Connor gulped as he pulled his shirt over his head. Today was the day of the college visit and he knew his father would be dragging him out to the car any second now. He exhaled deeply, tugging on his flannel before heading downstairs.

Haytham was already at the table, just finishing his tea. "Finally ready? About time," he said, getting up.

Connor rolled his eyes. "Can we just go?"

Haytham nodded, pulling on his coat on and gesturing towards the door.

Connor let his mind wander as his father drove.

"A penny?"

Connor looked at Haytham. "What?"

Haytham glanced at him. "For your thoughts?"

"They're a dollar a piece. Sorry," Connor replied, grinning a little. His mother used to say that all the time.

Haytham grinned. "Your mother used to say hers were worth hundreds. You're cheap."

Connor chuckled a little. "She used to tell me the keep the price low."

They both chuckled and Connor felt his mood lighten a little.

"Anyway, what are you thinking about?" Haytham asked, turning his attention to the road again.

Connor shrugged. "Not much. Why?"

Haytham glanced at him. "Isn't it normal for parents to ask questions and annoy their kids?"

Connor shook his head in amusement. "Grandpa is good at that, isn't he?"

Haytham frowned. "More than good. He's infuriatingly amazing at it. I used to adore him when I was young, then he thought it would be fun to tease me."

Connor cleared his throat, thinking about what he told Ellie the night before. He decided to wait until after the visit to mention wanting to play baseball. Connor held back a sigh and looked out the window. Ellie had asked why Haytham would have a problem in the first place shortly after Haytham walked out the kitchen.

"I mean seriously, why wouldn't he want you to get involved and stuff? It's fun and it looks good to colleges and stuff. Not to mention the fact that you're good at it, according to Desmond," she said, placing more cookie dough on the sheet.

"With the gang stuff that happened recently, I don't think he'll want me going out and doing stuff at all..."

"Nervous?"

Haytham's voice pulled him back to the present and Connor shook his head. "No, I just don't know what to expect," he answered, shifting in his seat a little. He was definitely going to bring up baseball after the visit.

"Connor, before we get there, I want to discuss something with you," Haytham said, clearing his throat a little.

Connor quirked a brow. "And that would be..."

"I wanted to talk about what I walked in on last night."

Oh.

Connor rubbed the back of his neck. "O-okay."

Haytham took a deep breath. "I know you said that your mother talked to you about such things, but I want to know what she told you."

Connor felt his neck heat up. "W-well, she told me to not be dumb and to be safe and stuff like that. Are you seriously asking this because of a hug?"

Haytham shrugged. "You and I both know that wasn't just a hug. I don't want you and Miss Johnston to make a mistake and-"

Connor spluttered. "W-we're not like…THAT!"

Haytham laughed. "So, you were thinking about THAT when I mentioned it?"

"I was just hugging her! Nothing more, noth- Wait, why am I explaining myself?! You saw it!"

"Precisely! What am I going to walk in on next?"

"Absolutely nothing."

Haytham chuckled. "Connor, I know what it's like to be your age. Will I have to revisit the talk your mother gave you?"

"God, Mom said- Will you STOP?!"

Haytham burst out laughing, which only irritated Connor more. They finally arrived on Skidmore's campus and Connor jumped out after Haytham parked. Haytham was still chortling as he locked the car.

"Good Lord, I was expecting naiveté, but this?" Haytham said, matching Connor's long stride with his own.

"I'm not planning on going that far with Ellie anytime soon!" Connor huffed in embarrassment.

Haytham rolled his eyes. "Oh dear boy, I'm not worried about you. I'm more worried about her."

Connor made a face at him. "You won't have to worry about her either!"

Haytham chuckled. "And that's what I thought about your mother when I first met her. The third date was interesting."

Connor paused, staring at his father in surprise and mild disgust. "Seriously? Did you have to say that?!"

Haytham smirked teasingly. "What?"

"I did NOT need to know that!" Connor wailed, digging the heels of his palms into his eyes.

Haytham cackled evilly, walking into the main building.

Connor picked up his pace. "You realize that I might need therapy now right?"

"Good Lord, boy, how do you think you came to be? Now come on, we need to find the registrar," Haytham retorted, following some signs.

Connor wanted to be swallowed up by a huge hole. His felt his ears burning.

Haytham led him to the registrar's office, slowly opening the door. A woman sitting behind the desk looked up and smiled politely. "Hello. How may I help you?"

Haytham looked at Connor expectantly. Connor stopped himself from rolling his eyes. "My name is Connor Kenway. I'm here for a visit."

