Almost forgot to post this here, too. Oops.

Desmond didn't like planes. He hated them. He would even go as far as to say he hated them as much as he hated the Animus. There were too many people in such a tiny space and no escape route as soon as the plane would leave the ground. He couldn't take any weapons with him, either. It was the worst situation to be in as an Assassin.

He let himself be reassured by the presence of his father on his left and Altair seated on his right, who had his eyes closed and his arms crossed over his chest. To others it may have looked calm or as if the man was sleeping but Desmond knew the man too well by now. He took notice of the way the other's jaw clenched and he squirmed slightly in his seat from time to time. He took deep breathes through his nose in order to calm himself and Desmond knew the man was not far from freaking out. As amusing as it would be to see the great Altair actually freaking out because of an airplane, they couldn't have that happening now so Desmond shifted in his seat to bump his leg against the other man's in a subtle gesture of comfort. He thought it wasn't much but apparently it calmed the older man's nerves down enough to make his breathing even out and he visibly relaxed his jaw.

It was kind of cute Desmond thought. He didn't know such a small gesture would be able to calm the fearsome Assassin down so easily. He just wished Ezio was with them, too. That idiot had smuggled a hidden dagger with him and the alarm at the airport went off.

"As if I would wander into enemy territory without a blade." he had pouted afterwards when the two Assassins that were with them stayed back with the Italian to take care of the trouble.

So now it was only him, Shaun, Altair and William. At least he had only one master Assassin to calm down.

The journey to Davenport was a quiet one and Desmond was thankful for that. He was still recovering from everything that happened and a few moments of quiet was doing him good. Of course Shaun couldn't go for long without sarcastic remarks here and there but Desmond knew the Brit was holding back and he appreciated that.

They progressed slowly in the snow that littered the ground in an almost artificial way. Desmond took a look around while they walked through the trees. It was a weird feeling to be walking this path he came to know through someone else's memories as if they were his own. When Davenport Manor came into view he almost expected Achilles, Connors Mentor, to walk through the door to meet him. They stopped in front of the building and William turned towards the Brit.

"Shaun, you and Desmond will take a look around the house." he ordered before he turned to Altair."The both of us will take a look inside."

With that William whirled around to step inside, certain the other would follow. When Altair was showing no signs of moving though, the Mentor slowly turned around with a frown.

"I will not leave Desmond's side." Altair straightened his back when William stepped right in front of him to challenge him with a glare that barely rivaled the sharp, almost yellow glowing gaze of Altair Ibn-La'Ahad.

While Desmond stared at the two men silently battling each other, he felt a warm tingling feeling spread through his stomach at Altair's words.

William held the other man's gaze a bit longer until he closed his eyes and sighed.

"Fine. Shaun, with me." and with that he turned again and disappeared into the building. Shaun followed with a confused 'Yes, Sir.'

Desmond smiled at Altair as he felt pride well up inside him for the man. He'd never seen anyone stand up to his father's icy glare before. But he had to admit that being genuinely glared at by Altair was way scarier than his dad could ever be.

He could see the corners of the other man's lips barely twitch up into what would've probably been a smirk. And Desmond had to bite his lip in order not to laugh at the obvious pride the other took in having won a battle against his father.

The master Assassin arched a brow at him.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. Just never saw anyone stand up to my dad." he smiled at the other and they started walking, examining the area around the house.

"He does not approve of my presence. Especially not near you." he could practically hear the frown in Altair's voice. Desmond shrugged.

"Not like I care. He hasn't been there for me my entire life. He has no right to butt into my life now and decide what's good for me. Not after sticking me into the Animus."

"So I'm good for you?" there was definitely a smirk in that low voice.

He stopped walking to turn towards the other man and raise a brow at him.

"Are you… flirting with me?"

"I'm trying."

Desmond chuckled when he saw the usually scowling Assassin flush over his attempt at flirting.

"You're really bad at it."

"I'm not as used to it as the feathered idiot." his face was void of any emotion but Desmond knew he was pouting before his lips formed a light smirk and honey colored eyes narrowed at him. "I did impress you, though."

Deamond grinned back at the prideful Assassin that was now his lover, reveling in the feeling of being loved and wanted by the two most impressive men in the world.

"That you did. I think my dad's scared of you now."

They came to a halt when Desmond spotted the snow covered grave of which he knew belonged to Achilles Davenport and something in the back of his mind sparked and made him move.

He knelt down in front of the grave.

