Connor waved as Ellie walked back into her house, tossing his bag into the backseat of his car. He let out a long breath, looking up at the stars; wondering what his mom would think of him playing baseball again. Connor looked down at his feet, remembering the day he told her that he was quitting. She seemed very disappointed and sad at the time.

Connor bit his lip, looking up at the stars again. He leaned back against the side of his car, wishing she could have seen him play his first high school game.

"Connor?"

The sound of the door caused Connor to look toward the house. Haytham stepped out onto the porch, gently closing the door behind him. "Hey, Dad," he said quietly, looking down at his shoes again.

Haytham slowly walked down the steps, making his way to stand next to Connor. He looked down as well. "You're thinking about her, aren't you?"

Connor nodded.

"She would have been proud of you," Haytham said, looking up at the sky.

Connor looked up as well, seeing the constellations his mother and grandmother showed him so many times. "I just wished she could have been there. She used to love taking me to games and stuff," Connor mumbled.

"I know she did."

Connor gave his father a questioning look. "How did-"

Haytham suddenly looked sheepish. "That wasn't the first game I've seen you play."

Connor crossed his arms, giving him an expectant look.

Haytham coughed into his hand. "It's a bit cold out here don't you think?" he said, heading back inside.

"You really snuck into my baseball games?" Connor asked, tilting his head.

Haytham paused and sighed, looking up. "Yes."

"Seriously?"

"Yes! Now quit!"

"What about basketball? Football? Those Thanksgiving plays mom forced me into when I was little?"

Haytham glanced at him over his shoulder. "Those plays were dreadful."

Connor shook his head, letting out a bark of laughter. "Finally, someone agrees with me. Mom used to torture me by making me watch the videos with her."

Haytham laughed. "God-and I can't believe they made you a pumpkin instead of a Native American. Who would be better at it?"

Connor looked up in thought, trying to remember. "I think the kid that played the chief was in a commercial once so he demanded a lead role. None of us liked him. Mom didn't care. She loved it anyway."

Memories of him and Josh making faces at the kid's back on stage during the performance came to mind. He remembered the scolding his mother gave him afterward as well.

Haytham shook his head, walking toward the porch. "I think all mothers share a similar trait."

Connor jogged a few steps to catch up. "And what's that?"

Haytham grimaced. "They enjoy things their children abhor."

Connor grinned. "And what did you hate that Grandma Kenway loved so much?"

Haytham frowned. "The outfits she would dress me in for Christmas pictures. Father wouldn't stop her either and Jenny just laughed."

"Do you have pictures of these said outfits?" Connor asked, trying to hold back laughs.

Haytham glowered at him, causing Connor to throw his hands up in surrender. "I burned them," he growled.

He turned away and started whistling as he walked back into the house, leaving a stunned Connor on the porch.

Connor suddenly remembered why he was so intimidated by Haytham in the first place.

He shook his head and walked inside as well.

He had to remember to ask his grandmother about those pictures.

"Where were your grandparents last night?" Ellie asked, dumping the Funfetti cake mix into a bowl.

Connor took his usual spot on the counter, kicking his feet a little. "The truck broke down so Akhso couldn't make it. She called me yesterday morning. She promised to be at the next one. Grandma Kenway's hip was bothering her so she's in the hospital again. Grandpa called and told me good luck before school," he explained, resting his head back against the cabinet.

Ellie nodded, looking up at him. She grinned, remembering when he head-butted that exact cabinet around the time they first became friends.

"What?" he asked, tilting his head.

Ellie thought the action was adorable. "Remember when you smacked your head against that?"

Connor looked up in thought, and then he groaned and wiped a hand down his face. "Yeah, I try to forget about it."

Ellie chuckled and broke two eggs on the edge of the counter island, putting them in with the cake mix.

"I thought you said you were making cookies," Connor said, looking bewildered.

Ellie looked up at him in shock. "You've never had Funfetti Cake Cookies?!"

Connor shook his head.

"I'll have to fix that won't I?" she said as she poured some oil in the mix, grabbing the wooden spoon sitting nearby.

