Hey guys. Well the hope for only two chapters has faded. Its gonna have to be three… So if my calculations are correct it will be this chapter, then the next one, then the next one and there will be happenings. I'm trying guys. Really, I am. Its taking somewhat of a toll on me cause I keep hitting the damn writer's block wall, but I always manage to break it down, so never fear! Please, Enjoy this next chapter.

~Read, Review, be Merry!~

(Please Review!)

~Safety and Peace and All Things Awesome!~

~Dora~

Chapter 22

Tension and Anxiety

I dropped my towel and threw my underclothes on and then quickly threw my pants on. He wants to play rough? I'll get him back… I grabbed my shirt and put my arms through it leaving it to lastly go over my head. I smirked to myself. I opened my door and then stretched my arms up to where my stomach was exposed…

*Alario flew off of Altaïr's shoulder and perched on the back of a chair. Altaïr paced back and forth, waiting on Alera to come back out. He heard the door click and he stood in front and waited on it to open, and it opened. The first thing he saw was her bare, toned abdomen. She stretched her arms over her head and pulled the shirt down. He got a quick glimpse of something black… and lacey.*

I pulled the shirt over my head and pulled my hair down from its bun. It fell lightly down my shoulders. I tied the ponytail back around my wrist and walked towards Altaïr. I stopped a few inches in front of him and looked up at him with a…slightly innocent look. He smirked and had a glint in his eyes.

"You better watch what you do around me, Alera. Else you'll find yourself lying, pined to the ground, on your back," he wrapped his arm around my waist and dragged me to him. There was no space left between us. Heat pulsed from his body. "With me right on top of you." It took all of my mental energy to ignore the screams of my hormones saying, "MAKE A DAMN MOVE!" but something was up. I felt like somebody was about to…

"Alera!" a voice yelled followed by the action of bursting through my door. It was Kalin. Altaïr released me and we jumped about three feet away from each other.

"Damn it Kalin! Doesn't anyone in this fortress know how to knock?" I yelled. I rubbed my cheeks to try to get the heat out of them.

"I'm sorry Alera. I hope I'm not interrupting anything." He said with a laugh in his voice. I shot a glare at him and he shut up. I sighed, trying to calm myself down.

"What is it Kalin?" I asked quietly.

"Rauf told me you were looking for me." he said with an amused smile on his face…still. I nodded.

"Yes, I was. Come on in. Altaïr and I were just discussing who our next target should be." I walked to my bed, but not without exchanging a glance with Altaïr…and seeing the slightest traces of a smile on his face yet again. Is my embarrassment that amusing? I rolled my eyes and started to gather my weapons up. Kalin came in and shut the door behind him.

"It looked to me like you were discussing something else." He mumbled and tried to stifle a laugh. I slowly drew my short sword out and flipped it in my hand.

"You wanna run that by me again, Kalin?" I cut my eyes to him and he held his hands up in surrender. He smiled and his amber eyes lit up with amusement…

"Alright, Alright. I'm done. No need to death threat me." I sheathed my short sword and then placed my weapons on a chair in the corner. I took a deep breath and then I turned around and sat on the edge of my bed. My eyes wandered to Altaïr… He looked so good leaning up against the wall. He had his arms crossed and his left knee bent to where his foot was flat up against the wall. Maybe he's just made me paranoid now, but I think he was doing it on purpose… I broke my gaze from him and saw Kalin leaning against the wall too.

"Don't you two ever sit down? Or are you too badass for that?" I jeered with a laugh. I saw Altaïr and Kalin exchange a glance…and a smirk…oh shit what have I done… They both started advancing towards me. I prepared myself for the unexpected… But…it was not what I expected. Altaïr sat on the bed on my left and Kalin sat down on my right. They both smirked at me. I crossed my arms.

"Satisfied?" Altaïr raised an eyebrow at me. I looked at him and then at Kalin. I smirked.

"No." I simply said.

"No?" echoed Kalin. I glanced at him and he was smiling. I saw his eyes move and focus behind me and I whipped my head around to look at Altaïr. He gave me a smile.

"No I am not satisfied because my stomach is growling and I'm hungry now, so, if you'll excuse me…" I got up to go get the shiny red apple I had been eyeing and glancing at for the last ten seconds, but I felt two hands grab both my wrists and pull me back down to sit on the bed. Altaïr had my left wrist and Kalin had my right. I sighed and sat there. "Ok. What?" I asked reluctantly.

