Connor woke up the next morning to his phone ringing. He groaned and looked at the time. It was actually two in the afternoon, so he didn't mind as much. He picked up the phone without looking at who was calling. "Hello?"

"Dude, can you hang out?" Desmond asked.

Connor got out of bed and nodded, then he realized that Desmond couldn't see him. "I can. What do you wanna do?"

"Can we just hang at your house?"

"Sure, come on over."

Desmond hung up.

Connor yawned and stretched. His shoulders popped and he grimaced. He quickly threw on a shirt and some jeans and headed downstairs. Haytham was sitting on the couch, reading the paper.

Connor inwardly flinched when he saw the stitches on his father's temple. The raw feeling of what he recently found out about his father also caused his heart to drop.

"Good afternoon," Haytham said, turning the page in his paper.

"Is it okay if Desmond hangs out for a little bit?"

Haytham glanced up at him. "Of course."

Connor turned to walk toward the kitchen. "Have you called Miss Johnston? I'm sure you've told her you couldn't make it to her track meet."

Connor froze. Oh, shit. Ellie!

He fumbled to get his phone from his pocket and quickly pressed her name. He headed out to the back porch. His Cheerios could wait.

He hopped on the balls of his feet. Ellie was going to be mad. He knew she was.

"Hello?"

"Hey Ellie."

"Connor! What happened? Is everything okay?"

Connor sat down on the steps, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry I missed the meet," he said meekly. She was going to kill him when she found out he tried to face Vidic alone.

"Don't be. What happened?" she asked again.

"It's a long story. When are you going to be home?"

"In a few hours. Why?"

"Ellie-I-I mean-My dad," he paused and sighed, "I just have to tell you in person, I can't really say what happened over the phone."

Ellie made a sound of understanding, sounding worried. "Okay, is everyone alright? You said it was an emergency."

"Yeah, everyone's okay."

"That's good. Connor, are you okay?"

Connor grinned and shook his head in amusement. There she went with her mind reading again. "I will be," he finally answered. He knew he couldn't lie to her.

"Okay, see you in a little bit."

"See you."

They both hung up and Connor stared at his phone for a few moments. Ellie really was going to kill him when she found out about his stupid attempt at being a hero. He hoped she would understand.

He fixed his usual bowl of Cheerios and waited for Desmond to arrive. Soon, he heard the sound of a car in the cul-de-sac and then footsteps.

"I knew you would be back here," Desmond said, hopping over the fence. He walked over to the porch, taking the spot beside Connor and they both stared into the trees in silence.

"Are you okay?" Connor finally asked.

"No."

"Me neither."

Both boys sighed and sat in silence for a while longer.

"Connor?"

"Yeah?"

"You know about Lucy right? What she did?"

"Yeah."

"What do you think?"

Connor hesitated before answering. He never was angry at Lucy. She was in just as much danger as any of them. She was doing what she could to survive. He supposed she was what Jenny was at some point. "I think she was just trying to protect herself."

Desmond clenched his fists. "She used us! All of us! How can you just say that?!"

"She's not a bad person Desmond. She's just as much of a victim as us."

"Yeah but-God, why?!"

"I don't know. But blaming her won't change anything. Dad told me that she tried to warn him. She had to have felt bad if she wanted to help, Des."

Desmond looked like he was at war with himself for a moment. "My dad told me that her family picked her up today."

"That's good."

"Connor, I want to hate her, but I just can't."

"Then don't."

They sat in silence again while Connor crunched on his Cheerios. He finished and set the bowl aside, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands in front of his face.
"I don't know if I can forgive her," Desmond said, avoiding Connor's look.

Connor shrugged. "You can't let it bother you forever."

"But I don't know if I can't stop it!"

Connor knew where he was coming from. He had similar thoughts about his father last night. "You wanna know what my mom used to say?"

Desmond leaned back on his palms and let his head fall back. "Fine. What?"

Connor tried to remember exactly what Ziio used to say. "She said that forgiveness isn't forgetting…it's taking the chokehold from the other person's neck."

"Damn, your mom was intense."

"Well, it's true. You don't have to forget what happened to forgive."