She stirred the mixture together, sticking her tongue out a little as she worked. After it was mixed, she got the parchment paper out on the cookie sheet and she started to roll the dough into balls. "I can't believe you've never had these! They're gifts from God!" she said as she finished the first sheet.

She popped it into the oven and turned on the timer. She turned back to the dough and began to roll it into balls for the next cookie sheet.

"My mom and grandmother always made cake from scratch, so we never had cake mix at the house," Connor retorted, looking amused.

Ellie quirked a brow. "Everything was from scratch? Remind me to ask your grandmother for recipes the next time I see her."

"Will do."

She finished off the second sheet and looked in the bowl, pouting a little. A little clump of dough was left. She held the bowl out for Connor. "You can have the rest."

He leapt off the counter and grabbed the bowl, making his way toward the table.

Ellie's brows furrowed when she saw how he shoved most of what was left in his mouth. She wadded up some parchment paper and threw it at his head. He glanced at her.

"What?" he asked around the cookie dough.

"Quit eating like a pig. It's gross."

"I don't eat like a pig," he argued, swallowing the huge lump of dough.

"You just shoved a handful of cookie dough down your throat! That classifies as eating like a pig!" Ellie exclaimed, gesturing to the bowl.

Connor looked in the bowl and then back at her. "There's still a bit left."

Ellie opened her mouth to retort when a familiar voice cut in. "Thank God someone else has said it."

Mr. Kenway leaned around the entryway, looking at Ellie. "He talks with his mouth full all the time," he said.

Ellie rolled her eyes. "He's done that to me too."

Mr. Kenway looked at Connor. "I thought you would have the sense to not do that around your girlfriend."

Connor frowned. "Again. I'm being ganged up on."

Ellie threw another wad of parchment paper at him. "We wouldn't if you didn't eat like a pig!" she laughed.

"Whatever," Connor mumbled, tossing more cookie dough into his mouth.

Mr. Kenway frowned. "What have I told you about saying that?"

Connor grimaced. "Sorry."

Mr. Kenway rolled his eyes, looking back at Ellie. "What are you making this time, Miss Johnston?"

"Funfetti Cookies."

Mr. Kenway smirked. "Are these the cookies you mentioned to your friend last night?"

Ellie wanted to floor to swallow her up. She hoped that Claudia got revenge for her. Ezio and Federico's teasing has gotten her into situations she never wanted to be in. "Y-yeah."

Mr. Kenway looked over at Connor. "You're getting spoiled," he said with a teasing grin.

Connor set the now empty mixing bowl on the counter. Ellie could see the blush rising on his cheeks. "Yeah, I am," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Mr. Kenway nodded. "Well, just make sure everything is cleaned up. I'm going out to see a friend really quick."

Connor's face fell with the comment and Ellie quickly came to the conclusion that this 'friend' was really Desmond's dad or someone else of that sort.

"I always clean up, Mr. Kenway," Ellie said with a salute, trying to keep the atmosphere from getting tense.

Mr. Kenway shook his head. "I already told you to call me Haytham."

Ellie crossed her arms. "And I told you to call me Ellie."

Mr. Kenway's brows rose before he let out a laugh. "You better keep her around, Connor," he said as he walked out, pulling on his jacket.

Connor shook his head in amusement, letting out that breathy laugh Ellie loved. "I plan to," he said quietly as the front door shut.

Ellie felt her heart flutter a little and she smiled bashfully up at him. Connor shared an equally bashful look with her.

She finally cleared her throat and checked on the cookies in the oven. The timer went off right as she turned on the light and she grinned. They looked perfect.

"Connor, can you set a-"

"Got it."

Ellie pulled on her oven mitt and pulled out the cookie sheet, setting it on the pot holders Connor put on the counter. She grabbed the other sheet and quickly stuck it in the oven, setting the timer again.

She tossed the oven mitt on the stove and looked at the finished cookies, grinning. She loved Funfetti.

She started to clean up a little before she started the next part of the process. "I don't know why your dad keeps reminding me to clean. I always do," she mused with a laugh.

