Yeah so, I decided to post this little "end of the world" chapter, just in case we all die today. Which we probably won't. Anyway, I noticed that some of you guys were starting to like James. Don't. He's a bad guy. And if anything will convince you of that it's this chapter. If I owned AC3, I would have given Connor a girlfriend. That guy needs some lovin.

Chapter 4: Escape

The next morning, as I was walking through the market gathering wax and cotton wick for my annual candle making, I heard tell of a bunch of natives sneaking into Boston last night and dumping a ship load of tea into the harbor. Some were calling it "the Boston Tea Party". This made me laugh for whatever reason. Though I knew from what Connor said last night that it wasn't really natives aboard those ships, but I suppose he would count as one.

It was a cold day, and I could feel a heavy autumn storm on the horizon. The sailors at the harbor could feel it too and were already tying up their ships and cargo to hold out against the weather. It was not quiet with the gossipers today either. Old women with nothing better to do than tell rumors and share knowledge during quilting bees or while shopping at the market.

It was a great way to pick up information, if you knew the right people to talk to. And if there ever was a woman who could talk, it was the bar maid at the Green Tavern, one of the unsuspecting victims of James' tyranny against womankind. That woman's mouth was about as large as her breasts, and that's saying a lot. I also happened to talk to her when I picked up some ale for father's dinner that night.

She told me that there was unrest, hearsay of war and treason in the crowds. It had always been a threat, but not like now. With such an outright act of rebellion as last night, people were preparing for the worst. I was told it would be best to lay low for awhile, till things calmed down. Not that I would, mind you, I suspected that the last thing this situation would do is cease, but all my secret doings would have to be kept more secret.

I also visited Finley and his wife Tabitha. They'd just had a brand new baby girl named Angela, and I was named the Godmother. I couldn't have been happier for them. You could practically see the adoration glinting in Finley's eyes when he looked at his two month old daughter. He had matured so much in the last year, something I would have to get used to. There would be no more random acts of rebellion like misplacing (destroying) British supplies or setting a family of rats into the British storehouses. He had a family to be with now, so I would have to work alone. He would be a good father, I was sure.

I dropped by to give baby Angela the wool blanket I had just finished knitting for her, and to say hi to the couple. Tabitha had asked me to teach her my mother's lullaby so she could sing it to her child, because she apparently could not sleep through the night just yet. She was such a beautiful baby, with her father's ginger-blonde hair and her mother's lovely gray eyes. I could already see myself spoiling her.

Though it was lonely without Finley at my side every day, I was happy that he finally had a family that cared for him. It was all he'd ever wanted.

But, as I was walking home, people started acting strange. When I would walk by, they would suddenly turn away, only to continue whispering when I left. Nobody would make eye contact with me when I greeted them. It made me feel like I needed to walk a bit faster. I tried to brush it off as best I could, but something was telling me that I should not take it in ignorance.

When I'd finally reached my house, I set my groceries on the table and started to make dinner, resolving to forget the whole affair. It had just started to rain when my father came bursting through the door, panting like he had just run clear across town. He looked more serious than I'd ever seen him in my entire life.

"What's wrong fath-?" I began but he cut me off, running to me and grabbing my shoulders. His grip was strong and his eyes were intense.

"Neela! Ye have to get out of here! Some Redcoats are on the way, and they're looking for ye! You have to hurry up and leave, before they come here to find ye!" He began hurrying me up the stairs to my room.

"Father, what do you mean? What's going on?!" I was starting to panic. I wasn't used to this hurried and frantic father. He was usually my pillar of stability, I didn't know what to do when he was all shaky like this. It made me sure that something horrible had happened. He pried open the floorboard I kept my knife in and threw the dagger at me. I caught it expertly and looked at him in shock. "How did you know...?"

"Did ye think me a fool Neela? That I wouldn't know about you and yer friend's little trips into the forest? Or everything else for that matter. I'm yer father and I'm smart like that." He tossed me my hunter's clothes and motioned for me to put them on, "I'm actually proud that you've learned so much. All I ask is that ye use what you've learned and get away from here. Far away. It doesn't matter where ye go, just so long as yer safe." He handed me my pack and kissed my forehead.

"But father I don't..." I was cut off by a loud banging at the front door downstairs. My father looked frantically at the open doorway of my room, his breathing growing heavy with panic.

"Neela Briar, you are under arrest for harboring a criminal and conspiring against the King! Open the door!" Shouted a voice that sounded suspiciously like James. Realization hit me like a ton of bricks. Someone had seen Connor hide in my room last night. Shit.

"Go now, Neela! I can't lose another woman in my life. Take the window, the roofs, the alleys. Just don't get caught." I nodded and gave him one last hug before hopping out of my window onto the roof. I was reluctant to leave my father to deal with the mess I had created, but before I could even consider looking back, he had shut and locked the window.

The sound gave sudden weight to my situation, how deeply in trouble I was. If they caught me, I could go to jail. I could be hanged. I heard the wooden door downstairs splinter as someone forced it open and knew I had to hurry.