"Thanks for always taking care of Connor." he almost whispered as he fondly smiled at the wooden cross that made the grave. It almost felt like he personally knew the man that was like a father to his ancestor.

After taking a breath of the freezing air he cleared the earth in front of the grave of the snow before starting to dig with his hands.

"Excuse me for a bit. I think Connor left something with you for me." it felt like he was offending the man resting here with his actions but there was no other choice. He cleared his mind off these thoughts when his fingers hit something hard and he pulled his hands free, now holding a weirdly shaped amulet of sorts made of some kind of metal that shimmered similar to the Apple.

"Considering how weird it looks I imagine this is the key we've been looking for." he informed Altair who only hummed in response. When he wanted to pocket the amulet he flinched as the metal suddenly burned in his hands. He let the amulet fall, the snow around it evaporating with the heat though Desmond ignored it as an intense burning sensation spread throughout his entire arm that had been holding the artifact.

He clutched at his arm as he sank to his knees, failing to stifle a pained cry. Altair crouched down beside him in a hurry to pull up Desmond's sleeve. Desmond opened his eyes he had been squeezing shut to look down at his arm where now strange glowing symbols have been engraved that covered his entire arm. He shared a confused look with the other man, who had his eyebrows drawn together in concern.

"I'm fine now." he insured before the other could ask. They got up from the ground, Altair staying close, his hands hovering over the other's body in case he had to offer support.

"Don't!" Desmond cried out in panic when Altair bent over to pick up the artifact. The man stopped to look up at the other's panicked voice.

"We don't know what it will do to you. It's better if I take it. I don't think it will do any more damage to me." he tried to reason. Even though Altair was also able to handle the pieces of Eden they couldn't be sure that nothing would happen. After all Desmond was in the same situation.

Altair stared at him for several seconds before hesitantly nodding. Desmond crouched down to carefully pick up the piece up from where it had sunk into the snow. When nothing seemed to happen they both breathed a sigh of relief before Desmond pulled his sleeve back down and headed back to the front of the building to get the rest of the group.

"Did you find anything?" came his father's voice from the front door as the Mentor just stepped outside with Shaun in tow.

Desmond held up the key to show them. William nodded and pulled out his phone to inform the others back home that they got what they needed and were on their way back.

"Altair." the Mentor called and everyone stopped to look back at him. Altair understood the older man wanted to speak alone and gave a nod to Desmond and Shaun to continue without them.

When they were out of earshot the Mentor spoke.

"I trust you will keep Desmond away from harm." the unspoken threat wasn't missed by Altair.

"That's a given." his voice was void of any emotion and it was obvious the younger Assassin wanted to say more but decided against it.

"No, it's not. That's why I'm telling you this. I don't trust you or Ezio. I know about the both of you from the recorded memories and we're still not sure how and why you are here and most importantly why you have been sticking to Desmond like moths to the light." William's voice lowered dangerously with every word and his eyes tried to pierce a hole through the other man.

Altair scowled.

"It is none of your business." he said slowly.

"He's my son, everything concerning him is my business." he growled.

"You claim that and yet, from what I heard, that did not seem to be the case until now." Altair countered unimpressed.

He knew he was right and by the flinch in the other man's features as his eyes softened he knew the Mentor knew, too. Neither of them spoke for a while until Altair sighed.

"I don't think you realize how much that boy means to us. So long as it's in my power, I will let no harm befall him. And I can assure you Ezio will do the same."

Without waiting for the other to speak again, Altair turned and followed after the rest of the group to return home.

Back in the airplane Desmond wondered what his dad and Altair were talking about but he didn't want to ask. He was also pretty sure it was just William going all Mentor again.

They had more important matters to attend to right now anyway.

Stopping the end of the world for example.

When they landed after a quiet flight, they instantly knew that something was wrong. Desmond felt a prickling sensation in his neck as if he was being watched. As they made their way to the exit it seemed like the people around them tried to purposely block them to slow them down.

This was bad. Desmond was pretty sure the security standing on guard around here was long since replaced by Abstergo. Even though he knew what he was going to see he turned on his eagle vision and he sucked in a breathe through his teeth at the wall of red they were marching towards.

He glanced over to Altair, whose eyes shown golden, his lips pressed into a thin line. Of course he was aware of the situation but even the great Master Assassin knew they wouldn't stand a chance against this many without any weapons.

They neared the scanner and dread settled in Desmond stomach as a thought came to his mind. He had the amulet in his pocket. They would know what it is the moment the alarm went off.