"I think it's more directed towards me," Connor said with a grin, wiping off the counter as she cleaned the mixing bowl, measuring cup, and wooden spoon.

Ellie giggled at that. "What made him so paranoid?"

Connor scoffed a little. "I left a few stray Cheerios on the counter one morning and I lost his trust."

Ellie laughed aloud, thinking about all the times she caught Connor eating Cheerios on his back porch from her kitchen window.

The timer dinged right as Ellie finished drying everything. She pulled on her oven mitt again and pulled the second cookie sheet out, shutting the oven off. She set the sheet on another pot holder and tossed the mitt back into the drawer she found it in.

"Perfect. Now it's time to put the frosting on," she said, reaching into the grocery bag she brought.

She turned around with the frosting to find Connor with half a cookie in his mouth already. She put her hands on her hips with an amused look.

He grinned sheepishly, swallowing. "I couldn't resist," he said, giving her a puppy dog look.

Ellie shook her head in amusement. "Well, how are they?"

"You're right. They're a gift from God."

Ellie smiled and opened the Funfetti frosting. "Well, leave some for the Auditores. I promised Claudia and Ezio some."

She grabbed a plastic spoon and began to spread the frosting. "There's another spoon in my bag, if you want to help," she said, finishing the first cookie and setting it back down on the sheet.

Connor frowned at the frosting. "Pink?"

Ellie smirked up at him. "What? Not manly enough? I actually prefer the vanilla flavor but the store was out."

Connor grumbled and moved to start helping. "I'm just trying to imagine Ezio eating pink cookies now."

Ellie snickered. "We might get to see that."

They sat in a comfortable silence as they spread tbe frosting on the cookies, just enjoying each other's company. Ellie peeked up at Connor through her bangs. She wiped her spoon on his arm, leaving a pink smudge. He looked down at his arm in surprise and then gave her an exasperated look. "Really?"

Ellie grinned and wiped the other side of her spoon on the back of his hand. Another pink smudge stood out against his tan skin. "That's it," he said swirling his own spoon in the frosting.

Ellie squealed and quickly stepped away before he could swipe frosting on her own arm. She dodged again when he reached for her, laughing. They chased each other around the kitchen, leaving frosting wherever they could.

Connor soon had her cornered by the fridge, wiping frosting all over her face. Ellie laughed and tried to swipe more on his own face unsuccessfully. Connor finally stopped and put his hands on the fridge, trapping her with his arms.

Ellie looked up at his face and snickered. "You're pink."

Connor smirked, causing Ellie's stomach to flutter. "So are you," he replied.

Their gazes met and Ellie felt her breath catch in her throat. The look in his eyes was different from any other she had seen. Ellie reached for the collar of his t-shirt, pulling him down. Their lips finally met and Ellie grinned into the kiss.

He deepened the kiss and Ellie's eyes widened in surprise. He usually didn't do this, but she wasn't complaining. His hands moved down to rest on her waist, pulling her closer to him.

Ellie reached up to bury her fingers into his hair.

"Connor, do you know where my phone is-oh, bloody hell. Again?!"

Ellie squeaked in embarrassment and Connor stepped away to the counter island, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I-i-i-its on the c-coffee table," Connor stuttered, looking down at his shoes.

Ellie looked away, trying to avoid looking at Mr. Kenway, she could feel her face slowly turning redder by the second.

"Thank you, and try to behave. Good Lord," Mr. Kenway said sarcastically, walking out of the kitchen.

Ellie didn't look at Connor until the front door shut again.

An awkward silence filled the kitchen.

"Did you hear him come in?"

"No."

Another silence.

"Those darn ninjas," Ellie grumbled.

Connor chuckled at that one. "I'm told you he learned from them."

"And you weren't kidding," Ellie replied, moving back toward the counter island.

Connor moved to her side, standing close enough that their arms brushed each other.

"Let's get these done so we can see Ezio eat one," Ellie said, smiling up at him.

Connor grinned and grabbed his abandoned spoon.

"Gladly."

Connor's eyes widened in surprise as he and Ellie walked into The Den. More decorations were on the walls and there was a new chalkboard on the wall behind the counter. Kadar beamed at them.

