Shaun sat at his computer, busily typing a message to one of the field teams. He glanced at Desmond, lying on the Animus. She looked to be in a deep sleep. Her hair, long and dark and silky, was in a high ponytail today. She was dressed in her favorite pair of jeans - the ones she wore almost constantly - and her black shirt with an eagle design and that infernal white and red hoodie of hers. Her eyes and her slow, deep breathing were the only things that showed signs of life; her eyes flickered around behind her lids, watching scenes that had played out over six hundred years ago. Shaun turned back to his screens when Rebecca looked up.
"Hey, Lucy," she said. "I thought we had a shopping trip today."
"We did," Lucy agreed, "but I reconsidered. We went only three weeks ago and- Oh." Lucy suddenly changed tracks as understanding dawned on her face. "Yeah, we can go today. Do you want to leave Des in, or can Shaun look after her?"
"I do believe I am perfectly capable of watching after the girl," Shaun snapped. Then friendlier, he added, "Rebecca's taught me about the Animus. I'd say I'm the second-most qualified to handle the machine, after Becca."
Lucy looked unconvinced, but Rebecca told her, "I'm okay with it, Lucy. He wasn't kidding. I've taught him how to manage it. The only thing he can't do is code, and that's not an issue unless you're putting her in or dealing with new memories. He'll be fine." Lucy looked satisfied with Rebecca's endorsement, and she nodded and grabbed her jacket.
"Alright. Shaun, you know the drill. We'll be back soon." She and Rebecca left. Shaun looked to Desmond and sighed. He put the message in his draft box and closed down his computer, opting for Rebecca's usual spot. He sat down and looked at the screen. Ezio was talking to a man who had apparently been beaten. Shaun frowned. He knew that face from somewhere… Suddenly it hit Shaun. That was Manfredo, Christina's fiancé. That meant -
"Poor bloke," said Shaun sympathetically. Then he looked to Desmond, who had a look on her face that told him everything. Even though her body appeared to be asleep, her eyebrows were drawn closer together and her mouth had a downward curve to the corners. "Poor girl." He returned his gaze to the screen, where Ezio had just discovered the dying Christina. Desmond made a soft, short whine. Shaun watched as Ezio carried her, told her that she would be fine, and as she told him that she didn't think so. He watched their final conversation, watched Christina pull his old necklace from the neckline of her dress, watched her die in his arms.
"No…" Desmond murmured. Her face looked troubled. Shaun sighed and waited until the memory completed itself before he brought her out.
Desmond sat up, rubbing her face. Shaun could see her working for composure. He could see the unshed tears glittering in her eyes, could see the muscles in her chest working to keep her breathing even, could see the muscles in her jaw straining to keep her from making any kind of noise. Shaun gave her the privacy he could, pretending to be absorbed in the routine Animus code on the screen, code he couldn't even read. After two minutes, she spoke.
"Where is everybody?" Her voice was curious, and it brought back all kinds of memories and feelings that Shaun was trying hard to forget. In those three weeks between the sleepwalking incident and now, Shaun had developed a very not-platonic caring for this girl. He cared for her in a different way than he cared for Rebecca and Lucy. Lucy was like his sister, and Rebecca was a very close friend. Desmond was… different. He didn't want just friendship with her. It scared him. He wasn't used to feeling like this about anyone, let alone the girl he wasn't able to stand a month ago. What was worse was he saw the way she avoided him, the way she didn't like to make eye contact with him. She didn't even want to talk to him, let alone anything else. It made being her keeper rather difficult. That night as he led her back to the sanctuary, he first felt some kind of affection towards her. He thought she had, too, because of… he wasn't sure. No matter what he thought, she didn't like him, and that was just sad. Because that was just his luck.
"Earth to Hastings," Desmond said, bringing his attention to her again. "Any one home? I asked where Rebecca and Lucy are."
"They had to go to the store. I think Rebecca needed something."
Desmond counted quickly on her fingers, "Yeah, you'd be right. It should be about time."
"What are you talking about?"
Desmond seemed to realize that Shaun couldn't understand all the esoteric references. "Um, it's… just nevermind, Shaun. It's a girl thing." Shaun drew his own conclusions and shut up immediately. It was silent for a minute.
"You know what?" Desmond said suddenly. "You know what we should get?"
"Hmm, what?"
"Some playing cards."
"Really?"
"Sure. I mean, for when half of us are gone on a shopping trip or something. Just a timewaster."
Shaun considered this. "That's not a bad idea, actually. Though, I do have work to do." Shaun rose from Rebecca's seat and went to his, booting up his computer and opening his draft file. Suddenly, the message didn't seem all that important.