His eyes scanned for a way out but didn't find any. Did his dad have a plan? Had Altair already found an escape route? He tried to calm his hammering heart that threatened to break his ribcage and balled his trembling hands into fists at his side, his fingernails breaking the skin.

A rough, warm hand suddenly grabbed his in a calming caress in order to loosen the death grip on his own hand.

"As soon as I'm through, run as fast as possible towards the exit. Do not worry about anything else." Altair told him in a low, soothing whisper.

"W-What? But-"

He doubted he could just outrun all of them. There were so many. Did Altair and his father plan on staying back to hold them back while he ran?

Altair gazed straight into his eyes.

"I will not let them take you." his determined tone left no room for argument but it wasn't really himself Desmond was worried about here.

He wanted to speak but they already reached the dreaded destination and Altair gave his hand one last squeeze before stepping through. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Desmond stepped through the scanner. He took a deep breath and braced himself before taking off with a sprint, his legs moving so fast he feared he'd trip. Behind him he heard people scream and yell, gunshots ringing out. He knew Shaun was right behind him. He knew his dad and Altair were fighting to buy time so they could escape.

He flew through the masses, careless of the people he pushed to the ground along the way. He could see the exit but two men armed with something similar to a police stick guarded the entrance and readied themselves for battle when they saw the two fleeing Assassins come their way.

When Desmond reached one of them the guy struck with the rod and Desmond could feel electricity crackle around the weapon, sending a tingling feeling along his face when he ducked backwards and used his momentum to slide over the floor through the man's spread legs gave a hard jab against the hollow of his knee. The guard grunted in surprise and fell to his knees. Giving Shaun, who avoided a swing of the second guard, time to jump over the first while using him as a shield for the other.

Desmond winced at the freezing air that hit his face as soon as he passed the doors. He scanned the area and quickly spotted a black van waiting not far from them. Its door opened and Ezio was crouching inside, urging them to hurry and the two didn't waste any time to make their way over. Behind him Desmond heard gunshots being fired at them and he reflexively ducked his head but didn't slow down. He saw the bullets imprint themselves into the van and he was barely aware of the burning in his arm as he jumped with almost full force into Ezio, followed by Shaun and they were moving even before the doors were shut.

"Wait! What… what about… Altair? And dad?" Desmond was wheezing as his lungs burned and his legs throbbed. Beside him Shaun was in an even worse state.

"They'll meet up with us at our destination." Rebecca answered from her position in the driver's seat, her eyes focused on the road.

"You say that so easily. Have you seen how many there were? Those two have no weapons with them!"

"Calm down, amore mio." Ezio spoke softly as his hand cupped his cheek and rubbed his thumb over his cheekbone soothingly. "They will be fine. Altair will come back to you." he trailed off in a whisper as the last sentence was only meant to be heard by Desmond while he leaned forward to rest his forehead against Desmond's. Ezio knew Desmond's biggest fear right now was to loose either of them. The nightmares that plagued the boy after his return from the hands of the Templars spoke volumes.

"You're hurt." the Italian's voice almost startled him from his relaxed state from the soothing ministrations. He looked down at his arm where he felt a slight burn.

"Ah, yeah. A bullet must've grazed me earlier." he shrugged. It didn't really hurt that much and it was barely bleeding. If anything the slight burn and throbbing was keeping him grounded right now.

"You guys can get comfortable and rest up. It'll still be a while until we're there." Rebecca informed them.

"How long? " the Brit asked.

"A few hours."

The loud rattling of the van's doors startled him from his sleep. He pried open his heavy eyelids and looked up from his position against the Italian. His upper body was pressed into the other man's side while his head had rested on the other's shoulder. Ezio had an arm draped around him to secure him.

When they were all out of the van they didn't walk long before they encountered the entrance to their destination that looked like a cave. Cold, dark, uninviting and easy to miss, especially in all the snow that hit half of the opening. Not surprising that no one found it until now. The interior looked totally different from what you'd expect. There wasn't really any place you could compare this to. It were remainings of the first civilization so it could have been everything but if Desmond had to take a guess he'd say it was probably some sort of temple.

Everything was made of stone or steel. Strange glowing lines crept along the platforms and walls that seemed to sing with a weird energy. It's absurd to think that places like these are much older than most castle ruins. So old and still so beautiful. Not beautiful in a way like flowers were but more in a way that it was so other worldly that it was beautiful. But it was also dangerous. Desmond felt like he didn't belong here. This place told a story long forgotten. He could almost hear the whispers in the walls surrounding them and it made his head throb painfully.

