I do not own AC3 or it's characters, they belong to Ubisoft the heartbreaker.

The rest is all mine :)

Enjoy!

"How's he, doctor?"

"He'll be alright, Ms. Cunningham. His wounds are superficial. They might take a while to heal, but he'll be just fine."

Arthur clenched his eyebrows as the voices started to give him a headache, but even the slight movement on his eyebrows made the bruises throb once more. He heard footsteps leaving the room, a male voice thanking the said doctor and a very small hand touching his forehead. Arthur knew it was his daughter, she had the habit to touch his face ever since she was just an infant.

"Is he awake?" asked the male voice.

"No...should we leave?"

Arthur did not heard the male voice once again, he assumed the strange man nodded as a positive response because he could hear Arlette's light footsteps walking away from the bed. But his mouth opened, words were whispered out and he hoped his daughter could hear, "A-Arlette..." the girl gasped, whipping her head towards the bed in surprise. Arlette rushed to her father's side, pulling the small chair she kept close to the bed and sitting down, "Daddy?" she asked in a whisper, placing her hand on top of her father's.

Arthur's eyelids flickered open, the blurry image of Arlette was now clear to his vision and a small smile formed on his face, "Hello, darling." he croaked, squeezing her small fingers with his hand. Arlette smiled, squeezing her father's hand back as he stared at her with a loving gaze; the girl let out a quiet sob out of happiness, her free hand wiping the tears that dared to slide down her cheeks, "H-Hello daddy..." she sniffed, pressing the end of her hand against her eye, "I-I am so glad you are alright..."

"And I am glad you are alright." he whispered, his smile soon disappearing as he remembered, "And James? What happened to him?" Arthur asked in a serious tone, noticing her daughter tense gaze. Arlette looked over her shoulder, biting her lower lip as she nodded towards someone, slowly standing up to bring them closer. "Daddy...I want you to meet someone." she said, pulling Connor by his hand until the two of them could be seen by Arthur, "This is Connor. He's the one who saved us."

Connor blushed slightly at her words, even if they were true, he was still a bit bashful about it. When his brown eyes met Arthur's blue ones, he was surprised to see gratitude, surprise and perhaps...admiration? He was not sure, but the look on the older man made his body relax, "Is that true?" Arthur asked Connor, who gave a small nod in silence, he thought words were not necessary at the moment but his mouth betrayed him soon after, "Yes sir."

Arthur took a good look at the young man's face. He was a native for sure, judging by his skin tone, he was tall...maybe a few inches shorter than himself, perhaps two or three inches. He was broad, seemed very muscled, but it could be because of the robes he was wearing. When Arthur saw the insignia on his belt, a small smile appeared on his face, "So you are one of them."

"Sir?"

Arthur slowly sat up, sighing in relief when his back touched the backboard, a hand rising from his lap to point towards the insignia, "One of them." he said once more, pausing before continuing his speech, "An Assassin." Connor knew that Mr. Cunningham did not said that as a threat or in anger, but he couldn't help but flinch at the word. "Yes sir,I am." the Assassin whispered back, gulping slowly and hoping that the Irish man ignored it.

"I see." Arthur paused, before sending Arlette a smile, "Darling could you get me a glass of water? I'm a bit thirsty."

Arlette snapped out of her trance, nodding quickly before leaving the room. Now there was only him and Connor, the boy fidgeted under his gaze, adverting his eyes somewhere else on the room, "Sit down, Connor." Arthur began, "Let's talk." the blue eyes followed the native Assassin as he sat down on the chair Arlette was, his hands folded on his lap as he stared towards Arthur. Licking his lips, the Cunningham patriarch opened his mouth to speak, eyebrows crunching as he made up his phrase, "I assume you've murdered the men that were in my house."

Connor cleaned his throat, nodding his head as he spoke, "Yes sir,I did." he said as calmly as he could. Arthur nodded back, before asking another question, "And I assume you've known my daughter for quite a while, considering the way she was holding your hand." at that point, Connor was pratically covered in cold sweat, he could feel the chill running up and down his spine as Arthur awaited his answer by arching one thick eyebrow. The young man opened his mouth, but closed it soon after, how could he explain that?