Desmond sighed. "I'm not sure if I'm ready to do that, man."

"Then wait until you are."

Desmond looked at him. "Let's talk about something else."

Connor shrugged. "Okay."

There was a long pause. "I don't regret it."

"Regret what?"

"Shooting Vidic. I killed a man last night, Connor, and I don't regret it." Desmond paused and looked up at the sky, biting his lip and shaking his head. "What's wrong with me?"

Connor felt his stomach churn a little. He honestly didn't know what to say. "That man wasn't human," he finally replied.

Desmond let out a bark of laughter. "What was I supposed to do? That asshole was going to kill Altair. I couldn't let that happen. I used to think Altair was the only one I had when my mom is gone on her business trips."

Connor looked at his friend in confusion. "Used to?"

Desmond continued. "My dad actually looked worried about me after it all happened. I never saw him look like that before."

He paused and looked at Connor. "How's your dad?"

"He's good. Yours?"

"He almost didn't let me come over here. He's really protective now. Altair told me he was freaking out the whole time."

"So…"

"So what?"

"So do you take back some of the things you said about him?"

Desmond remained silent for a few moments before finally replying. "Yeah, I guess I do."

The boys remained silent until Desmond had to go home.

Connor knew this was going to be a long summer.

Connor was almost dreading when Ellie was going to come over. He knew he wanted to tell her everything, but he wasn't sure if he should tell her about his father. Maybe some other day.

Ellie found him on the back porch. She hopped over the fence and slowly walked over. She stood in front of him, biting her lip. "Is this what I think it's about?" she asked quietly.

Connor nodded and she sat down beside him. She leaned into his side and Connor wrapped an arm around her. Having her close made him feel a little better.

"Tell me."

Connor sighed and told her everything. She was shocked and sad to hear about Lucy. Ellie didn't blame her for anything when he told her why Lucy did what she did and how she tried to help in the end.

Connor paused after he said he decided to go in alone.

Ellie sat up straight and stared at him. "You thought that going in without the FBI was a good idea?!" she asked, eyes narrowing.

Connor flinched. Yup, she was mad.

"What were you thinking?! What would your grandma have done if you were killed? Tessa and Edward? Achilles? Your dad? Me?!"

Connor met her angry glare and was shocked to see tears in her eyes. "You could have been killed and then what would we have done?! Your dad probably would have been ultimately alone if he got out alive and I-"

Ellie covered her mouth and looked away. Her shoulders shook as she held back sobs.

Connor's stomach fell to his feet and he could feel his heart breaking at her expression. "Ellie, I thought that I had to do it. I-"

"No! You just wanted to prove that you could do it by yourself! Do you know how selfish that is?!"

"Ellie, I-"

"I already lost my parents, Connor! What would I have done if I lost my best friend too?" she choked out.

For the second time in two days, Connor felt like he got punched in the face. She was right. It was stupid and selfish of him to do what he did. Deep down, he knew he was sick of receiving help from everyone. Achilles had known.

Connor wished he would have listened to the old man.

He didn't know what to do as tears started to run down Ellie's cheeks. She was starting to curl into herself a little as she tried to not full out sob.

Instinct overcame him and he finally just wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He whispered, "I'm sorry." over and over again, rubbing her back.

Connor didn't know how long they sat like that, but he was willing to do it forever until she felt better. She finally pushed him away a little and wiped her nose.

Her green eyes bore into his and Connor wished he wasn't the reason why they were still full of tears. Connor hugged her again and she finally returned it as she buried her face into his shoulder.

He told her the rest of what happened and how Cross and Vidic didn't survive.

"And that's what happened."

"No. There's something else."

Connor pulled away and glanced down at her in surprise. Ellie's eyes were narrowed suspiciously and she wiped her nose again as she sniffed.

Connor almost sighed in exasperation. He really couldn't hide anything from her.

"I don't know if I want to talk about it," he said, thinking about what his father told him last night.

Ellie didn't press the issue, but he knew she would ask him about it sooner or later.

Instead of talking again, Ellie pulled him closer and buried her face into his chest. Connor tightened his grip around her and rested his cheek on top of her head.