It was pouring rain now and already I could feel myself getting soaked. I ran across the slick roof tops, headed for the tree branch that overhung the wall, the same one I had used the night I'd first met Connor. I ducked in panic when a sudden bolt of lightning lit up the darkened sky, thinking it was a gun firing. When I reached the butchers shop I waited only a few moments to make sure no one was coming before I made the leap. I didn't drop to the ground this time, instead choosing a path through the trees.

I stopped when I realized I didn't know where I was going. I couldn't go to the clearing, that was too close and they'd find me, and the next town over was sure to have guards posted at every entrance.

An idea struck me. I could head to Connor's homestead. Surely he could help me! Though I felt bad for bringing troubles on him, I knew I had no other choice. I changed my course and headed north. In the far distance I could just make out the sound of horse hooves through the sound of the rain. Then I heard shouting. I quickened my pace, leaping through the trees with the type of agility that only came from practice.

I could feel the fear start to sink in, the paranoia. I could hear the hoof beats getting louder, likening every burst of thunder to the sound of a musket shot. In every shadow I was sure I could see figures crouched and ready to pounce the moment I stopped moving. It was getting to me as I looked frantically around for the source of the threat.

Then a bolt of lightning hit right over head, accompanied by an explosion of thunder immediately afterwards. I was so scared that I lost my grip on the trees and went plummeting to the ground.

My head cracked painfully on the hard forest floor and I almost passed out. For who knows how long I just laid there, trying to force my vision to stop spinning so I could get up. But it was no use. I couldn't force my heavy limbs to move. The world tilted at odd angles and I could vaguely feel the water and mud seeping into the back of my clothes, caking in my loose curly hair.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" James' voice chuckled evilly from above me. My eyes snapped open, though I wasn't exactly sure when they'd closed, and focused on him. He and a group of seven or eight guards were standing over me, with the most cruel looking smirks on their faces. I squeaked and tried to move but was quickly grabbed by the biceps by two men. They slammed me into the nearest tree, knocking the breath out of me. I dropped my head and coughed, trying to get air back into my lungs. Someone grabbed my chin, hard enough to leave bruises, and jerked my head up. I glared into the cold blue eyes in front of me through the mess of my wet and muddy hair.

"You're wanted for harboring a criminal and treason against the Crown, Neela Briar. I'm curious to know, was it that assassin that escaped last night? The same one you supposedly saw run past you in the street yesterday morning?" James asked with a sneer. I stayed silent and glared at him, not familiar with the term "assassin" but sure he was talking about Connor. His smirk faltered when I didn't answer and he slapped me across the face, the edge of his silver ring catching on my skin and leaving a large cut on my cheek dripping blood. Still I stayed silent.

"Tell me Neela, a witness saw him entering your room in the night. I bet you had all sorts of fun, didn't you?" The guards around him chuckled. I didn't make a sound, instead just glared. I would not give him the satisfaction of seeing just how scared I was. He pulled a knife from his belt and pressed the sharp edge into my already injured cheek, making the cut deeper, and my eye twitched in pain.

"You know, I can get you out of this. All the charges removed. I can do that for you. Just say you'll be mine, and you'll walk into town a free woman." He sneered and put his hand on my waist. I had a sneaking suspicion that he'd orchestrated this arrest, had chalked it up to more than it was for this purpose, to finally get me to give into him. How pathetic, that he had resorted to using his military station as a means to accomplish what he could not himself. I hawked up a loogy in the most unladylike manner I could and spit it in his eye.

"Never!" I hissed. He wiped the spit away from his face slowly and glared his hateful blue eyes at me. He then smiled in a way that sent frightened shivers down my spine, one that made him seem truly evil, and pressed his knife, already dripping in the blood from my cheek, to my collar bone. I was sure I spotted a hint of madness sparking in the icy blue orbs that seemed to be eating away at my soul. The soldiers's grips tightened painfully on my arms.

"Well then, I'd better have my way with you before they send you off to the gallows. I've waited long enough." He jerked his hand downwards, tearing my shirt down the middle and exposing me for all their leering eyes to see. I heard wolf whistles all around and my eyes widened when I realized just what he intended. I tried to wrench my arms out of the soldiers' holds but they held tight as they laughed viciously.

"No! Stop! Get away from me!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as James ran his hand over my exposed breasts and down over my stomach. James just laughed along with the rest of the soldiers. I kicked and struggled, thrashing violently in fear, but this only seemed to amuse the lot more.

"Stop! Please stop!" I screeched in terror, trying to wiggle away as his hands got lower, to the rim of my trousers. He stepped closer so he was pressed flush against me, his hips grinding into mine, pinning me to the tree and stopping my ineffective kicking. Tears streamed down my face, mixing with the rain, as pure fear coursed through me. I closed my eyes as his fingers slipped under the edge of my pants and screamed at the top of my lungs the only thing that came to mind.

"CONNOR!" I screeched, startling James with the unfamiliar name.

A loud war cry rang through the air and suddenly, the hands were gone from my arms and my hips. I slumped to the ground, completely drained from the shock and relief. I watched, as if through another person's eyes as Connor killed the soldiers one after the other. It was almost unreal, how quick and feral he looked lit by the frequent flashes of lightning.

