The apartment is a lot emptier when Edward, Haytham, Connor, and Mary are all gone. It's sort of strange, because Edward and Mary have barely been there a month, and both Haytham and Connor were gone for a long time, stuck in another universe. But just knowing that they won't be coming back yet- that they'll never come back- makes this emptiness different.

And Ezio knows without having to ask that he'll be leaving next.

He stands in the middle of the apartment's main room with Altair and Desmond, not one of them looking at the others. Finally, because he's never been good with silence, Ezio speaks. "So I guess this is goodbye," he says.

"Sorry," says Desmond.

Ezio waves the word away. "Don't apologize," he says. "I'm more than ready to go home." Home- where Sophia waits to make a life and build a family with him, where he can finally settle down for a long overdue and well earned rest. "Besides. We've done some incredible things. Might as well end on a high note."

There's a hint of triumph on Desmond's face as he nods, and Ezio knows it's there because he's able to remember those times at all- after months of being trapped in the apple or without his memories, a few weeks haven't been enough for him to get over the novelty. Ezio smiles- it wouldn't have felt right going back with Desmond still missing most of his mind.

"Are you ready?" Altair asks, and Ezio nods- then abruptly shakes his head.

"I have to say something first," he says, and takes a deep breath. "The first time I met you two, I was a dumb kid in over his head."

"The first time you met me was when you were a crying baby," Desmond points out.

"Yes," Ezio says. "Exactly. You saved my life on the day I was born. And Altair-" he turns to the other assassin. "You were my hero when I first joined the assassins. But now I'm old, and both of you have decades left." He's pushing sixty, and they're still in their twenties. It's a weird position to be in, but Ezio doesn't let himself dwell on it. "That means I get to give advice."

"Fine," Altair says, just a hint of a smile on his face. "What's your advice?"

"When I was young-" And wasn't that a long time ago? "Your influence over the assassins was everywhere I looked. I spent years tracking down every page of your codex. I heard countless stories of your life. There was a statue of you in Monteriggioni-"

"I hate that statue," Altair grumbles, and Desmond laughs.

"My point," Ezio goes on, "Is that I always knew you were a great assassin. But now, I know that you're a good man, too. So- I know you have a lot left to do in your life, and maybe it's overwhelming." He can tell by the way Altair carefully and abruptly banishes all trace of emotion from his face that he's been worrying about exactly that. "But if anyone can do all that, I know it's you."

Altair nods, and allows a barely perceptible ghost of a smile onto his face. Ezio turns to the other assassin. "And Desmond- you're the one out of all of us that has the most mystery in your future. I mean, we pretty much know what happens to all of us, because it's all in the past. But for all we know, you could end up working a drive through at some fast food place."

"Wow, thanks."

"But I don't think that's going to happen," Ezio says. "I think you have a lot more adventures left in your life." He pauses to think that over. "Although they probably won't be as weird as this one."

"So your advice is pretty much 'you got this'?" Desmond asks.

"I never said it was good advice," says Ezio. "But I wanted you to know before I left."

"Thanks," says Desmond, and Altair nods. And then- before anyone has a chance to say goodbye (he doesn't want to say goodbye, goodbye is too final, he doesn't think he can handle goodbye)…

He lets the apple take him home.

-/-

I am so sorry for the preachy tone of this chapter. I wrote most of this during my econ lecture this morning, and usually that's a great place to write, but today the professor decided to spent fifty minutes giving out 'how to succeed at life' advice and I think it kind of bled into this a little (or, you know. A lot).

And in other news, there's only two chapters left in this story. :( I'm going to miss it so much you don't even know.