This felt better than talking.

A couple weeks went by before everything was slightly normal again. The rest of the traffickers were found and put on trial and the threat permanently ended.

Everyone also got their final scores back and Ellie was proud to say that she was the third student ever to get an A in Mr. Lee's College English class.

Claudia had also received a full ride scholarship to a school in Texas for getting first in the High Jump at state.

Summer was officially here, and the air buzzed with excitement along with the bright, sunlight days.

The warm weather helped brighten Ellie's mood as she tapped her foot along with Bohemian Rhapsody as it blared out of the Mustang's speakers. Connor had invited her to visit the Reservation with him again and she happily accepted.

Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, she thought about what happened a couple weekends ago for a moment. It didn't surprise her that he thought that what he did was stupid, and Ellie felt surprised at herself still at how she reacted. She hardly ever got that emotional and he said he was sorry.

Maybe the very thought of losing Connor made her react that way. Ellie truly didn't know what she would have done if he had gotten hurt.

Connor caught her look and he smiled a little before looking at the road again.

Ellie pushed the thoughts of their kind-of argument to the back of her mind and focused on the present. Everything was better now, so there was no need to think about what happened.

"Hey, can we not listen to this old school crap?" Desmond asked, poking his head up into the front area.

Connor shoved Desmond's head back. "Driver chooses music, backseat shuts his cakehole."

Ellie almost laughed until she cried. She knew introducing Connor to Supernatural was a good idea.

Connor groaned as he walked outside and plopped down beside Ellie on the porch steps. He just told the same thing he told Ellie to his Ahkso. And she wasn't happy in the least. He had to calm her down and convince her that everything was alright.

Desmond patted his back. "Well, at least it's from you and not your dad, right?"

Josh snorted. "The world would have turned upside down if Kenway told her anything."

Connor shrugged and leaned against Ellie a little. She rubbed his arm and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Aw, you two are so cute!" Josh teased. Connor rolled his eyes and lightly kicked Josh in the back.

"Tha'tetsato:tat!" Connor growled, trying to not laugh.

Being around Josh and his old home made him feel better. It helped that his other two best friends were there.

"Dude, what did you just say?" Desmond asked with a smirk. He was trying to not laugh at what Josh said most likely.

"He basically told me to shut up," Josh explained, throwing another teasing look at Connor.

Connor frowned at his friend. "And yet you're still talking."

Josh shrugged and let out another laugh. "You make teasing you too easy," he said, shoving Connor's knee.

Connor ignored him and focused on Ellie's quiet giggle. He knew she was trying not to laugh out loud.

"So," Desmond said, thumping Connor's leg, "what's the plan for tomorrow, chief?"

Connor couldn't hold back a smirk. "We're swimming at the pond."

Ellie stiffened and she sat up straight. "What?!"

Josh was talking to Desmond. "Dude, we have a rope swing and a makeshift diving board and everything. It's going to be a blast!"

"But, t-there's fish and stuff in there, isn't there?"

"Yeah! It's so much fun to catch them! Once, I caught a bullfrog the size of my head!" Josh exclaimed, holding up his hands to show the size of the supposed bullfrog.

"It was only the size of your fist," Connor commented, remembering when they caught that bullfrog.

Ellie looked like she was going to be sick. "Gross," she grumbled.

Connor rested his hand on the porch behind her. "Josh is exaggerating. There's nothing to be scared of."

"It's not the frogs that bother me," Ellie said with a pout.

"What? Scared of a little mud and pond scum, Ellie?" Desmond laughed.

Ellie frowned at him. "What if I am?"

Connor suddenly remembered that his girlfriend was a clean freak like his father. "I promise that we can watch all the Disney movies you want if you come with us tomorrow," he said. He really wanted her to come. He knew they could have fun.

Ellie arched a brow. "As many as I want?"

"Connor! Why Disney movies?!" Desmond wailed.

Josh acted like he was gagging. "Why not something else?!"

Connor glared at them. They both avoided his stare.

"Deal," Ellie said with a grin toward his friends.

"I thought it was Bros before-"

Connor punched Desmond in the arm before he could finish the phrase.