He couldn't just say, 'Oh your daughter saw me murdering a red coat a few months ago, now I'm in love with her and I want her to live in the same house I do.' he grimaced, there were no other ideas on his mind of how he could explain about Arlette. Arthur blinked slowly, tapping his fingers on the back of his hand as he continued waiting, "Take your time." he said, a small smile on his face as he did so. Connor took a slow deep breath, closing his eyes as he finally sputtered out what he was meaning to say.

Arthur's eyebrows rose as Connor talked about how he got so close to Arlette without his knowledge. Well, now that explained several things, especially why she sometimes wondered late in the afternoon and came back so flushed up,"Ah, I understand."

"I apologize, ." the Assassin said with his head low, "I should not have done any of that. Arlette...please don't be mad at her." he whispered, meeting the Irish man's gaze, "It was not her fault." Arthur just listened to the words Connor had said. And he smiled.

He smiled because he saw the look on the boy's eyes. Arthur had the same look towards Helaine when they had first met. The look of pure adoration, affection and care, that boy was in love with his daughter, it was easy to see. "I won't say anything." the older man smiled, chuckling at Connor's confused face, "If it was on other type of situation...I'd never, ever let my daughter near you."

Connor winced, clenching his hands before Arthur continued, "But...I can see you care about her and she cares about you as well.." the blue eyed man scratched his temple with a small smile, "Just take care of her. " Arthur said, patting Connor's hand as a father would do to his son as a reassuring action. The Assassin was a bit taken aback by what had just happened, but his insides almost burst in happiness and he was glad he could contain his emotions, "Thank you Mr. Cunningham." Connor stood from his chair, bowing his head in respect towards Arlette's father before turning to the door.

"But Connor." the said man turned to face Arthur who now had his eyes narrowed, eyebrows low and blue eyes making holes all over the Assassin's body as he spoke firmly, "Break her heart and I'll break your spine. Understood?"

Connor gulped loudly, the look on Arthur's face was enough to make him tremble. He was rarely scared of someone as he was at the moment, Connor knew Arthur was not kidding about that subject, so his answer had to be just as firm and confident as Arthur's words, "I won't, sir. I promise you that." Arlette's father smiled, enjoying the reply that Connor provided, he was starting to like that boy.

As the Assassin left the room and closed the door, he unconsciously let out a breath he wasn't aware of holding. He leaned back against the door while his hand ran down his face, wiping the cold sweat that formed on his temples thanks to that talk with Arthur. He could not remember the last time he had been so nervous, it had been so long since he got that way that feeling it again made him feel sick on the stomach. Connor heard Arlette's faint footsteps as she approached the door, stopping right in front of his eyes, "Are you alright?"

"Yes." he said, cleaning his throat and straightening his back, "I am fine." he whispered, looking down at Arlette. Her eyebrows rose up slightly to her forehead as she smiled, holding the cup of water with both of her tiny and frail hands. Connor stepped aside so she could enter the room, thinking her father would want to talk to her, he just left to his room with the only thought of relaxing on his bed for a couple minutes.

Arlette carefully walked to Connor's room, her hands folded together as she approached the door. Her father had quite a talk with her, but not in the bad way, quite the contrary. He just questioned Arlette about her feelings towards Connor, about what she expected of their relationship and their future. The girl did not lied when she said she was not sure of what the future reserved for both, she just said Connor made her feel happy, safe and secure. She said she knew Connor was a bit stoic, cold towards certain subjects but that was how he was and she just loved him for it.

A blush adorned the apple of her cheeks as she remembered saying that she was in love with the Assassin, a smile forming on her lips as she looked down at her hands. Suddenly, she noticed she was just staring at the wooden door without knocking or making any sound. With a shake of her head, Arlette knocked the door twice, hearing a faint 'come in' from inside the room. "Connor?" she asked, poking her head through the creak on the door, "Can I come in?"