The woman's smile brightened a little. "Ah, yes. I was wondering when you would show up. Your guide will be here shortly," she explained, handing him a folder. "That is all that you will need for the visit today, dear. You can take a seat and wait, if you want."

Connor and Haytham sat down in the chairs. Connor opened the folder, looking at the information on the page tucked in front, blanching immediately. "Dad, we can't afford this," he managed to choke out as he scanned the page.

This much? For an education? He'd rather work in construction or something.

Haytham rolled his eyes and pointed at a different number. "Yes, we can. And you forget about scholarships. Look at how much they give back in scholarship money; that is the number you need to look at."

Connor calmed down a little. He kept forgetting that he lived with a moderately rich lawyer now.

"Connor?" a British voice asked.

Connor looked up to see a young woman with dark brown hair smiling at him. He shared a look with Haytham. What were the odds?

They stood up as the woman walked over. "My name is Maria Thorpe and I'll be your guide today."

"What part of London are you from?" Haytham asked.

Maria's eyes widened in surprise for a moment before a smile came to her lips. "Westminster. Yourself?"

"I grew up in Queen Anne's Square."

"Oh! I had a friend that lived there! Nice place."

Haytham nodded. "That it is."

Maria turned her attention back to Connor. "Alright, I'm going to show you the science facility first, since you said that you were leaning toward the sciences in the survey online."

They followed her out back into the cold, heading toward a building across campus. "So, you want to major in biology most likely?" Maria asked, guiding them along the path.

Connor nodded and listened politely as Maria talked about the science program there. She showed them around the building, leading them through labs and classrooms. The professor that talked to him was very nice and informative and Connor was starting to feel a little more at ease about the whole college situation.

Maria showed them the dorms and the cafeteria, talking about Skidmore the whole time. "Do you do anything outside of school Connor?" Maria asked, leading them to another building.

Connor shrugged. "Well…I was thinking about sports or something like that."

He saw Haytham give him look out of the corner of his eye. Perhaps this will help break the ice later, he thought.

"Our intramural program is so much fun. I was able to play on the soccer team and I had a blast," she said as she walked into the library.

Connor could tell his father liked the library. Haytham was staring at some of the old books sitting on the shelves while Maria led them around.

They finally made it to the financial aid office and Connor gulped nervously. He knew his father would be willing to help financially, but he wasn't sure if he wanted that. He wanted to know if he could pay for most of it without his father's help.

Maria paused at the door. "Well, your financial advisor will tell you all you need to know about the scholarships provided here and about anything else you need to know."

"Thank you Maria," Haytham said, walking in. Connor waved as he followed. Maria waved back with a smile.

The financial advisor swept away Connor's thoughts of not being able to afford college. Connor's grades, ACT score, and heritage were almost enough to be able to pay for everything. Gears started to turn in his head as the advisor showed him the numbers. He could go anywhere he wanted really. He really liked Skidmore, though. He could tell why his mother chose to come here.

They were showed out and they started to head back to the car. "See? Was that so bad?" Haytham asked, walking toward a building instead.

Connor looked at him in confusion and followed him. "Where are you going?"

"The art gallery. I know that some of your mother's pieces are still here."

Connor followed him into the building, shaking his head as they walked down the hallways. They were going to get in trouble, he knew they were.

Haytham led him to a large room and Connor looked around in curiosity. He looked at some pieces, thinking that Ellie would like some of them. He tilted his head as he studied a teapot that had an intricate leaf pattern on it. He looked up to see a man in the corner, studying some pieces himself. The man glanced over his shoulder and pulled out his cell phone. Connor looked at the pots again.

"Ah, here it is."

Connor looked toward Haytham, slowly making his way toward him. He looked up at the painting on the wall, grinning. It was definitely his mother's. He remembered when she painted and sculpted. He grinned at the story being told in the painting. "She used to tell me this one," he said, stuffing his hands in his coat pockets.

Haytham smiled sadly. "She told me this one too. I was here when she donated it."

The duo stared at the piece, occasionally sighing. Haytham finally roughly cleared his throat, patting Connor's shoulder. "Let's go, I believe that you want to tell Miss Johnston how this went?"

Connor rolled his eyes and walked away. He wasn't going to fall into one of his father's teasing traps. He opened the door, only to bump into someone.

"Oh excuse me!" the man said, straightening his suit jacket.

Connor felt his neck heat up in embarrassment. "I'm sorry," he said, bowing his head a little.

The man waved the apology off. "It's alright my boy. The names Dr. Warren Vidic, I'm in charge of the foreign exchange program here," he said, holding his hand out.

