mountain that they had such steel inside. "I'll think about your offer once I've retrieved my belongings."

He bowed graciously, "In the meantime we shall consider you our guest. There is a cot prepared for you in the small room at the end of the corridor."

So it was Altair escorted her through the dark night streets of Acre to the rooms she had shared with Robert. There was a definite cooling of attitudes between them but she was glad for it. The last thing she wanted was for him to assume he would be free to make love to her simply because they were alone. She still felt guilty about being with him the idea of being with him on Robert's bed filled her with horror. She looked up at the tiny slither of the moon shining in the sky and hoped that in spite of his actions Robert had found peace in the next life.

She traipsed around the room collecting her belongings while he stood at the door like a statue watching her. She went to the corner and tugged on the large chest there but it never budged, she pulled harder and fell flat on her arse but still it had barely moved an inch. She heard him moving across the floor and when he knelt beside her and moved the chest she caught the faintest whiff of his skin and couldn't resist breathing it in deeply. Flustered by her own behaviour she tried to disguise it as a sigh but there was no way to hide the rising red glow in her cheeks. She leaned over and pulled up some floorboards revealing two small boxes concealed within.

"These are important one is for me and one is for his family"

He lifted them out of the hole and placed them on the floor between them. "The smaller one if full of coins, he liked to make sure he had something in reserve. That also explains his relationship with me I suppose." She laughed but the assassin knew the thought had hurt her.

"The chest contains documents relating to his private estate and I want to make sure they reach his daughter, her name is Marguerite the poor girl was married off when she was 12 but these documents will be essential to her husband's running of Robert's properties."

He moved over the boxes and sat flat on the floor beside her. "You were privy to the details of his personal fortune?"

She lifted her knees and let her head rest on top of them but her thoughts had taken her miles away so he repeated the question. She turned her head to face him and smiled, "I was his seneschal Altair; I was privy to information about his personal wealth and that of the Templars."

She once again drifted off into her own world and this time he let her, it gave him the opportunity to look at her without her barking at him to "stop bloody staring". She looked fragile but he had faced her sword, her boot and her foul temper and knew full well that look was deceptive. This woman had endured as much if not more than he had and still she stood ready to face her next hurdle. It gave him no end of satisfaction to know that she was facing that hurdle by his side.

The fact that she still spoke Robert's name with a soft tender tone troubled him, the way he saw it the Frenchman had taken advantage of her and didn't merit her loyalty. She was probably thinking about him now; that gentle faraway look in her eyes could only be for one man and it shocked the assassin how much the idea of her caring for another man stung him. He decided he had let her wander long enough. "What are you thinking about?"

She lifted her head and chuckled, "I'm not really sure. This place isn't mine any more when I have this chest delivered to the fort it will be his families again. I suppose I was dwelling on my losses."

"Have you gained nothing?"

"I have gained but those are fleeting, like a cool breeze on a hot day, beautifully soothing but alas all too brief." She cringed inside for even hinting at sex in this of all places and quickly tried to adjust the conversation away from it. "Don't worry your efforts were not in vain first chance I get I'll dazzle people with my new understanding of Empedocles and the chaotic origins of the species."

He smiled but his eyes were boring holes into her head despite her attempt to brush over it her words had ignited that golden spark in his eyes. He leaned over and kissed her; she returned the contact but tried to end it at a peck. "I'll just get the rest of my things together and we can go."

She backed away still on her bottom but he leaned further over her and placed his arms on either side of her body, moving along the floor with her. She felt trapped by his gaze, was this how all his targets felt? His lips brushed against her cheek as his torso leaned heavily into hers, almost forcing her back onto the floor. "Altair not here, it wouldn't be right."

His stubble tickled her skin as he moved to her ear, "Do you want me to stop?"

"No... Wait, yes at least for now. I shared this room with Robert it would be wrong to do this here."

His jaw clenched at the mention of his name but chose to be proactive with his disapproval. His arm slid around her back and he gently lowered her to the floor before covering her body with his own. "Where would you suggest we would be free to pursue our desire?"

He had no intention of letting her talk him out of this he would never take a woman by force but her body was arching into his and her mouth was caressing his neck, she needed this as much as he did, force was not required coaxing perhaps but not force. In his opinion this was the perfect place to lay Robert's ghost to rest, to leave Maria in no doubt about which man it was who held a place in her heart.

She tried to think of an alternative "I don't know a quiet street, the bureau, anywhere but here."

He worked the soft belt she had fashioned loose and began lifting her dress, "Do you think it would be fair to subject Malik to your moans and cries?"

His hand moved up her stomach and when he cupped her breast beneath the dress she was down to her last reserve of self control but she would go down fighting. "I'm not a whore Altair how you can even suggest such a thing. I would never cry out and moan."

The smouldering look he gave her would have destroyed her resolve on its own but the assassin was determined to drive the point home. He dropped tiny kisses onto her throat making his way to her ear he whispered, "Tonight you will."

