-/- October 2013-/-

-/- Ten months later-/-

Ezio takes his coffee to one of the cafe's outdoor tables and sits down with it. Overhead speakers pump music out, just loud enough to keep him from focusing. He pulls a phone out of his jacket pocket and sends a text to Haytham.

Next time, I pick the meeting place.

He doesn't expect an answer, and he doesn't get one. If Haytham's doing his part of the plan, then right about now he'll be too busy to answer his phone. Or he's messed up and now he's dead, but Ezio doubts that. Almost grudgingly, over the past ten months, he's come to respect the man's skills. And maybe he can admit that Haytham isn't all that bad, as a person.

Still, if Haytham finds one more coffee place full of overcaffinated college students or organic health nuts to use as a meeting place, Ezio's going to need to have a serious conversation with him.

"Bad day?" Connor asks, settling himself into the chair across from Ezio.

"Did you know I don't even like coffee?" Ezio asks.

"Yes," Connor says. "That's why my father keeps picking these places to meet in."

"I knew it," Ezio mutters. "Never mind. How did your part go?"

"Fine," says Connor. "There's one Abstergo guard that won't be coming in for work tomorrow. He's new, too. So no one should notice."

"Good," says Ezio.

"If we're lucky," Connor adds.

Ezio's about to say something when Haytham drops into the last chair at the table. "Luck has nothing to do with it," he says. "If something goes wrong and you can't adapt, that's your own fault."

"This is why we have such a close relationship," says Connor, but there's no malice in his voice, and Ezio has to hide a smile. Ten month s. In that time, the four of them have somehow grown into what could almost be a real family. Not exactly a normal family, but maybe the best any of them can hope for under the circumstances. And Ezio likes seeing Connor and Haytham getting along. He has a soft spot for fathers and sons.

"Is Altair going to be back by tomorrow morning?" Haytham asks Ezio.

"He better be," says Connor. "We're doing all this work to get him in, if he doesn't show up-"

"He'll be here," Ezio says. "He's using time travel. How could he possibly be late?" Ezio and Altair both have apples, but Ezio hasn't managed to make his do more than translate for him. Whenever they need someone to do any time travel, it falls to Altair.

"I still don't know why Altair's going in tomorrow," Connor says. "I think it's too much of a risk."

"He's the only option," says Haytham. "They know both our faces."

"Fine," Connor says. "Ezio can do it."

"I just spent the entire day breaking into their offices and planting files," Haytham snaps. "We're not changing the plan now."

"They have all the footage of Desmond in the animus with his memories, though," Connor says. "They'll match his face with their records and we'll be done." He leans forward a little so he's on the edge of his chair. "Ten months of tracking down Abstergo. Finding out which division is interested in Edward Kenway. Getting Altair into the Sample 17 project. All the surveilence. That was a lot of work, and we still haven't found anything to lead us to the assassins, or Juno. The closest we've come is- is grandfather." He stumbles over the word a little, but recovers. "And as soon as they match those records, we're done."

Ezio nods. "You're right," he says. "But here's the thing. Juno hasn't made her move yet, so we still have time to find her. And in the meantime, this is the only way we've been able to find into Abstergo. Their entertainment division is the only one that hires from the public. We've been looking for a way in for ten months. This is it. And yes, Connor, you're right- if they can match Altair's face, or genetics, or anything with their records, we're done."

"Exactly," says Connor.

"Which is why Altair's gone back in time to steal them," Ezio says. He takes a sip of his coffee and instantly regrets it. "Let's get out of here," he says, and the three of them stand, gathering their things and getting ready to go. "Oh," Ezio says, as if it's an afterthought. "Haytham?"

"What?"

"Next time, we are not meeting in a coffee place."