Connor tentatively shook the man's hand. Something was…off about him. Haytham shook Dr. Vidic's hand as well. Vidic's eyes widened in surprise. "Aren't you that lawyer who was on the trafficking case a few months ago?"

Connor saw Haytham's jaw clench. He also knew the smile he gave Vidic was fake. "Yes, I am."

Vidic looked excited. "I watched the whole thing on the television. You were brilliant, my friend."

Haytham nodded. "Thank you. Now, I hate to say this, but we must leave. Connor has another visit scheduled today, and we'll have to drive a couple hours."

Connor suddenly realized how good of a liar his father was.

Vidic nodded in understanding. "Ah, well don't let me keep you. Choosing the right school is an intricate process."

Haytham nodded and basically pulled Connor out, frowning deeply.

"Dad, he seemed kind of weird, don't you think?"

"He was. Connor, promise me this now," he said, stopping beside the car.

Connor quirked a brow in confusion. "Uh…okay?"

Haytham placed the palms of his hands on the hood of the car. "If you have any suspicions of anyone-even the slightest-you tell me. You tell me right away. Am I clear?"

Connor nodded, feeling a little anxious. "I will."

Haytham grunted in satisfaction and got in the car.

Connor was just glad that Vidic didn't only give him the creeps.

Haytham paused before turning the key in the ignition. "What was that about sports, by the way?"

Connor shrugged. "Well, I was thinking about playing baseball again. Desmond says I have a good shot at making it and I want to play again."

Haytham sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Connor, you understand that the leader of the gang that wanted to kill us not even a month ago is still out there, correct? I'm not sure if I want you staying out late for practice and games and thing like that with him still out there and-"

"So why does Desmond get to play? He's in the same exact situation I'm in."

Haytham furrowed his brow, scowling at him. "Connor, I don't want you to get hurt and-"

"And I can't live in fear! I want to do this again and I only quit because I saw the bills one summer and I knew we couldn't afford it," Connor interrupted. He didn't regret his sharp tone either.

Haytham gave him a hard look and Connor didn't look away.

Haytham finally sighed many moments later. "Fine, but you can only play on one condition."

Connor nodded, feeling like a heavy weight was just lifted off of him.

"You must call me or text me when you get out of practice or an away game and you must tell me you got home if you get home before I do, am I clear?"

"Yes."

Haytham turned the key in the ignition and let out a small chuckle. "I never could win against your mother, either."

Connor almost laughed. No one won against his mom.

She was unstoppable.

Spring sports started a couple weeks later and Ellie had never been more excited for track season. She was planning on getting to State this year for the 100 meter hurdle and nothing was going to stop her.

The only thing she didn't like was the fact that Mother Nature decided to drop 5 inches of snow on them the day before.

She tried to not be glum as she ran with the rest of the team around the gym. "Stupid snow," Claudia growled as she ran next to her.

"Agreed," Ellie replied, blowing a hair that escaped out of her face.

They stopped and the team started to do the stretches.

"Was Connor nervous today?" Claudia asked, pulling her knee up.

Ellie bent over, reaching for her toes. "A little. But Desmond, Adams and gang, and I were telling him that he would make it so I think he'll be fine."

"Do you wanna drop by there after practice? I'm sure tryouts will still be happening later. Besides, Petruccio is trying out too and I want to see how he does," Claudia asked, jerking her thumb toward the other side of the school, where the other gym was.

"Sure, I want to see Connor in action, after all," she said with a wink.

Claudia laughed and then sighed. "Man, I wish I had a boyfriend."

Ellie shook her head. "The right guy will drop in at the right time. You'll see."

Claudia rolled her eyes as they were split up into events. Claudia went with the high jumpers and Ellie walked over with the other hurdlers.

Ellie hated the first day of practice. The coach was going easy and explaining everything for the freshmen and newcomers and she had to hold back a few yawns. She knew it had to be done, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

Practice finally ended and she hurried over to her bag, hitching it up on her shoulder. Claudia was waiting for her outside the gym. "Ready?"

"Yup!"

The girls quickly walked to the other end of the school, entering the gym and setting their bags down on a balcony toward the top of the gym.

It didn't take long to spot Connor. He was easily one of the tallest guys and he also was the most built. He was dressed in catching gear by the coach and catching the balls being thrown back from first.

The coach hit a ball and Desmond fielded it with ease, launching it at Sam Adams at first. Adams caught it and fired it to Connor.

"Mio dio, Connor looks good in those pants," Claudia commented, waggling her eyebrows.

Ellie stuck her nose in the air, trying not to look.

"Don't tell me you didn't notice! You're his girlfriend, for crying out loud."