"What do you guys think?"

Connor shrugged. "Pretty cool."

"I like this one," Ellie said, pointing at a painting that was near the door. It looked like a landscape painting of ruins.

Kadar shrugged. "My brother said it's a painting of an old castle in Syria. They call it Masayaf."

Connor looked at the other new decorations while Ellie mused about the Masayaf painting with Kadar.

He walked over to the counter, looking up at the menu written on the new chalkboard.

"Ah, Connor, I wondered when we would meet again."

Connor looked to see Malik standing behind the counter now. He gestured to Kadar and Ellie. "He loves that painting too."

"Where is that castle exactly?" Connor asked, looking back at the picture.

Malik grinned. "It's in Eastern Syria, near the coast. Altair and I grew up in the little town near the ruins. I bought it for those reasons."

Connor opened his mouth to comment but a loud voice cut him off.

"I'm not single anymore!" Desmond whooped, throwing an arm over Connor's shoulders.

Malik frowned. "Who would date your whiny ass?"

Desmond frowned right back. "Lucy Stillman."

Malik made a gesture with his hand. "Allah, watch over that girl," he said, turning to walk into the back room.

Desmond rolled his eyes.

"Did I hear correctly?" Ellie asked, beaming up at Desmond. She tucked the Tupperware dish the cookies under her arm.

Desmond's chest puffed out a bit. "You sure as hell did!"

Ellie gave Connor an amused look. "I was wondering when you would ask her out. Claudia and I were ready to make bets."

Desmond's face fell. "You mean I could have asked her out sooner?"

Ellie gave him a bewildered look. "Uh, yeah. She obviously liked you."

Desmond face palmed. "God da-"

"Speaking of Lucy, where is she?" Ellie asked, cutting off Desmond's cursing.

Desmond sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "She said she couldn't hang out because her step-dad said he needed her help with something."

Ellie shook her head. "That's a shame."

The little bell above the door rang and everyone looked to see Altair walk in. Connor smiled when he saw who was with him.

"Hi Maria."

Maria smiled, tucking a dark brown lock behind her ear. "Hey Connor. Decided on a school yet?"

Connor flinched. He still hasn't made that decision yet, even though he and his father have gone on many more visits. "Not quite."

Maria shrugged. "Well, just make sure you pick the one best for you."

A choking noise from Desmond caused Connor to peek at him out of the corner of his eye.

Maria noticed too. "You must be Desmond. I've heard a lot about you," she said with an amused smirk.

She turned toward the counter, where Kadar was waiting. "Tea please, Kadar."

Altair finally spoke up. "And where's Malik?"

Kadar jerked a thumb toward the back room and moved to make Maria's tea. Altair nodded in thanks and walked behind the counter toward the back room.

Maria turned back toward them. "So Desmond, is everything Altair tells me true?"

Desmond looked a little pale. "What does he tell you?"

Maria quirked a brow. "He tells me you're a good kid. Is he lying?"

Desmond's panicked face turned into a confused one. "He told you that?"

Maria grinned. "Yes, he did."

Desmond rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly looking sheepish.

Maria looked toward Ellie. "And whose this?"

"I'm Ellie Johnston, a friend of Desmond's," Ellie answered, holding out a hand.

Maria smiled and shook it.

"And Connor's girlfriend," Desmond coughed into his hand.

Maria glanced at Connor and then back at Ellie. She stared at them for a few moments. "I can already tell you two are adorable," she said with a teasing grin.

Connor cleared his throat, trying to ignore the blush creeping up his neck.

"What major do you study at Skidmore?" Ellie asked, pulling her hair over one of her shoulders.

Maria paid for her tea and turned back to Ellie. "I'm an English major. I'm trying to get an internship with a local newspaper or magazine too."

Ellie's eyes widened. "You want to be a journalist? So do I!"

Connor looked at her in mild surprise. This was a first for him. He realized that he never asked Ellie what she wanted to do and he felt a little guilty for not doing so earlier.

Maria perked up. "Really? What do you want to write about?"