"Of course." he said softly, standing up from his bed to face Arlette. His change of behaviour towards Arlette was impressive, Achilles kept saying that for the past months but now...now it was obvious about what Connor felt for that girl, it was all written on his face. When Arlette was talking to her father, the boy rushed to the men on the Homestead, questioning what kind of gift he could give to a woman he fancied.

The men laughed, gently patting him on the back and saying that he needed to discover that for himself, after all not all women are the same. Connor was troubled about many things, most of them were about mentioning to Arlette that he wanted her to live on the Homestead, for her safety of course. He talked to Achilles about that, questioning the old assassin if he'd agree about that or even the thought of Arlette bringing her father and the maids to live on the manor as well.

Achilled just nodded with a knowing smirk, chuckling at the sparkle of hope on Connor's eyes. "I...I hope I didn't woke you up." the girl's soft voice echoed on the room as she gently closed the door, snapping the young man's out of his trance. Connor just shook his head, licking his lips before speaking, "I wasn't sleeping. I was just resting my eyes."

Arlette smiled with her eyes on her hands, "I see." she whispered, twiddlign her thumbs shyly. Connor couldn't help but look at the dress she was wearing, it wasn't one of her colorful ones, it was a quite simple light peach colored dress with small decorated lace around the elbows and on her bust. He couldn't help but linger his gaze upon her exposed neck and collarbones, the pale skin there seemed to shine on the faint light inside the room. He could also see a bit of her cleavage, Connor swallowed dryly as thoughts started to dart inside his mind.

By God, he just had to stop these...these ideas of just appearing on his head. But he couldn't help it, it wasn't something it could be controlled and he blamed himself because of that. Over the years of training, the search for Charles Lee, the village, all these things prevented Connor from having some sort of...sexual relief.

Yes,Connor was a virgin.

He was already a grown up man but still a virgin. However, his instincts knew how and where to kick in to say that Connor was still a male. A male with needs. "Arlette." his voice came out huskier and he cursed himself in thought, "Come here,I want to talk to you." he motioned to the bed, making the girl blush a light red but comply it in silence. Arlette sat down upon the mattress, watching as the Assassin walked in front of her before kneeling to look into Arlette's blue eyes.

"I have something to ask you." Connor said, carefully taking her small hands on his own, his calloused thumbs caressing the back of her hands gently. Arlette enjoyed the caress, her blush only deepened when Connor's hands slid up to her wrists, massaging the sensitive skin there, "Would you like to live here, in the Homestead?"

His question was a bit quiet and rushed, he was nervous of what she would say. If she says no, Connor would probably let her go back to her house and wouldn't bother her anymore thanks to it, but if she says yes...then that would be a completely different story. His chocolate eyes met up with her blue ones, seeing shock and surprise evident on her cerulean irises. Her mouth was slight agape, she was trying to say something, but all of the words were stuck on her throat, "I just want you to think about it." he commented, trying to relax the red head girl, his fingers touching the side of her arms now, "I think it'd be the best for you. You can bring your father and the maids too, Achilles wouldn't mind. Neither would I."

Arlette was still shocked by his words, but her voice finally came out, "You...you want me to live here? With you?" she asked, blinking her eyes rapidly while connecting all the dots, "Connor,are you being serious about this?" Arlette questioned him once again. She was thrilled, really, she was almost leaping in joy, but she didn't knew if that would be the right thing to do. What would her father say?

"Yes." he said, interrupting her trail of thoughts, "I am very serious about this." he said, his hands were now resting upon her elbows, thumbs caressing the soft fabric of her dress. It was incredible, Connor felt like a child who had just discovered something brand new. He felt the need to explore the rest of Arlette's body...but now was not the time for that so he decided to stop his movements.

Arlette furrowed her eyebrows, "W-Well..." she licked her lips, her eyes moving to her hands before locking her gaze with him again, "I'd love to Connor, but...I..I need to talk to my father about it first." she whispered, curling her lower lip on her mouth as an act of nervousness. If Connor had no self control, he'd just tackle Arlette into the bed, because that woman was going to be the death of him and the fact she said she'd live on the Homestead just made her even more attractive.