He heard Shaun whisper to himself in awe while they treated carefully. From everything that belonged to the first civilization you expected the worst to happen. He glanced back to his covered, marked arm that started to throb as soon as they entered this place. It didn't bode well with him.

While the team wandered around the place to inspect Desmond sat down with his back against the stone wall near the entrance. The pain in his arm had grown stronger with every step he took further into the cavern. He was so sick of all that first civilization magic bullshit. He felt like he was stuck in some fantasy RPG or something, now he even got some magic rune thingies stuck on his arm like some chosen one. Great. If he was at least allowed to save and load whenever something went to hell he would've taken it gratefully.

He sighed as he raked his fingers through his hair, it had gotten longer, some strands were almost fallen into his eyes.

"Are you worried still? About Altair and your father?" Ezio inquired as he settled beside him Desmond had been so lost in thought he didn't even notice him approaching.

He just shrugged. Of course he was but that was not the only thing he worried about.

"You are hurt?"

Desmond looked at him with a frown to ask him why he thought the man pointed at his marked arm.

"You have been clutching at your arm since before."

Damn Assassins and their observational skills.

"It's nothing." he looked at the other's face and the expression the Italian showed clearly said 'Don't fuck with me.'. He sighed again and rolled up his sleeve. Ezio practically glared at the strange markings and reached out his hand but stopped himself from touching, afraid he might hurt the other, and instead let his hand hover over the marked flesh.

"What are these? What happened?" his voice was demanding.

"We're not sure. One moment I was holding the key and the next it turned hot and then these markings appeared."

The frown on the Italians face only deepened.

"They hurt?"

"They did at first. It didn't hurt anymore until we came down here though. The pain seems to grow stronger the deeper I go." he explained.

"And you didn't think about telling us because?" a gruff voice demanded from the entrance.

Relief flooded his body at seeing William and Altair walk towards them. They didn't seem to be injured.

Desmond didn't answer directly. He had no excuse to give so he ignored it as he stood up.

"I assume that whatever the key opens is further inside and that when I get closer to it the key reacts. I don't think it will do any harm." and he might have almost believed himself.

"Yes, because the artifacts of the first civilization are known for being harmless."

It was rare to see his dad being sarcastic. To be honest he didn't remember ever seeing it at all and he thought that maybe this was a sign of him being worried for Desmond's wellbeing.

"What's done is done. I doubt we have the time to find a solution for that now."

His father sighed before stepping in front of him to place a strong hand on his shoulder and squeezed. If to comfort his son or himself Desmond wasn't sure. Maybe both. William then left after telling him he was going meet up with the rest of the team and he could rest for a while until they figured out how to proceed from here on out.

Desmond looked after his dad before closing his eyes and heaved a loud sigh. He was so damn tired.

He opened his eyes to look at Altair, who gazed back at him with his eyes folded over his chest, and stepped in front of the man.

"Spread your arms." Desmond ordered with a tired voice. Altair looked back at him with a raised brow but complied nonetheless.

Desmond then took one last step forward to press his body close to the other and circled his arms around a muscular back. His forehead rested on the other's shoulder as a content sigh left his lips. The taller man didn't hesitate to close his arms around him, one hand in his neck, caressing the skin and playing with his hair. He felt a third hand join them, raking slowly through his hair on the top of his head.

He didn't know a simple hug could heal his exhausted soul so well. They should stop producing antidepressants and instead make hugs for therapy a thing.

A low chuckle vibrated through the chest he was pressed against. Oh. Had he said that out loud? Oh well. He was too content right now to worry about that.

He rested again on the floor against the stone wall with Ezio and Altair at either side of him, each of his hands intertwined with one rough hand of each man. His piece was interrupted by Lucy showing up.

"Desmond. It's time. Come have a look." she said and waited for him and the other two to join her before they headed further inside. The slight throbbing in his arm turned into a slight burn when he came to stand where the rest of the team had gathered.

His father looked at him.

"Today is the last day. If we can't stop it today…" he didn't finish. He didn't have to. They all knew that if they failed today, the world would burn.

It felt unreal. There had never been a sign on earth for what was to come. It would be mere seconds before the end that people would even take notice of something being wrong. Would he not know what he knew and had he not seen what he had, then he would, like most people on this planet, not believe that anything was wrong at all.

"What do we have to do?" he asked.

"There." it was Shaun who pointed at a half transparent wall made of some sort of energy. Behind it was a pedestal with an indent that looked as if something was supposed to be placed there. "I assume that we have to place the Apple there."