"You were just… bitching…" Altaïr winked at me when he said that and I rolled my eyes and tried to bite back a smile, but it came out. "You were just bitching at us about not sitting down, now your gonna go get up?" Kalin laughed and I looked at him.

"No. Your fine just where you're at." He said. I twisted my wrists in their hands, but they wouldn't let go.

"Ugh…Seriously guys, I just want the apple. I'm really hungry." They didn't say anything but still held on to my wrists. I glanced at them from left to right. "Am I seriously gonna have to fight you guys for my apple?" still no response. I rolled my eyes and began my struggle…I wringed my wrists and twisted and pulled but they wouldn't let go… "Fine, I can see I'm going to have to go with more drastic measures…" I turned my attention to Kalin first. I pulled his hand up to my face, and licked it. He immediately let go and I smiled triumphantly.

"Ugh! Alera! Gross! With you and Altaïr alone in here together, I might have some of his spit on me too!" he bolted from the bed and away from me. Altaïr chuckled and I couldn't stop smiling and I even laughed a bit too.

"Aww! Look at you! You're so cute! You're almost like a little boy who got his first kiss from a girl! Your all grossed out!" I laughed and teased Kalin and he just rolled his eyes. I then turned my attention to Altaïr. "This should be fun." He looked at me with his eyebrows raised and a smirk on his face, like he was just waiting. "If you don't let me go, that will be your fate as well." He leaned in closer to me. Challenge shined in his eyes.

"Be my guest, Alera. Lick me all you want, I'm not going to let you go." He smirked.

"And that's my cue to leave…I'll talk to you tomorrow Alera." I looked over at Kalin who was halfway out the door.

"No! Kalin wai-" the door shut. He was gone. I looked over at Altaïr who was still smiling. "You really are something else. Congratulations. You've just successfully run Kalin off." he was still holding my wrist, but he loosened his grip.

"I try my best." He said with a smug grin. I rolled my eyes and snatched my wrist from his hand. He chuckled at me being flustered. I got up and went to the table to finally claim my apple. I leaned up against the wall and bit into it. "Don't you ever sit Alera? Or are you too badass for that?" Altaïr folded his arms and waited on me… I thought about it for a second, swallowed my bite and then smirked at him.

"Yes. Yes I am too badass to sit down." Altaïr got up from the bed and slowly strode over to me. All the while he had a smile on his face. I felt vulnerable under his gaze. That's when I realized my back was against the wall. Not a good place to be… He was almost to me, when I pushed off from the wall and walked to the middle of the room.

*Altaïr laughed to himself when he saw Alera push off from the wall to avoid him. "She's getting smarter." He thought with a smile.* I took another bite of my apple and turned around to face Altaïr who was now leaning on the wall that was my spot.

"So, aside from everything else that has happened between the time you arrived at my door and now, I have an idea on where we should start." I said with a slight smile. Altaïr folded his arms and smiled from underneath his hood.

"Then please, Desert Rose, enlighten me." I gave him and alluring look.

"I'd wish nothing more, Altaïr." I said in an alluring voice. I gave him a wink and I saw his smile grow under his hood. I turned back around and started to pace towards my bed. "Anyways, we should go to Damascus. We should kill the merchant king guy first." I turned around to be met with Altaïr standing inches away from me. His arms were still folded and his eyes ran me up and down.

"Any particular reason why?" he asked curiously. I shrugged, not wanting to tell the real reason why.

"Do you have a better plan?" he studied me for a second and those eyes seemed to look right through me. It felt as if he knew I was lying to him. I shifted under his gaze. He finally shrugged.

"Not really." I let out a silent sigh of relief and smiled.

"Alright, Damascus it is then?" he smiled back.

"Damascus it is."

"So, tell me. Anything going on between you and Altaïr?" Kalin asked nosily. I rolled my eyes and laughed. It was early in the morning and Kalin and I were taking a walk in the gardens in the place Al Mualim calls "Paradise". I just call it the gardens or the courtyard. But it is beautiful… The view of the mountains and how the morning mist settled around them was quite breath taking. Dew dripped off of the flowers and the leaves and the morning air smelled sweet and fresh.

"That is not really any of your business now is it?"

"Like hell it isn't!" Kalin said with a laugh. We stopped and leaned on the balcony and looked out over the mountains. I looked at Kalin. "Alera, you are like my little sister. I want to protect you. I trust Altaïr and you have my full support if you and him are starting to feel for each other. I won't breath a word to Al Mualim." I gave him a sweet smile and his amber eyes were soft.

