When Desi woke up the next morning, it was to an uncomfortable itching in her arm. She opened her eyes groggily and took a look, white gauze meeting her eyes. She remembered opening the gash in her fall from the villa's roof the night before. She turned to talk to Shaun but, as usual, he was gone. She shook herself and remembered that he was leaving out today.

Desi sprang from the bed and hurriedly dressed and brushed her hair, jogging down the hall to the sanctuary. "Shaun!" she called, coming to a stop just inside the room. Everyone turned to look at her, Shaun's arm around Becca in a half-hug.

"Desmond," Shaun said, leaving Becca to grab his bag. "I was just about to go get you."

"So, she said, and looked around. "You're leaving today." It sounded like a statement.

Shaun coughed awkwardly. "Yeah. D'you... do you want to go on a walk really quick? To talk."

"Yeah," she answered. "That sounds good."

Shaun put his bags down and waited for Desi to catch up to him before he lead them outside to the back of the villa. They walked in the warm sunlight in silence for a while.

Desi sighed. "I wish you didn't have to go."

Shaun nodded and put him arm around her shoulders in an effort to comfort her. "I know, Desmond. I wish I didn't have to either."

It was quiet. Desi fddled with the gauze on her arm.

"Oi, stop that. You'll bother the stitches." Shaun swatted her hand away.

"Shaun, what will I do while you're gone?"

Shaun stopped and wrapped Desi in a tight hug. "I don't know," he said quietly. "I don't know."

"The nightmares, Shaun, I can't. I just got over them and now I have to do it all again-"

"I know, I know, and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. But this has to be done."

"No, I know. I understand. It's fine." Desi stepped back to look him in the eye. "It's for the best, Shaun. You have to go."

Shaun kissed her. "It's just for a little bit. I'll be back before you know it."

"It's dangerous, Shaun. What if something happens to you?"

"I'll be fine, I promise. Lucy and I have made sure that I'll be untraceable, and Rebecca can keep Abstergo off my trail for a while at least. And if I do hit a snag, I can handle myself."

"But Shaun. We need you to come back. If something happens to you, our entire mission is done."

"I'll come back. Promise." Desi nodded and looked away. She scuffed her shoe on the stone. Shaun waited more or less patiently.

"So when do you leave?"

"Ah, I was supposed to be gone ten minutes ago."

Desi looked at him in surprise. "What are you doing here then? You need to go!" She put her hands on his chest and started pushing him back towards the inside. Shaun turned and went willingly, hurring ahead of Desi's outstretched arms.

"Shaun, you have to leave. Now," Lucy said as soon as he came into view. Shaun nodded and grabbed his bags.

"I'm off, then. See you later, girls." He was answered with a chorus of "see you later," and left, disappearing from their sight. The girls stared after him in silence. It was a long moment before Lucy broke the quiet.

She sighed. "I guess we need to get back to work."

Desi and Rebecca nodded. "I guess we do," Desi answered.

"I think you need to go to bed, Desi," Rebecca said quietly. Desi stirred from her doze.

"Huh? Why?" She rubbed the sleep from her eyes. The clock on Shaun's computer read 2:38.

"Because you're falling asleep in Shaun's chair and I'm sure your bed is a lot more comfortable. Why don't you hit the hay?" Rebecca gave her a reassuring smile.

Desi nodded slowly. "Yeah. I guess it's not a bad idea." Desi got up and stretched, feeling her tired muscles protest. She hobbled down to her bedroom, changed into her pajamas, and stopped there. She eyed her bed warily as though it was the cause of her nightmares. She was suddenly overcome by a massive yawn, and she knew that she couldn't just stand there. Desi climbed into bed and got comfortable, thinking of Shaun. She hoped he was alright. She laid in bed a while longer before she slipped into sleep.