Together they approached the gate like wall and with every step the pain in Desmond's arm intensified. His hand balled into a fist and he was panting by the time they reached the wall of energy.

There was no keyhole of any sort to open it, only several glowing lines, that looked similar to the ones on his arm and connected to a small round structure in the middle. Without thinking twice Desmond stepped forward and slapped his marked hand on the suspicious surface. He just wanted the pain to stop.

The wall pulsed and sang before it slowly dissolved into several particles and with just a shared look the group continued on with Desmond at the front. When he crossed the border where the wall had been though, the rest of them were pushed back by an invisible wave if energy and by the time Desmond whirled around in shock the same wall separated him from the rest.

He searched for the structure that had functioned as a keyhole but there was nine this time. He put his marked hand against the wall anyway but it was in vain. He watched with growing dread as his team scrambled back to their feet and Altair and Ezio were already at the wall again, desperately searching for a way to reach Desmond. He saw their lips move though he didn't know what was being said. He shook his head to signal them he couldn't hear them.

He sighed in defeat as he made his way towards the pedestal with tense shoulders. His arm still throbbed painfully and it only got worse as he neared his goal.

"Come" he heard a whisper surround him."Yes... come..."

As he came to stand in front of the altar that waited for the Apple to be placed the pain in his arm was unbearable and he had to support himself with a hand on the cold pedestal, sweat trickling down his temple.

"Here... at last..." A figure appeared out of nowhere. A familiar hologram like image of a woman staring straight at Desmond. Her black hair seemed to float as if underwater, her white gown doing the same.

"Juno." he breathed out more to himself.

He saw the woman before but he didn't really know anything about her.

"Desmond." she greeted. He couldn't read the emotion in her voice nor in her eyes. "We have reached the end yet again. This is the second time I watch the world's impending end draw near. Last time, we tried. We failed." her voice echoed through the air and the walls as she stepped closer to Desmond.

"All our hopes extinguished..." she stopped in front of him at the opposite side of the pedestal. "Except for one." Her hand hovered over the indent. "The forbidden fruit and your touch, a spark. A spark to save the world." she smiled at him expectantly but something about it made a cold shiver run down his spine.

"Wait." Came another voice that was impossible to pinpoint the direction of and another woman came into sight. Minerva. He knew her from several memories. She had helped them more than once throughout history.

"Do not touch the pedestal." She ordered Desmond.

"You... but how?" Yuno sounded surprised to see her.

Desmond just stared at them. He wanted to yell at them to hurry it up and make choice. To tell him what he was supposed to do but it took him everything to concentrate on the conversation with the brain wracking pain in his arm. He had no energy to formally words now.

"You must not free her." Minerva told him in an almost desperate manner. What were they even talking about? Free who? He was only here to fucking stop the planet from burning, nothing else.

"Juno dwells within these walls, awaiting release."

At the confused look Desmond sent her she started to explain.

"While we worked to save the world, she sought, instead, to conquer it." She circled around Juno, speaking with hatred in her voice. "She used our machines to set her plans in motion. When we discovered her treachery, we put a stop to it." She turned to Desmond again as she spoke. "And then we left. But first we called to you... That you might try again. We thought it would be safe with her gone." Her eyes, so full of hatred, were directed at Juno once more, who didn't return the eye contact. "Now I see we were deceived."

"I had hoped you might find this place and finish our work. But it is too late. You and the Templars have squabbled over our refuse. You have wasted centuries. And so you have lost your chance. You cannot hope to stop the end now, Desmond. Only to survive it."

So all this was for nothing? He himself has witnessed for how long the fight between Assassins and Templars was going on and everyone always thought it was the right way to win this war. No. It hadn't been about the war to begin with.

"She's lying!" Juno spat. "Only place the Apple in the pedestal and the world will be saved!" Juno's eyes burned into him.

"Better the world burn than she be loosed upon it." Minerva reasoned against her.

"Is that so?" Juno spat mockingly back at her. "Show him then."

"But he will not understand." She argued before turning to Desmond once more. "It is complicated... it is..."

"Show me." He cut her off. It was complicated to begin with. His entire life was a complicated mess since he left the farm. This was about a decision he had to make so he needed to know the truth.

Suddenly images of was to come, depending on Desmond's decision, were flashing in front of his eyes. The voice of Juno guiding him.