Ellie inspected the water the next day. Abby, Jacob, Ashton, Andrew, and Erica sprinted into the water, causing some to splash on her bare leg.

The kids started to splash each other as they started to swim around in the murky water. Ellie tensed up when she couldn't see their brightly colored swimsuits. Their parents just let them come here and swim without anyone around?!

A big whoop and some hollers warned her of Desmond swinging in on the rope swing. He let go and let out some laughs before landing in the water.

She then looked to see Josh jump off the log that served as a diving board.

Ellie had to admit, the makeshift swimming pool had its own charm. She finally took a deep breath and thought about all of the Disney movies the boys were going to be forced to watch as she stepped into the water.

Another yell caused her to look toward the rope swing again. Connor swung in, but didn't let go of the rope. He swung back toward the upright log they used as a jumping point and kicked off it. He gained for altitude before finally letting go.

The kids laughed with glee at the big splash he caused.

Ellie rolled her eyes and smiled at the scene. She stepped further out into the water, feeling proud of herself. The water was lapping at her waist now and she started to wonder why she was so worried about this water in the first place.

Something that felt like a plant brushed against her leg and Ellie couldn't stop from flinching.

Okay, now she remembered why she was worried.

"Ellie!"

Ellie looked up at Connor and couldn't hold back a giggle. His hair was in strange angles. "What?"

"Go off the swing!"

Ellie crossed her arms and arched a brow. "No way."

"Please?"

"Nope."

He dove under the water and Ellie panicked when she couldn't see him anymore.

She squeaked in surprise when he popped out of the water right in front of her. He stood up and ran his fingers through his hair. "Come on, it's really fun," he pleaded.

Ellie tried to avoid the puppy-dog stare he was giving her, but it was sucking her right back in. She finally sighed. "Okay, I'll do it."

He smiled and Ellie wondered why he was so happy about it. Then she remembered: this was a way of showing her what his home was like.

Steeling herself, she marched out of the water toward the rope swing. She was going to find the most girly Disney movies out there and watch them after this to torture them.

Connor followed her and grabbed the rope for her as she climbed up the log. Nervousness started to fill her stomach as she looked out at the water. She really didn't like this.

"Okay, just jump off and put your feet on the knot. Let go when you get really far out there. I'll be waiting for you," Connor explained, giving her a reassuring look.

He leaped into the water and swam out toward the middle.

"Jump!" he yelled.

Everyone started to chant. Even little Abby was screaming for her to jump.

Ellie took a deep breath, feeling her stomach drop and heart race at how high she was. She closed her eyes and leaped. She screamed when she finally let go and landed in the water.

Ellie quickly swam to the surface and let out a laugh, wiping the water from her face. This wasn't as bad as she thought it would be.

Then, something slimy touched her leg.

"Eeeek!" she squealed. Clinging to Connor for dear life, she yelped, "Something touched me!"

Thank God Connor was a sweetheart. He quickly swam to where she could see the bottom of the pond. "Better?"

Ellie let go and smiled at him. "Much better," she said before pecking his cheek.

"Connor and Ellie sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Josh sang.

The kids and Desmond started to sing along. Well, all of them except Andrew, who looked furious.

"First comes love! Then comes marriage! Then comes Ellie with a baby carriage!"

Ellie rolled her eyes and laughed as Connor scowled at them all. She then decided to get back at him in a different way, other than Disney movies.

"That wasn't a kiss!" she said over their chanting voices. She turned Connor's head so he was looking at her and gave him a big smooch on the mouth. "That was a kiss!"

The kids covered their eyes and the twins said, "Gross!"

Ellie enjoyed how Connor's whole face turned pink.

Connor sighed as he looked through his Ahkso's old VCR tapes. Ellie wanted to cash in on her Disney movie promise by having a movie night. He pulled out all of the old Disney movies and set them aside.

A heavy 'thunk' caused him to look toward the closet he pulled the box of tapes out of. He pushed the door open with his foot and he saw that a box had fallen to the floor.

Connor crawled over to the closet, hoping that nothing fragile was in the box.