"Stop!" she screams, fighting the men on either side of her. Shaun lays on the ground, coughing and moaning. She doesn't know where Lucy and Rebecca are. Suddenly a man grabs her hair - Lucy had warned her to cut the stuff - and kicks her knee out from under her. She drops to her knees and a blade is pressed to her throat.

"Your choice. It's her or yourself. So what are you gonna choose?" one of them says to Shaun.

"Shaun, don't you do it," she shouts, and her voice cracks. "Don't you dare hurt yourself."

Shaun opens his eyes and Desi can see that his decision is made. "I have to."

"Damnit, Shaun, no you don't! You don't have to do this." Her voice is watery and she feels like she's crying. "You know better. Don't you dare let them hurt you. I can take it."

Shaun works to sit up and a man hauls him to his knees. Desi feels like she's drowning.

"Desmond, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't have a choice here. Its what's best. I'm not going to lose you." Shaun sounds sad and she hears the man to her left say, "You have to the count of three."

Desi looks him in the eyes. "Please. Don't do this to yourself. I can handle it, Shaun. Please," she whispers. Shaun just looks at her with those sad eyes.

"I'm sorry," he says, but the knife plunges into Desi's chest anyway. Pain explodes through her being and Desi has no air. She hears Shaun shouting her name and yelling, "Don't you die on me!" Her lungs fill with air and Desi screams, and suddenly her screams sound like Ezio's and there's a horrible pain in her abdomen.

"I'm sorry, Ezio, sorry. I told you to drink more of the wine, but you were too stubborn and if I don't do this now the dottore and his luadanum will be too late to save your sorry skin." It's Leonardo's voice and Ezio opens his mouth to moan the artist's name before another scream is ripped from his lungs as another shot of agony spears through him.

"I know, Ezio, mi dispiace tanto, but I have to do this. I wish I didn't have to, but I have no choice. Don't die on me." Ezio tries to tell Leonardo that he understands but a third scream tears through his throat and the pain in his abdomen is like a fiery knife and someone is wiping his brow with a damp cloth.

"I'm sorry, Altair! Please don't tell on me," Malik begs, and Altair wonders how he's supposed to hide a gaping sword wound in his side. He coughs in answer.

"Alt! No! Al Mualim will kill me if you die. Please, it was an accident. I didn't mean to hurt you. Kadar, don't just stand there, run and get help!" The damp cloth is drug across his wound and Altair screams in pain, Malik yelling with him.

"Alt, I'm sorry! Just be okay. Here, I have bandages." Malik grabs Altair's side roughly in a nervous rush and Altair screams again, gasping for breath afterwards. Malik is sobbing.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I don't want to do this, Altair, but I don't have a choice. You're bleeding...Alt, there's so much blood. Don't die on me. Don't! Please!" Malik tries to bandage his side again and Altair shouts in pain, struggling weakly against Malik's arms before he blacks out.

Desi woke up in a rush, crying out. Her troat was sore and she was drenched in a cold sweat. Her muscles were stiff from being rigid for some time. She relaxed back into the bed, shaking and, she was ashamed to realize, crying. She tried to remember the dream, but could only remember deep fear and pain, and the sound of Malik's, Leonardo's, and Shaun's voices saying the same thing. She wondered what it meant.

Desi looked at her watch. 5:26 a.m.. Desi sighed. It was going to be a long night. How she wished she had Shaun.

A/N: KHFSBGDKBDOJFVNSDFNV You guys. Ugh. So I finally had the means to let you all know that I am not dead or given up on this story or anything like that. Please accept this poor excuse for a chapter as I try to find my characterization for these guys again and rediscover my writing style for this story. If things seem 10,000,000% different than before it's my fault. No betas as always, so all mistakes are mine. Feel free to point out any errors, and please please please leave me a review on your way out so I can know how things looks to you guys. You know, if you even want to read this far. :/

Once again, mi dispiace tanto for taking like a thousand years to get this up, and grazie molto for taking the time to read this and hopefully review! :D