Des
Desi watched Shaun type away at his computer, the light glaring off his glasses. She sighed internally.
He was just so uninterested in her! That night three weeks ago, when Shaun had found her in the warehouse, she'd thought that maybe they could become friends. But the want-to-be-friends thing had quickly turned into more, and now she didn't know what to do with herself. She hadn't been able to make eye contact with him since then without looking away hurriedly. She could barely talk to him for the butterflies that made themselves at home in her abdomen when he spoke to her. She was a mess, and she hated it. Three weeks of hiding had been torture, and she wasn't going to keep it up. She was going to say something tonight, regardless of the consequences.
She just hoped they could at least keep speaking to each other.
…
It was only about half an hour later that Lucy and Rebecca came in. Rebecca carried a single white plastic bag that she took down the hall, towards the bedrooms and bathroom. Lucy had miscellaneous groceries in her arms, just two bags. Shaun was working on his computer, and Desi was tidying what little there was to tidy. Lucy greeted the pair and set the groceries with the other foodstuffs.
"How far did we get today?" she asked, removing her jacket.
"Christina died."
"The field team in Moscow, Stalingrad, and St. Petersburg are located." The two spoke simultaneously. They looked at each other and then looked away. Desi felt the butterflies again and cursed herself. Lucy didn't seem to notice.
"Okay. Why don't you two make dinner, since Becca and I had to go get it?" Lucy said good-humouredly. Desi nodded.
"Sure, I'm up for that," she said, stubbornly trying to ignore the fact that she and Shaun would be in the tiny kitchen side-room alone together.
"Shaun, how about it?"
"Fine, why not?" he answered grouchily. Desi fought the urge to stand up and punch him. Just because you don't like me doesn't mean you have to be a jerk, she thought angrily. What annoyed her more was that even though she was angry, the butterfly feeling stayed, and that was just wrong.
Desi got up and stalked quickly towards the kitchen. "Come on, Shaun, we have work to do," she said hotly. Behind her she heard Lucy say softly, "What did you do to her?"
"I don't know!" Shaun answered. "It's not like she wants to talk to me." Desi set to getting everything out for some kind of awful thirty-minute vegetable soup. Vegetarian assassin. Becca, how do you live? she thought. Her attention was brought back to the argument in the other room be Lucy's voice.
"Why won't she talk to you? I thought she liked you?" Hmpf. Like he knows. Or cares, actually.
"I don't know. I mean, I thought she did. Heaven knows that I like her enough for the two of us." Desi nearly dropped her pan. He what? No, that was impossible. He didn't even talk to her, really. But, neither did she… Well, if it was true, it would make her plan a lot easier.
In a few minutes, Shaun walked in, looking stormy. Desi pretended not to notice.
"Took you long enough. Start cutting up this onion." Desi slid an onion half his way. He looked at it in disgust.
"Surely, you're joking."
"No. I'm dealing with these carrots. Cut that onion." Desi turned to her carrots, slicing them into circular pieces. Shaun stared her down.
"I refuse to touch that vile vegetable. It has no place in any sane person's presence. You do it." I thought so.
Desi whirled to face him. "Just cut the thing, Shaun. It won't kill you." He continued to glare at her, and she huffed. "Shaun, it's a plant! Be a man and cut it." She stepped forward until she was almost touching him. He looked down at her with a foreign look in his eyes. "Do it."
He spoke loudly, angrily. "You do it, if it's so important!"
She matched him in volume. "It just an onion, Shaun!"
"I know what is, thanks!"
"Cut the onion!"
"Why should I?"
"This!" she shouted, and grabbed the front of his shirt and kissed him. He went rigid with shock for a moment, and then he was kissing her back. His hands went to her waist and her hands grasped his shirt. When they broke apart, they stared at each other for a long time.
"How long have you wanted to do that?" he asked quietly. She smiled at him.
"Since that night you found me in the warehouse. You?"
"Yeah. Yeah, the same. I didn't think you could stand me. You never talked to me, you avoided me…"
"You weren't exactly falling all over me, either. I thought you hung around because Lucy told you to."
"That doesn't matter." He paused. "Would you like company tonight? Like I did that first night I heard you? I'll sleep on one edge, and you on the other? I've been neglecting my duties lately." He rubbed his thumb across the bruise-like circles under her eyes. She nodded, and hugged him.
"Yes, please. I kinda like sleeping." Shaun hmmed guiltily and Desi stepped back. "We need to finish this soup, you know."
Shaun humpfed. "Yeah, I guess we do."
Desi never had a better vegetable soup.