He opened it up and his eyes widened to see an old Christmas decorations. It looked mostly like tinsel and the string his mother used for her popcorn strings. He shook it a little, wondering what made the clunking noise when it fell.

More clunking noises came from it when he shook it. He pulled out the tinsel and string and was confused to see a tape sitting at the bottom. He pulled it out to see the words, "For Connor" written on the label in his mother's handwriting.

He tilted his head and shrugged, deciding to ask his Ahkso about it in a moment.

Connor put the Christmas decorations back and put the boxes back in the closet. He scooped up the tapes and walked out into the living room. "Got them!" he said.

"I call a non-Princess one first!" Desmond said, holding up his hand.

Ellie shrugged. "Fine. But you'll to watch Beauty and the Beast sometime."

Desmond stuck his tongue out at her before looking at the TV again. Connor smacked the back of his head as he walked by. "Behave," he growled playfully as he set the tapes in front of the TV.

"Again with the standing up for the girlfriend," Desmond complained.

Connor looked at Desmond over his shoulder and arched a brow. "Well, if a certain d-bag stopped being rude to her…"

"Hey! I'm standing up for our manliness. Disney movies?! Come on! I'll have to punch a wall to feel manly again after this."

"True," Josh commented around a mouthful of popcorn.

"You know," Ellie cut in, "Connor's probably the most manly of the three of you and he watches Disney movies with me all the time."

Desmond and Josh looked at her incredulously. "Oh yeah? How is he the most manly?" Desmond argued.

Connor turned around so they wouldn't see his cheeks heating up.

"Well, one, he knows how to use a bunch of weapons and fight. Two, he's probably the strongest out of all of you. Three, he's very smart. Four, he's good looking. And last but not least, he's good with kids."

All three boys' eyes widened at the last one. "What?" Desmond and Josh both said at the same time. "How is being good with kids manly?" Desmond laughed.

Ellie rolled her eyes. "Didn't you say so yourself? Bring a kid into the picture and girls are putty. Yes, I heard you at the MMA gym! Anyway, girls like guys that are good with kids. So, the equation is, the better a guy is with kids, the more girls are going to like him. Which, gentlemen, equals manly."

Desmond and Josh's jaws dropped and Connor was snickering. No wonder his father liked Ellie. She was as big of a sarcastic butthole as Haytham was. She just had a more polite way to go about it.

"Holy shit, she's right," Desmond muttered.

Connor stuck The Sword in the Stone in the VCR. He crab walked back to where he was sitting in front of Ellie, who was on the couch, and focused on the screen. He fast forwarded to the beginning and leaned back against Ellie's legs.

He soon felt her gentle fingers playing with his hair and Connor had to focus on not falling asleep the whole time.

Connor looked and saw that everyone was asleep four movies later. The end credits of Beauty and the Beast was playing and Ellie had been the last one to go. He crawled forward and ejected the tape, pulling out the one he found in the Christmas box.

He took a deep breath and put the tape in, not knowing what he would see. He turned the volume down and scooted as close as he could to the TV screen so that only he could hear.

Ziio's face suddenly appeared on the screen, causing Connor's eyes to widen in surprise. He knew it was after she had started chemo because she was wearing one of the multiple head scarves his Ahkso gave her.

"Ratonhnhaké:ton, Connor, my baby," she started out with a smile. She adjusted the camera a little and clasped her hands in front of her.

Connor saw what looked like their old living room behind her and the clock told him that it was noon when she did this. He would have been at school or helping at the auto shop.

"Soon, things are about to get hard, and I know that you'll face it all head on and with a brave face like you would with anything else," she continued with a knowing smile.

Connor couldn't help but smile back at the screen. Even if it was on a TV screen, it was always good to see her face again.

"But I need to say something on here because I'm not brave enough to tell you this face to face," she said, suddenly looking solemn. "I want to tell you why I never let you see your father. You see, he did something very hurtful to me a little before you were born and then said something shortly after."

Connor inwardly flinched. He knew what those things were. She continued on to say what his father's transgressions were.