"Thanks Kalin. You're like a big brother to me and I thank you for your blessing. And I know you won't tell Al Mualim. Chances are if you do, we all three will be in trouble."

"So is that a yes?" a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. I bit my lip to keep a smile from coming out… But my body language always manages to betray my words. Kalin's eyes widened and his mouth opened a bit. "You are!"

"No! Shhh! I don't exactly know yet… But the things he does. The way he looks at me…The way he touches me-"

"Ok, ok! Take it easy. I don't want to know everything." Kalin said, putting emphasis on the last word. I playfully punched him in the arm.

"You get what I mean."

"Yes, I understand. So, has he kissed you or you lay one on him first?" my eyes widened at how loud he was being. I grabbed his arm and yanked him closer.

"Kalin shut up! You're being really loud!" I hissed.

"Oh, sorry." He shrugged. I shook my head and smiled.

"Anyways, no. Neither of us has made a move yet…. Although, there was that one night when I asked him to kiss me, and he was so close to doing it I could feel his breath on my lips-"

"Alera! Details that I don't want to know!" he whispered. I gave him another punch in the arm.

"Stop being so childish and get over it. I know you've had at least one girlfriend before…" he nodded in defeat. I gave a sharp nod back. "Exactly."

"So what happened?"

"Malik happened." Kalin and I both jumped at that deep, purring voice that made me go weak in the knees. I quickly, and as nonchalantly as I could, grabbed the rail of the balcony and leaned up against it. I want to pass out. I do not want to be here right now! Oh…Embarrassment is quickly setting in… I took a deep breath and tried to compose myself. Altaïr walked right up in front of me.

"Malik? What did Malik do?" asked Kalin.

"He…Well he sort of…" I tried to think of how to word this…

"He called us out on it." Finished Altaïr. I waved my hand as to present the answer I was looking for.

"There you go. He called us out on it. He figured we had been on the roof too long and with my injured leg and all…"

"Ah, I see. He was trying to create a distraction. Damn it Malik." Kalin smiled and shook his head.

"That's what we said." Altaïr and I exchanged looks. We had said that in unison. Our eyes met and he smiled. I gave him a small one back, but couldn't hold his gaze for long so I darted my eyes away…shamefully. Damn it… I knew this would come back to haunt me… Shame is a terrible weight to carry… But it was a small lie. Why am I feeling like I've betrayed him? Damn… I have to tell him the real reason. Once we get to Damascus.

"Well, I'm sure you two would like to get your killing underway." Said Kalin. He turned to me and gave me a hug and I returned it. "Be careful Alera. Don't want you getting injured again." He teased.

"Yes, yes. Kick me while I'm down." I stuck my tongue out at him and he laughed. And so did Altaïr. Kalin turned to Altaïr and gave him the cross arm salute and bowed.

"Safety and Peace Altaïr." Altaïr returned the salute.

"To you as well, brother." Altaïr and I left the gardens, I gave Kalin a last wave and we headed towards the stables.

We pulled our horses to a stop on the hill as we looked out over the city of Damascus. Alario perched on my right shoulder. The sun was being especially unforgiving today and it was hot and dry. I felt a few beads of sweat roll down my head, but I had to keep my hood on to keep from passing out or getting burned.

"You know, you don't have much of a lead to go on." Said Altaïr. I looked at him and he looked at me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked…trying to act puzzled and confused.

"I'm talking about the man that murdered your father. You don't have a very good lead to go on. I know why you chose this one first. Because the man is noble and he's rich so he will be guarded by the high guards. Tell me, what exactly is your plan Alera? To kill all of the high guards in hopes that you've killed the murderer?" that made me bristle. I flashed my eyes at him from underneath my hood.

"If that's what it takes to avenge my father's death, then so be it." I hissed.

"Listen to yourself Alera. Your becoming exactly what Al Mualim warned you not to! This vengeance is controlling you. You can't let it cloud your mind, else you'll wander around in blind hatred."

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Altaïr! My heart will only be at peace once I find this murderer, even if that means a river of blood running through this city by nightfall." I felt my bloodlust demon escape in those words. I whipped Àlkimos around and Alario flew from my shoulder. I galloped down the hill in front of Altaïr. I could hear him following a ways behind.