Ellie cleared her throat, feeling her cheeks tingle a little. "I know how he looks! You don't need to remind me all the time!" she huffed, peeking down at Connor again.

Those pants did look good…

"So, how has Mr. Kenway been acting about this whole dating thing?" Claudia asked, sitting down on the cool concrete.

Ellie sat down as well, resting her arm on one of the lower rungs of the railing. "He's pretty cool about it. He walked in on Connor and I hugging the other day and he didn't even bat an eyelash."

Claudia covered her mouth as a giggle escaped. "Hugging? That's it?"

Ellie pouted. "Okay, he was doing that thing where he was standing behind me and hugging me while I was baking and Mr. Kenway walked in the kitchen. It was kind of embarrassing."

Claudia rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. My father and brothers have walked in on me doing worse with some of my boyfriends."

Ellie spluttered and buried her face into her arms. "Jeez."

"What? At least Peter doesn't open the door when you're kissing him goodbye and give him a death glare-to-go!"

Ellie looked up as she imagined Ezio glowering at some poor boy. "Yeah, you have a point."

"Uh huh."

They continued to watch the team practice. The coach had them do various drills, trying out various things.

Ellie jumped a little when the door opened and a man walked in. He walked down the stairs to the row of bleachers in front of the little balcony and took a seat, glancing over his shoulder at them. Ellie didn't mind at first, but as the tryouts progressed, he began glancing at them constantly. Claudia made an obscene gesture, eventually pulling Ellie out of her seat and bringing her back to the hallway and to a different balcony. "What an ass. He just had to sit in front of us."

Ellie shook her head. "Did you see how he kept looking back at us? It was creeping me out."

"It doesn't matter. Let's just get back in there," Claudia huffed, waving it off.

The girls hurried in through the door, taking a seat on the concrete again. The coach was now hitting pop flies to the boys who wanted to play outfield now. Ellie held back a cheer when Petruccio caught one. The coach finally stopped and called all of the boys in, gesturing to the batting cages.

The boys hurried over and pulled the batting cages out. After everything was set up, Ellie saw Desmond and Adams pushing Connor toward the entrance to the cage. Ellie held her breath as Connor stepped in.

The coach behind the net pitched the ball. Connor hit a line drive heading straight back up the middle. Ellie grinned in pride; she knew he would make it easily.

"Holy crap. Desmond wasn't kidding," Claudia commented, nodding.

"He sure wasn't," Ellie said, beginning to grin stupidly. She wouldn't mind coming in and watching the baseball team practice all the time.

Connor did look good in those pants, after all.

Connor walked out of the locker room, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. The coaches had talked to each new player individually and he still heard their words in his ears.

Son, you have one of the strongest arms we've ever seen!

You really haven't played for three years?

Your swings were spot on.

"Dude!"

Connor looked to see Desmond hurrying down the hallway. "Told ya you'd make it! The coaches were impressed," he said with a grin, clamping a hand down on Connor's shoulder.

Connor grinned in satisfaction. The tryouts were over, and that was all that mattered at the moment. He had made the team.

His grin grew wider when he saw Ellie and Claudia waiting for them down the hall.

Ellie beamed as they approached, wrapping her arms around Connor. "You did great!"

Connor couldn't stop his chest from puffing out a bit in pride as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Nia:wen," he replied, grinning.

"You girls are looking at our new starting catcher," Desmond said, smirking a little.

Claudia grinned. "I've got an idea."

"Yeah?" Ellie asked, cocking her head.

Connor shook his head in amusement. It really was Ellie's signature move.

"Let's go to 'The Den' to celebrate! Besides, I could use a cup of coffee right now."

Desmond pumped his fist. "Alright! Who's driving?"

"I will," Connor volunteered, heading toward the door.

Ellie twined her fingers with his as Claudia and Desmond hurried toward the parking lot.

"You really did great," Ellie said, reaching up on the tips of her toes to peck his cheek.

Connor's face was heating up, but for one, he was too happy to care.

They all piled into the Mustang and soon were on their way.

"Hey guys!" Kadar said from behind the counter.

Desmond slapped his five dollar bill on the counter. "The usual," he said with a grin.

Claudia and Ellie shared an eyeroll as Kadar took their orders.

After they all got their drinks, they crowded into a booth. Connor was on the inside and Ellie was next to him, sipping her caramel macchiato. Connor stretched and rested his arm on the booth behind her. She gave him a sly look, scooting closer to him.