She then paused and let out a sad laugh. "But, your father underestimated me. I knew that what he said was a lie; he never was good at lying to me. His eyes are too expressive, just like yours. I also found out why he said what he did. Jenny, his sister, told me everything. You can ask your father what I am speaking of when the time comes."

Connor's jaw almost dropped. Jenny?! Jenny told his mother what happened?! His mother knew about Jerusalem?! Connor guessed it made sense. But why would Jenny care about his mother? As far as he knew, Jenny didn't like her.

"But, that is not why I decided to stay separated from him. It actually took every part of my being to keep us both away from him."

Connor looked to make sure everyone was still asleep over his shoulder. Desmond let out a loud snore and Josh and Ellie looked like they were out cold. Connor looked back at the screen as his mother continued.

"Ratonhnhaké:ton, I found out about the cancer while I was pregnant with you. They saw a tumor in my abdomen during one of my ultrasounds and we decided to run tests after you were born. At first it was benign, but they said it could turn malignant. That was when I decided that I couldn't go back to your father. My pride wouldn't allow it."

Connor buried his face in his hands as he processed the information. His mother was sick since the day he was born. And she didn't want to seem like she was going back to his father for help. She was too proud for something like that.

"Until now, the tumor was benign. You know the rest of that story. Connor, my pride wasn't the only thing keeping us and your father apart, and that is another reason why I couldn't say this to your face. I know that I'll go soon. And I want you to live with your father when I go because I want to give him the chance to know you. It is only fair to you both."

She paused and wiped at her eyes. Connor wiped at the tears escaping from his own eyes.

"Connor, when you see this, ask your Ahkso to get the other tape I made and I want you to give it to your father. It's my explanation to him. Please, my son, do as I ask."

Ziio fidgeted and fixed her scarf. "Ratonhnhaké:ton, I am so proud of you and I cannot express how blessed I am to have had you for a son. I will be by your side no matter where you go or what you do and I will always be proud of you. I will be there for your graduation, college years," she paused and giggled with a teasing grin, "your wedding, and for whatever life throws at you."

Connor felt his cheeks heat up and he shook his head in amusement. His mother used to tease him about how he would be a hermit someday due to his disinterest in dating.

She would've been tickled pink if she saw him and Ellie.

"Konnorónhkwa, Ratonhnhaké:ton, be strong and brave, and remember that I'm always with you."

The screen went black and Connor didn't bother to wipe at the tears running down his cheeks.

A huge wave of emotion overtook him and he wrapped his arms around his legs and buried his face into his knees.

He didn't know how long he silently cried into the night.

Connor decided to confront his Ahkso about the tape the next morning. He woke up early and stepped out onto the porch, where he knew she would be having her daily cup of tea.

"Good morning Ratonhnhaké:ton," she said as he closed the door.

Connor took a seat next to her on the porch swing and watched as the world slowly started to light up as the sun rose.

"I found a tape with the tinsel last night with my name on it."

Ahkso froze.

"I also watched it. Were you supposed to give that to me sooner?"

Connor had decided to not beat around the bush and get straight to the point.

Ahkso watched him with a pinched expression before she finally sighed and leaned back against the seat. "She told you to ask for the tape for Haytham?"

Connor nodded, tapping his toes against the wood of the porch. "Ahkso, she told me why she stayed away from him. He deserves to know."

Ahkso suddenly seemed irritated. "He deserves to know? He hates us!"

Connor almost rolled his eyes in exasperation. He wished he could take a megaphone, stand on a really tall cliff, building, or whatever, and shout out the truth. "Ahkso, he really doesn't. He asks me about this place all the time."

"Hmph. He's a lawyer. He's good at lying and acting."

Connor dug the heels of his palms into his eyes. This was going to be harder than he thought. "Ahkso, I swear to the great spirits, I will rip this house apart to find that tape because I know my father deserves a better explanation than you probably gave him."

He met her glare with his own, refusing to back down.

She finally sighed and pointed to the door. "It's in the tin with the ornaments."

Connor wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her, hoping she took it as an apology. He really didn't like fighting with her. "Oh, Ratonhnhaké:ton. They both unintentionally caused each other so much pain. It's just ridiculous," she said with another heavy sigh.

"I know, Ahkso. I know."