Ellie shrugged. "I'm okay with anything except politics."

Maria cocked her head. "And why's that?"

"It's just one big, stupid, gray area that I have no interest in."

Maria beamed at her, holding up her hand. "You deserve a high five for that. How old are you again?"

"I'll be seventeen in a couple months."

"I like you," Maria said, looking at Connor. "Keep her around, she's smart."

Desmond barked out a laugh. "You should see her notebooks. And she smarted off to Mr. Lee once. I would have paid hard cash to see that!"

"It was amazing," Connor commented, grinning at the memory of Lee's surprised face.

Ellie suddenly reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out her phone. She pouted. "Claudia and Ezio can't meet us here anymore; we'll have to meet them at the gym Ezio works at."

Desmond shrugged. "Okay, just let me get my coffee first."

Ellie turned back to Maria. "It was great meeting you," she said. Connor noticed that she peeked at Kadar. He looked to see Kadar holding back snickers.

Altair walked back out from the back room, Malik was close behind him. He crooked a finger at Connor and Desmond, walking toward the door to the coffee shop. Connor handed Ellie a five dollar bill. "Please?"

Ellie nodded taking the bill. "Yup. Now go," she said, shooing him away.

Connor followed the FBI agent out of the shop, Desmond was right behind him. Altair sighed and crossed his arms. "Guys, this is about Daniel Cross."

Both boys tensed up, giving each other worried looks.

Altair wiped a hand down his face, suddenly looking very tired. "We've almost got him pinned down, but not quite yet. We're trying out some new tactics and hopefully you'll never see him again," he paused, looking at Desmond, "I'm talking to you guys to tell you to not get involved no matter what. I don't care if you notice him. Just don't do anything."

Desmond scowled. "And why not? It kind of sucks to have a creepy ass felon on watching our damn backs, you know."

Altair glared at him. Connor was just glad that he wasn't the one receiving that glare.

"Because they don't want anything to do with you two. They could care less. They're just hoping to use you to get to Mr. Kenway and your dad."

Connor felt his stomach swirl in worry. What if he did something stupid and those guys got to his dad? Would there be another incident like the one that happened a few months ago? Would they target Ellie instead?

Altair rubbed the back of his neck. "And you both don't have to worry about your girlfriends. They haven't tried to follow them when they weren't around you or anything. But," he paused again and looked at Desmond, "I recognize yours from somewhere. And not from a good somewhere."

Desmond's scowl grew. "What do you mean 'not from a good somewhere'?"

Altair shook his head. "Never mind. She probably just looks like someone I saw. Just be careful you two. And don't reveal anything your dad's might have told you about the case."

Desmond crossed his arms. "You don't have to worry about that. Dad barely talks to me."

Connor nodded. "We'll be careful, Altair," he said, giving the agent a nod of thanks. Altair looked like he was worn thin and very tired.

Altair nodded and walked back into the coffee shop right as Ellie walked out. She gave Connor a questioning look as she handed him his cup. "Did he talk about what I think he talked about?" she asked, looking concerned.

Connor nodded, taking a big swig of the coffee. "Yeah."

Desmond scoffed. "Well, they won't find out anything from either of us, that's for certain. Let's go to this gym. I'm curious about Ezio's domain."

Connor shook the thoughts of the case and his father out of his mind and walked toward his car.

Now wasn't the time to worry about it.

Haytham sighed as he walked back into the house, tossing his keys on the coffee table. He slowly walked into the kitchen, seeing that it was spotless.

He never should doubt Miss Johnston.

He walked back into the living room, hurrying up the stairs to his office with his briefcase. He thought about what William just told him at the Bureau, wiping a hand down his face.

"The gang leader is in charge of a study abroad agency somewhere. We noticed that it has been students, college students mainly, that have been getting trafficked over the years, starting in California and they slowly moved east. We tracked your sister's case back to when she said she was getting ready to go abroad to Italy and that was when she was trafficked with four other students. We have the name of the man in charge at the time but we don't have a photo just yet."