Connor couldn't help but lean on her touch as she cupped his face, a giggle echoing from her throat as Connor closed his eyes, hands falling by her hips as she carefully massaged his features. He remembered his mother used to do that to him, caress his nape and the back of his ears so he could sleep at night without having nightmares. The fact that Arlette was the one doing that only made the experience even more pleasant.

Now that she thought about it, that was the closest Connor had ever been to her, he was actually letting himself relax around Arlette, "Do you want me to stop?" she asked quietly, her nails gently scraping his nape before going back to his hair. Connor fluttered his eyelid sleepily, pressing his cheek upon her lap to get more comfortable, "No." he mumbled, hugging her waist with both arms as he breathed against her dress.

Maybe Achilles was indeed right, Connor felt like a completely different person with Arlette. He didn't minded her touching him, he liked it how her hands were so small and delicate, and he didn't minded touching her either. Achilles mentioned that when in love, the person gets relaxed, sometimes doing things that they'd never think about if it was under other circumstances.

Arlette blushed a darker red when Connor moaned slightly as her fingers touched a certain part on his scalp, her hands stopping the movements thanks to the shock. The Assassin blinked his eyes open, lazily rising his head to look into Arlette's blue eyes, the red blush on her cheeks was evident thanks to her pale skin. "Did that made you uncomfortable?" he asked quietly, a blush forming on his cheeks as well. It was a bit of a stupid question, but he just had to ask.

"W-Well, I w-wasn't expecting it." she confessed, playing with her thumbs absently. Connor slowly rose to his feet, offering Arlette a hand to stand up from the bed as well. The girl accepted it with a shy smile, another blush formed on her cheeks as the Assassin tucked a strand of dark red hair behind her ear, "Talk to your father." he whispered, "Tell him I can protect you."

Arlette smiled, placing a hand on top of his own, "I think he already knows that." she whispered gently, standing on her tip toes to press a chaste kiss upon his lips. The kiss ended as fast as it started, Arlette lowered her gaze to the floor with a smile before darting out of Connor's room to speak with her father, the Assassin just watched as she disappeared on the hallway.

Arlette talked with her father, who at first was a bit shocked to hear that Connor wanted Arlette to live on the Homestead of the sudden. But Arthur laughed heartily, placing a hand over his eyes as he noticed how the Assassin resembled him when he was Connor's age, he remembered how he wanted Helaine to move with him on his simple farm house until he got a better job.

Arthur knew what would happen if he said no, so he approved. Arlette widened her eyes, not believing what her father had just said, but hugged him happily and kissed his cheek over and over. Arthur just laughed again, patting her back and telling her, "From now on, I want you to take your own decisions." he said, playfully pressing the tip of her nose, "You are a woman now, you have all the right to choose what will make you happy from now on."

Arlette smiled brightly, hugging her father once more, before running off to tell Connor. She found him outside, staring towards the sky while sitting on a fallen tree trunk, "Connor?" her soft voice made his head turn over his shoulder. The two shared a glance before he spoke up, "Did you talked to him?"

The girl smiled while approaching him, tucking the fabric of her dress behind her knees before she sat down next to Connor, "I did." she whispered, looking at him with her cheeks a light pink, "He said yes." she giggled at the end of her phrase. His eyes got wide as saucers, eyebrows shot up to his forehead while his mouth was hanging open. Arlette smiled even more, pressing a kiss on his cheek before placing her hand on top of his, interlacing their fingers together.

Connor felt a weight leaving his shoulders as he squeezed her hand, his eyes moved to her dark red hair as the two shared their happiness in silence. From the porch, Adrik flicked his tail from side to side, a proud glint lit up on the cat's yellow irises as he watched the young couple together. With a quick meow, the cat walked back inside the Homestead, deciding he'd take a nap before eating the smoking fish fillets that were currently being cooked on the kitchen.

Ta-da! Chapter 21 because I feel CREATIVE!

Be prepared everyone, because, soon the lemon will show up and everything will be amazing, then sad because I like working with Ubisoft.

Reviews are love :D