The first to fall was the man on my right, who lay in front of me with eyes wide and a large whole in his chest from a tomahawk. The second was the man on my left, impaled through the stomach by his own musket. The next went down with a hidden blade through his eye. Blood sprayed until it was a dark river on the ground and pained screams filled the air accompanied by the roaring thunder.

Many of the men tried to defend themselves against the slaughter, but most never even got to draw their weapons, they were dead before they could. But through all the bloodshed, I could not find it in myself to fear Connor, or feel pity for the men he was murdering before my eyes. I could not feel anything. I just sat there with wide eyes and mouth agape as I witnessed the graceful brutality of my savior.

With deadly speed they fell to the ground until only James remained, frozen in shock and clutching his injured shoulder. Connor pointed his blood stained tomahawk at his face, mere inches away from his nose. He didn't look even a bit out of breath after that massacre. He was steady as a mountain, his white robes untouched by the blood of his victims and his blade glinting menacingly in the flashes of lightning. He was unstoppable, a force of nature itself.

"Go. Tell them that the girl is dead. Speak nothing of what has happened here." He snarled, the sound almost bestial in its utterance. James nodded shakily and, without hesitation and still looking to be in shock, jumped on his horse's back and rode away in the direction of town, eager to escape the lethal hooded man.

Connor replaced his tomahawk in his belt and walked slowly over to me. I watched him blankly, not really comprehending what just happened, as he crouched down on one knee in front of my crumpled and pitiful form.

"Neela, are you alright?" He asked softly, as if I would break if he were not careful. It was a total contrast to the scene I had just witnessed.

The sound of my name on his lips snapped me out of my shock and my emotions came flooding back into me. All of the panic and sadness and fear I had just experienced came bursting out in the form of tears. I threw my arms around him, not caring if it was okay to do so or not, and sobbed into his broad chest. It was amazing how quickly I disregarded the scattered bodies around me, how fast I forgot how another man's blood stained my clothes. And remarkably, I was nothing but grateful that their murderer was here for me to hold onto. His warmth was so comforting.

He just sat there for a moment, not knowing what to do with the crying girl hanging from him, before hesitantly wrapping his arms around me. I cried in terror and relief for a long time, as loudly as the day my mother died, before finally there were no more tears left. I just hiccuped and sniffled like a child before finally pulling away, hunching my back insecurely and reaching for whatever was left of my shirt to cover myself. I was already missing the warmth in his embrace.

"Thank you for saving me." I whispered in a broken voice. My throat was raw from all that wailing and it hurt to speak. I curled up on myself, trying to preserve the little warmth I had left and trying to cover myself properly at the same time.

"Why were they pursuing you?" He asked quietly, but hard enough for me to know he needed an answer. I looked away, ashamed at my vulnerability.

"Supposed conspiracy against the Crown." I answered, though it was only partly true. I shouldn't let him know that it was because I hid him in my room. He would think that he was to blame.

"Conspiracy?" He asked skeptically. I nodded.

"It's not true, I've never conspired against anything unless it was in my own head, unless you count setting rats on British storehouses or vandalizing British supplies. Nothing that warrants my execution. But now I'm a wanted criminal. I can't go back." I told him, defeated. He looked at me for a long time before sighing. He wrapped me up mummy style in my green cloak and picked me up like I weighed nothing.

"Hey, what are you doing!" I shouted, my face going red despite myself, trying to wriggle my way out of the folds of the cloak and failing. I was wrapped too tightly. He whistled through his teeth and a horse appeared out of nowhere.

"I'm taking you back to my homestead," he said simply, without room for argument. I was glad to hear this, but also confused.

"Why?" I asked. Why would he just take me in for no reason?

"The offer I made yesterday still stands. You are welcome in my home as long as you need it," he hopped onto the horse carrying me with little to no effort and placed me on his lap. I blushed but was grateful for the warmth as I was completely soaked down to the bone and shivering, "and if I'm not mistaken, you have nowhere to go."

My body relaxed as my heavy eyelids began to close. I hadn't realized how tired the ordeal had left me and I was fast falling into sleep. I nodded to give my consent as he took off. The galloping of the horse rocking me back and forth was like a lullaby, bringing me farther into unconsciousness. I snuggled into the warmth of Connor's chest, feeling utterly safe, and closed my eyes, listening to the sound of his heart beat. It wasn't long before the steady rhythm lulled me into the world of dreams.

Alright, first I'd like to say how much I HATED writing that scene with James. I just hated it. But it was necessary for story progression so it had to be done. Secondly, Connor is so freaking badass it's not even funny. I had lots of fun with the gore and fighting (does that make me weird?). And thirdly, I'd like to tell you all that it has been confirmed, not just by me, that Connor is a virgin. I tried to incorporate that into his personality and him not knowing how to feel and what to say around Neela. Just thought I'd put that out there. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews, I was never expecting to get such a positive reaction, and keep them coming. I like constructive criticism.