His tongue stroked her ear before he took hold of the dress and lifted it over her head. He resisted the urge to taste the beautiful flesh he had just exposed instead sitting up he gently lowered her trousers, pulling them and her boots off at the same time.

His eyes drank in the sight of her naked body as his hands moved along her legs watching her twitch when he passed over a sensitive spot. She tried to sit up but he moved forward quickly to keep her on the floor. "Be patient Maria we must savour these moments."

His mouth met hers and their tongues clashed in a fierce embrace. His hands wandered over her body fully exploring all of her soft curves and gentle peaks. She was more toned than any other woman he had been intimate with, so much about being with her was different he was almost at a loss where to begin, almost...

His hands gently made a path down her body and slowly he allowed his mouth the same freedom. She had stopped him on this path once before so he needed to put her fully at ease. His hand stroked the tender flesh of her thigh as his teeth pinched her nipple. She closed her mouth tight to hold in the gasp he was sure she had been about to emit. He chuckled against her breast and moved further down.

He got as far as her naval before he felt her hands on his shoulder trying to pull him back up, "Not that again, come back up here and kiss me."

He brought his head level with hers he kept his hand between her legs, "There is a perfectly good bed over there and we are on the floor."

"That's not going to happen, forget it this is bad enough?"

"This is bad?"

"No, that isn't what I meant and you know it. Just stay here on the floor alright."

She was torn and while he wasn't unsympathetic he had made up his mind... "He's in the past Maria; you are here with me now."

He moved his body forward taking hold of her hips he lifted her with him, her legs wrapped around his waist as her fingers began tugging at his armour. "Help me get this stuff off."

She unclipped his chest belt and pulled his hood over his head. Her fingers tangled with his short hair as she pulled them closer together, her breathing becoming harsh from the contact of his hips against her groin. He sat her on the edge of the bed then removed his waist armour and bracers; she became impatient waiting and got up on her knees to work on his robes.

He kicked off his boots and she thrust her hands into the waist of his trousers trying to force them down from the inside. Finally he stood naked before her; the sight of the man almost sent her into frenzy. She smashed her mouth against his and when her teeth tore at his lips she earned what can only be described as a growl from him. His fingers dug into her buttocks as he once again climbed over her and forced her to move back.

She spread her legs ready for the much need penetration but he once again used his fingers to fill that space. "Let me enjoy you Maria, don't stop me again."

Just how he expected her to talk with his hand doing what it was doing was staggering, she pulled his hand away with a great deal of effort, "If you mean with your mouth down there then no you can't it's disgusting and sinful."

"Have you tried it?"

"No!"

"Then how do you know it's disgusting?"

"It just is."

"I want to please you, if you don't like it I'll stop immediately."

Giving her no chance to reply he slipped his tongue between her lips tasting her sweet mouth. He moved slowly and for him it was almost agony but he was a patient man. After long minutes of teasing and coaxing he was almost there and when her hand tried to lift his head he took hold of it and kissed her palm, "Trust me habibti."

She closed her eyes and tried to keep still long enough to let him try, she had no doubt he would stop when she told him to. She felt his breath mingle with the hair and she almost flinched then his tongue softly lapped against the flesh she knew was tender but had always been told was sinful. Her body tensed as he continued his gentle exploration, her hips thrust forward as her hands moved behind his head. When she felt something in her groin begin to burn she panicked and tried to pull away.

"Let it happen Maria its how it should be."

The heat began to spread through her veins she felt like she was on fire; it was racing to her head. Her hands were pulling his head nearer but her body was trying to move away. He took hold of her hips and increased the force of his caresses. "Oh God Altair what the fuck are you doing to me?"

He grinned as he felt her body begin to spasm, letting her natural movements set the force and pace.

"Don't stop please don't stop." Her body arched into the air and her hands dug into the coverlets, she felt like she was fighting to hold onto her sanity but my god it was incredible. Her body and mind seemed to ignite all at once, so overcome with the sheer force of the waves of pleasure coursing through her she was completely unaware of her own voice saying his name over and over until she was almost yelling it.

She collapsed onto the mattress below her breathless and stunned but it wasn't over yet. His body moved lithely along hers until their groins met, she opened her eyes expecting to find him gloating but she was wrong. He was burning for her and when he moved his hips forward and penetrated her, her still sensitive body welcomed him with eager warmth. He never took his eyes off her face even when his own climax threatened to steal his senses he kept his gaze on hers savouring what he saw in her eyes.

Her body was coated with sweat and he brushed her hair from her forehead, she smiled still breathless. He returned her smile and placed a soft kiss on her mouth before letting his head rest against hers, "I love you."

She felt fear wrap its icy fingers around her heart but tonight she wouldn't let it win. Tomorrow would bring its own mix of joy and sorrow but here and now she was with a man who had broken down almost every barrier she had and she needed him to know that. "I love you too."