"So, by the looks of it, we'll have Sam at first, Revere at second, me at short, Clipper at third, Duncan in left, Jamie in right, Petruccio in center, Big Dave pitching and Connor behind the plate. We'll be unstoppable!" Desmond said, wiping some whipped cream off his upper lip.

Claudia smiled. "I'm so glad Petruccio made it. He was so nervous about tryouts all last week."

Desmond barked out a laugh. "You kidding me? He caught everything that came his way. Plus, he's fast. Kid's gonna go far."

Connor shook his head in amusement, taking a drink of his smoothie. Ellie narrowed her eyes at something. "Hey Claudia, is that the rude guy from earlier?"

Claudia looked at where Ellie was looking and her eyes narrowed. "That's the stronzo. He just sat in front of us and kept giving us weird looks. It was weird."

Connor glanced over at the said man, frowning a little. The man was sitting in the corner and he was focusing on his coffee. He pulled his phone out, staring at it instead. Connor furrowed his brow. Why did that guy look familiar...

He shared a look with Desmond, remembering what his father said at the end of his college visit.

"It's creepy that he would end up here, though," Claudia said, sipping her smoothie.

Ellie shook her head. "Well, Ezio taught you some moves. Plus, we got Connor and Dez here. We're good," she said with a wink.

Claudia snickered, shaking her head.

Connor and Desmond nodded. Connor glanced over at the man and he caught him staring at them.

The man quickly looked away.

He shook it off, deciding not to worry about it. They could just be annoying the guy with their talking. He knew coffee shops were usually places people went to for silence. And this place was close to the school. He could have easily wanted a coffee after the tryouts too.

Connor's brow furrowed. Why would a guy like that be at the tryouts anyway? The only attendees there were the freshmans' parents and others who were close to the players, like Ellie and Claudia.

If you have any suspicions of anyone-even the slightest-you tell me.

Connor decided that he might have to tell Haytham about this, as Claudia so tastefully put it, stronzo.

He never thought that he would have to keep his promise to his father so shortly after making it.

Ellie yawned as Connor pulled into their cul-de-sac. Perk number 53 of having your boyfriend live next door: constant car rides home.

Connor pulled into his driveway, turning the ignition off. He let out a big sigh, looking at his grinning girlfriend. She grinned at him. "Glad you made the team?"

He smiled, looking down at the console. "Yeah. Very."

She tugged on his sleeve. "I told ya you would. Never doubt your girlfriend."

Connor laughed a little. "Yeah, I really shouldn't."

Ellie smiled, scooting closer. "And what else was I right about?"

Connor rolled his eyes. "My dad was okay with the whole baseball thing, just like you said."

Ellie grinned and pecked his cheek. "I know I'll enjoy coming to your games," she said, tilting her head a little.

A little blush rising on his cheeks, exposed by the streetlight.

He turned to face her, Adam's apple bobbing as he gulped. Ellie found herself looking at his lips and trying to shake certain thoughts away. Quit being a hussy! she said to herself.

Connor licked his lips slightly and the command was already forgotten. Leaning forward, he pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Her eyes widened. He usually never initiated stuff like this.

She decided to not care and just focus on the present. A gentle hand came to rest on the side of her neck as the pressure on her lips increased.

Ellie let out a little sigh as one kiss melted into another. She scooted a little closer, twirling a couple locks of his hair around her fingers. Her heart started to pound as Connor pulled her a little closer…

A blinding light suddenly shined in, causing Ellie and Connor to jump in surprise. They held up their hands, trying to find the source of the light.

Ellie literally saw the color drain from Connor's face as Mr. Kenway's face came into view. Her stomach twisted as he switched off the work light. "Welcome home," he called out, turning on his heel and walking back into the house.

Connor groaned and rested his forehead on the steering wheel. "He's going to tease me to no end now," he grumbled.

Ellie almost laughed, but she saw how distressed he was. "What? Was he teasing you about when he walked into the kitchen that one time?"

Connor sighed. "Yes! And he asked me what he was going to walk in on next!"

Ellie couldn't hold back her giggle and she kissed his cheek again. "At least he doesn't try to give you the 'Birds and the Bees' talk every time I come up in a conversation."

Connor looked at her, frowning a little. "Do Peter and Eliza do that?"

Ellie rolled her eyes. "Yeah."

"Ouch."

Ellie laughed. "You're telling me!"

Connor leaned over and kissed her on the cheek this time. "See ya. I have to face the Grouch now."

Ellie shook her head. "See ya tomorrow," she chirped, getting out of the car.

She gave him a wave as she opened her door, sliding down the back of it once it was shut and biting her lip.

Well, he was doing what she said he could do.

He was definitely surprising her more.