Why was he being like this? I've already told him all he needs to know and that should be enough…Maybe I'm wrong… I stopped Àlkimos at a trough of hay and water and jumped off of him. He looked at me and whinnied softly. I sighed and patted his neck. "I'll be ok buddy." He looked at me, but I saw his ears flick forward. That's when I heard Altaïr ride up behind me. "Be safe Àlkimos." I whispered to my horse and then turned and headed for the scholars that were gathered around the outer walls.

"Alera!" I heard Altaïr call my name quietly but I didn't answer or stop. "Alera!" he said again, this time closer. I whipped around and there he was. He grabbed me by the arm and pulled me back to the shadows.

"Damn it Altaïr! What is it? Can't you just leave me be?" I hissed.

"No, I can't! You want proof that you're blinded by rage? Look what you missed that I had to pull you out of sight from." He nodded over towards the scholars and there was a Templar right beside the group. Oh shit… Damn it! Why does he have to be right so much?…. I sighed and crossed my arms. "See? You didn't blend and he would have caught you. Now, are you going to listen to me and try to not be so pissed off?" I glared daggers at him. Who does that son of a bitch think he is? Good lord I feel like I'm back to square one with him! Back when he was a cocky arrogant bastard…Oh wait! He still is! Just…not as bad as he used to be.

"Fine!" I spat. "Maybe…I am letting my rage take over too much." I calmed down some and softened up. "But you better let me look around at least a little bit or I'll leave your ass to the assassination and snoop around for information on the high guards myself."

"Alright. I'll help you. That isn't too much to ask for. But please just try to be more careful. Ok?" he said with concern in his voice. I nodded. "Alright. Now lets go." Him and I both bowed our heads and headed for the scholar group.

Alario, Altaïr and I all jumped down into the open roof of the bureau. Altaïr and I were breathing hard. We listened intently as we heard footsteps rush by the building and then fade into the noises of the city. I breathed a sigh of relief… That was too close. Alario perched on my shoulder and I gave him a reassuring stroke on his head and he leaned into it. Altaïr and I walked side by side into the next room.

"Altaïr! Alera! My friends! Welcome, welcome. Whose life do you come to collect today?" said Rafiq with a smile on his face. That was a refreshing sight to see and it kind of made me in a somewhat better mood as well.

"His name is Abu'l Nuquod. What can you tell us about him?" said Altaïr.

"Oh, the Merchant-King of Damascus! Richest man in the city. Quite exciting, quite dangerous! I envy you, Altaïr. Well, not where you were beaten and stripped of your rank," said the Rafiq. He must have been oblivious to what he was doing or else he was doing it on purpose. I still couldn't suppress my flinch though. I know just as well as anyone that people don't like to hear their old, past problems repeated to them. "But other than that, I envy everything else! Oh, except for the terrible things the other Assassin's say about you!" I couldn't help but glance at Altaïr. I saw his fists clench a bit and I saw his green eyes roll. "But yes, aside from the failure and the hatred-"

"Rafiq!" I yelled at him. That was enough. Rafiq stared at me and so did Altaïr. I looked right back at the Rafiq. "Would you calm down and stop being such a pessimist! I'm pretty sure that all of that stuff is in the past. Just drop it and move on." I crossed my arms and looked at him.

"I do not care what the others think or say. We're here to do a job. So I ask again: what can you tell us of the merchant king?" said Altaïr sternly. We exchanged a glance and I nodded slightly to him and he slightly smiled. We looked back at the Rafiq.

"Only that he must be a very bad man if Al Mualim has sent you two to see him. He keeps to his own kind, wrapped in the finery of the city's Noble District. He's a busy man, always up to something. I'm sure if you spent some time amongst his type, you'd learn all you need to know about him." said the Rafiq calmly.

"And where would you have us begin our search?" I asked.

"If I were you, I'd start with the Omayyad Mosque and Souk Sarouja, both of which are west of here. Further to the northwest is Salah Al din's Citadel. It's a popular meeting spot and has proved a reliable source of loose tongues in the past. Yes, these three places should serve your needs." Altaïr and I nodded.

"We thank you for the guidance, Rafiq. We'll return when we've gathered the necessary information." Said Altaïr. The Rafiq nodded and we turned around and climbed out. The heat hit us like a ton of bricks. The fact that it was a couple hours passed midday did not help either.

"Ugh, lets do this quick and be done so we can get out of this heat." I moaned.

"Agreed." Said Altaïr.

"So where to first?" I asked.

"Well, lets start with the Omayyad Mosque and work our way up. Sound good?"