"If you heed Minerva the sun will have its way. The ground will crack and spit fire into the sky. The world will burn. But this does not end the world, merely heralds its arrival. Darkness follows. Then you emerge... Resolving to lay a foundation that such a tragedy does not befall the world again. You will become a symbol to those who survive. Hope. Knowledge. Determination. You will inspire them to rebuild. And as the world heals, so too will humanity. But you are just a man. Frail and mortal. You pass from the world, leaving behind only a memory. You will be remembered first as a hero. Later as a legend. And in time... As a god. It is the cruelest fate. To have written words that meant well and see them made wicked and unwise. What was meant to encourage life, used instead to justify taking it. So tell me. How is this better?"

The pictures vanished from as fast as they had appeared, bringing him back to reality where Juno stepped forward to stand in front of Desmond once more.

"She would sacrifice you, sacrifice the world for no other reason than to deny me vindication." Now it was Minerva's turn to step forward. "They will enslave your kind, Desmond. Is this not why you fight? Is this not why you came here? To ensure more than just your race's future, but its freedom?"

"What future? What freedom? Billions dead and the whole cycle begun anew? This world has known nothing but heartache and horror since we left it."

"Enough!" Desmond yelled at the both of them. Not being able to take any more of their arguments anymore.

"You must not do this!" Minerva advised one last time.

He had to think. It was true that all they were fighting for was freedom. Those centuries of war, blood and death was for freedom. And yet here they were, about to either start life on this planet anew or to give up what they were fighting for all this time. Was this not why he had left the farm? Because he wanted freedom? To not be confronted with complicated things? And yet here he was, having to decide what shall happen with this world and the people in it.

He looked back over his shoulder towards his anxiously waiting group, his family. Shaun stood with his arms folded in front of him, shifting from one leg onto the other nervously. Lucy and Rebecca stood together but further away from the group. His father and the two Master Assassins stood at the gate, their eyes trained on him. He couldn't see the emotions playing through them from this distance but he had a good guess as to how they might feel right now.

His eyes landed on the ground. There was only one choice to make. His life was a small price to pay for the world to remain mostly as it was now. Their freedom would be taken away from them eventually, but they would find a way to retrieve it. They've been fighting for it for thousands of years. What difference would a few more years make.

There was something holding him back though. The two Assassins he came to know - to love - merely through watching their memories. Why had they come to this time? Had they not appeared in front of him and cared for him then he would have already made his decision. He didn't want their time together to end.

A thought came to mind and gulped down the lump in his throat before he turned to Minerva.

"Did you bring those two here?" the question was quite vague but he knew the goddess understood.

She nodded.

"Why?" he breathed out as his voice cracked.

"Because I needed to ensure your arrival. I had to make sure you would not break on your way here and give up."

He felt used and what's even worse, he knew it was because of him that those two lost the lives they had back in their time. Their home, friends, family. Everything. Just so he would make it to this point.

He didn't fight the tears that burned in his eyes and let them roll freely down his cheeks as he shifted his bag and took out the orb with his unmarked hand. He looked down at the seemingly innocent globe sit in his hand as if it was not the cause for thousands of years of war and death.

"It is almost time. Make your choice." Juno urged.

"Can…" he cleared his throat to steady his trembling voice as he looked at Minerva. "Can you send them back?"

"Is that what you truly wish for?" she asked.

"I wish I could live together with them for the rest of my life. But that's not possible, so yeah."

'It's for the best.' He thought.

If he can't make them happy then he wants them to find happiness in the world they belong and forget about him.

"No, I can not." Minerva suddenly answered. And Desmond's stomach dropped.

"Then why did you-"

"Desmond!"

A desperate cry of his name interrupted him as he saw the sprint towards him with the rest of the team in tow. He looked back at Minerva and Juno in shock as he quickly placed the orb on the altar with his marked hand and the choice was set in stone. As soon as it made contact Desmond cried out in agony as the marks on his arm pulsed and burned as if the blood in his veins were turned into lava. He wanted to take his hand off the orb but it was as if an invisible force held him in place. He couldn't hear anything but his own screams and a shrill ringing in his ears. His vision was blinded by light and tears and he vaguely registered the smell of burned flesh. It felt like hours until his suffering finally ended and he was grateful for the numbness that took over his body. He wanted to open his eyes but all was black. The smell of burned flesh had stopped and in his ears was only a whisper.

"You have done well. Rest now."

To be continued…

Aaand this is it. There will be a continuation, tho.

If there are any mistakes point them out to me because formatting here is annoying sometimes.

Leave a review while you're at it ;)