Haytham opened his briefcase, pulling out all his notes and files on the current case and his sister's case. He winced when he looked at the pictures of Jenny in the files. He remembered going to the Middle East and searching for her.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. He didn't want to think about what he had to do to find his sister. Most of the things he did were probably illegal. He never told his mother and father the whole truth and he knew Jenny hasn't either.

But, William Miles knew somehow, thanks to another agent named Holden. And that was how he was pulled into all of this again.

Haytham jumped when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out, seeing that it was a text from Connor. "Going to MMA gym. Will be back home soon."

Haytham set his phone down, sighing. He hated that he made his 18 year old son text him whenever he went everywhere, but he didn't want Connor to have to go through what Jenny went through just because they weren't careful.

His phone rang again and he scowled when he saw William's number show up. He picked up the phone and pressed the call button. "Now what? Didn't I just talk to you?"

"Check your email. Altair found something," William ordered, sounding tense.

Haytham grumbled and opened his laptop, pulling up his email. He opened the one William just sent him and he frowned at the picture.

"Recognize her?" William asked.

The girl in the picture didn't resemble the girl he saw at the game the night before, but it was her. The girl in the picture looked underfed and haunted. Her blonde hair hung listlessly and she had dirt all over her.

"These are pictures from a trafficking camp Altair and I stopped a couple years ago. This girl disappeared right after we found her. Her name is Lucy," William explained, sounding strained.

Haytham remembered how Ellie and her friend reacted to the girl the night before when they talked about Desmond. "Is this the girl your boy is interested in?"

"I fear that she's working for the trafficker, hoping to get close to Desmond so he'll talk about the case. I'm not worried about that though," William said. Haytham could hear the tapping of a keyboard in the background as William worked at his computer.

"What I'm worried about is that they'll get impatient and take it out on both her and Desmond. But, she could lead us to the leader of this whole twisted mess."

Haytham tensed. What if this Lucy lead them to the leader? His sister's case could finally be closed and the horrible business could be put to rest once and for all. "You're willing to risk your son's wellbeing for that?"

William let out a weary sigh. "I was thinking about warning Desmond, but I don't think I'm the right person for that. I think ignorance is bliss in this situation. And, no, I'm not comfortable with having Desmond in this position. I don't know what to do."

"Simple. Tell him he can't see her."

"He wouldn't listen to me, even if I told him not to."

Haytham furrowed his brow. "I don't know what you should do, William, but Desmond shouldn't be involved. He might become a victim himself. I'm wondering if I should tell Connor or not."

"Don't! The less the boys know, the better."

Haytham stood up and started to pace. "Then I suggest using this Miss Stillman to find the arse before she leads the boys into danger."

William sighed. "That's what we've got to be careful about. She could be a victim in danger herself."

Haytham remembered how he found Jenny being threatened to bring young men and women to the trafficking camp, and how he snuck in with that group.

"You do have a point. Has Altair found anything else on Cross?"

"Cross seems to be wherever the boys go or he's nearby when Stillman is there; probably making sure she's doing what she's told. Altair believes that the remaining members of the gang are working from a warehouse near downtown. Altair's trying to discover which one," the agent paused and let out a long sigh, "It's almost over. We have them in reach."

"Good. What do I need to do?"

William chuckled with no humor. "What you do best. Get ready to prosecute the sick bastards' asses."

"I'll do my best."

"Be careful, Haytham. I know they're onto you because of a grudge. I think they could give a rat's ass that you're the lawyer involved."

Haytham flinched. Of course. The leader probably remembered how Haytham broke Jenny and many other young men and women out of that camp in the Middle East with Agent Holden's help.

"I feared it would be that. I was hoping this wasn't the same gang."

"Well, it turns out that it is. The leader is using very similar methods to the ones he used before. I mean it when I say be careful."

Haytham gritted his teeth. "I will. Now bloody find that bastard so I don't have to be!"

"Remember, don't tell Connor."

"Goodbye, twat," Haytham said, hanging up. He dug the heels of his palms into his eyes.

He knew what happened in the middle east would come back to haunt him.

He just hoped that Connor wouldn't get hurt in the process.

That was his biggest fear.