"Yeah. Lets do it." I confirmed and we jumped down from the roof, earning us gasps and shocked looks and whispers from the crowd of people. I rolled my eyes and stuck close to Altaïr. After about fifteen to twenty minutes of making our way through slightly crowded alleys and streets, we finally made it to the Mosque. The first thing I saw was some shady looking people talking in a corner by a back alley. They were the only two in that alley. Tell me that don't have "shady" written all over it…

"Hey Altaïr. Shady alert!" I whispered to him.

"Where?" we walked to a near by bench and I nodded my head towards the guys.

"Over there in that seemingly abandoned back alley."

"Ah, well then we will have to get closer." We both got up and made our way in the flow of the crowd. There was a bench up against a wall on the opposite side of the guys. It was perfect. Altaïr and I sat down and stared at the guys from underneath our hoods.

"Have you ever been to one of his parties?" said a short, stocky man.

"No, but I'd pay good money to be at one. Riches, wine…but most of all, the women." Said a slightly taller man. "Greaaat… Here we go…" I rolled my eyes.

"Ah yes… I still don't see how he hasn't gotten caught yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious? The chains on the women and they way they're treated and dressed. The Merchant king is in the slave business. I heard that him and that man Talal, you know, the slaver that was found dead?"

"Yes, I remember hearing about him."

"Well, they had a deal. Talal captures women off the streets and sends them to the Merchant King and he fixes them up and sells them at his parties."

"Well, now that Talal is dead, will he have no more women to sell?"

"There are plenty poor helpless women wandering these streets. I hear that during the night, his high guards go out and catch the women and bring them to his palace. No doubt he'll have a fresh batch of them to be sold to the people and guards who attend his parties."

"Like I said before, if I had enough coin, I'd go." The men parted ways and I broke my gaze from them and looked at Altaïr. He looked at me and I took a deep breath, trying to soak all of that in.

"So the Merchant King isn't just a corrupt politician but he's also a slaver… That's interesting. Did you-"

"Don't even ask me that. If I had known, I would have told you. Or do you not trust me?" I flashed my eyes at him and got up and started walking in the direction of the souk district, but I felt a strong calloused hand gently grab my wrist. His thumb slid under my sleeve and bracer and rubbed my scar. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The touch seemed to calm me down.

"Don't even ask me that. You know the answer to that, Alera." He said in a quiet deep tone that held tenderness to it. I turned around to face him then.

"I'm sorry, Altaïr…But you kind of set yourself up for that. It sounded like-"

"I know it sounded like I don't trust you. But I chose my words unwisely and I am a far cry from it." His eyes matched his smile and I couldn't help but smile back. "I trust you with my life Alera."

"And I trust you with mine, Altaïr." This felt great. I love that about him… Now that I think of it, there are a lot of things I love about him… Do I… Love him? This feeling shocked me. I had never felt something this strong. Is this what love is?… I'll have to think on this some more. He never let go of my hand as he led us through the crowd and towards the souk district.

All was well in the Souk Sarouja… Except for all the pompous ass rich people! You couldn't swing a dead cat in the air without hitting about five damn nobles. (A/N The "dead cat" refernce is from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. There was a woman in the back ground swinging a dead cat and hitting the rug with it when the "bring out your dead" guy was coming through. If you've seen the movie, you know what I'm talking about... Back to the story!) Every time I accidentally bumped into one, I'd get a scoff, a scowl and a soft, but just audible enough to where I could hear, "Hmph!" Oh yeah, the nobles are obviously living the good life if they're that damn spoiled rotten.

I rolled my eyes and tried to make myself as thin as possible, but as my eyes wandered through the crowd, I saw them… Two of them... I stopped dead in my tracks and grabbed Altaïr's arm. I felt my body breakout into a cold sweat. My heart pumped wildly in my throat and sent my blood rushing through my veins…No… Everything is happening again… Just like that night. Why is this happening?… Anxiety was allowed to endure and I was too shocked and scared to try and fight it.

Monty Python RULES! Ok, sorry. I just love his work. X) anyways...PLEASE CHECK OUT MY NEWEST FANFICTION! It's called The Eagle and The Falcon. Nobody has reviewed it and only one person has favorited it and if you guys like this one, then you guys will like that one too. :) And yes it is Assassin's Creed and yes it is another Altaïr/OC pairing. :) This one is my main one though so a new chapter for that one won't be posted for a while, but you can enjoy the teaser! Thanks guys! *Hugs and such!* :)