April 16, 2022

With all the people using the shower these days, hot water was a precious commodity. Of course, Faith and Connor showered together. Not that it helped with the hot water or time situation any. They usually took longer with each other than either of them would have taken on their own. Desmond hated having only ten minutes to wash before the water got cold. It didn't take him that long to get clean, but the heat was nice after a long day of training. And Edward had thoroughly kicked his ass earlier. Desmond was good with blades. He really was. But he was not used to sparring with someone who ignored the rules of engagement so much. It would take a little while for him to get accustomed to Edward's way of doing things.

"I can't believe a pirate is my ancestor," he mused as he pulled on a clean shirt. He ran a hand over his short, dark hair straightening it enough that it didn't look like total shit.

When he opened the bathroom door to leave, the wonderful smell of something delicious caught his attention. He smiled, knowing that meant they would have a real meal tonight instead of just pizza. He was so sick of pizza.

Desmond hurried down the stairs and made his way to the table. There was a feast displayed in the center. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, corn and biscuits. It all looked even better than it smelled. Desmond gazed at Clair as she finished taking the lids off all the containers. At least once a month she cooked and made sure they had a decent dinner. She also joined them for the meal. As these visits usually took place on Saturday, Pete was never there. That meant more food for Desmond.

"You are truly a goddess," he told her.

Clair laughed. "You're overstating my value, Desmond. It's just food."

"You're underestimating just how much good food means to me, Clair," he responded.

Edward was seated at the table watching Clair with an entranced smile on his face. Desmond couldn't blame the man for being attracted to Clair. She was very beautiful. Not just for a woman her age either. Clair didn't look nearly old enough to have a twenty-one-year-old son. Desmond had thought she was closer to his age when they first met. He would have never guessed she was over forty.

"You're a healer, a cook, a mother. Is there anything you can't do, love?" Edward ask her.

Clair gave him an award-winning smile as she took the seat between Jack and Desmond. "Very few things, Edward."

And she was flirting with the pirate. That wasn't awkward at all.

Desmond looked around the room. He noticed Faith and Connor were not present. He started to ask where they were, but thought it best not to bring up their absence. It would only give Edward a reason to make a lewd comment. One Desmond really did not want to hear. He concentrated on eating, giving thanks to the powers that be that Clair was such a wonderful cook.

"How's work?" he ask her, taking a short break from his chicken.

She shrugged noncommittally. Clair never talked a lot about what she did at Abstergo, but she would often give them updates on anything that might help their cause. It was never top-secret stuff, just random bits of gossip they hadn't gotten from their other sources. "It's been quiet lately."

There was something in her voice that kept Desmond from believing her. He pretended he hadn't noticed it.

"So," Clair spoke, eyeing Jack unhappily. "Pete tells me you need him on Saturdays, too. Is devoting five days a week of his life to your cause not good enough anymore?"

"It's only half a day," Jack told her in a tight voice. "It's not as if his time is so precious that he can't help out his own father."

Desmond could see already which direction this conversation was going in. It was common for Jack and Clair to disagree. And nothing made them argue quicker than talking about Pete's future. Clair was adamant about the boy completing his education. Jack held the opinion that school was a waste of time. He said it didn't teach anything one needed to know in life. Desmond sort of agreed with him about that.

He pretended not to listen as Jack and Clair bantered back and forth about the best uses for Pete's weekends, and looked at Edward. The other man was not the least bit concerned with the argument taking place in front of him.

"Where'd you learn to use a sword?" he ask.

Edward smiled at him. "Self-taught. In my opinion, experience is the best teacher. I learned all I know about surviving whilst fighting for my life. What about you? You had formal training?"

"I wouldn't exactly call the time I spent in the animus 'formal training'. But it did teach me a lot."

"You realize how fucked it sounds for you to talk about living your ancestor's lives, mate?"

"Trust me, I get it. It's even more fucked up when you're the one doing it."

Faith and Connor came down the stairs, interrupting whatever Edward was going to say next. They had been holding hands, but quickly released each other when they noticed everyone in the room. Desmond found it odd that they never displayed any type of affection in front of the others. He was glad they didn't make out in front of him, but holding hands...They were married. That was high up on the list of displayable attentions.

Edward wasn't as subtle about the couple's rare instances of fondness shown. He was more apt to comment on the behavior than let it go. "Come and eat, you two," the pirate told them with a grin. "I'm sure you're absolutely famished after all the 'exercising' you've done today."

Desmond pretended he hadn't heard that as Connor's face darkened while he sat down next to his grandfather and Faith did a poor job of hiding a smile as she watched her husband blush out of the corner of her eye.

Clair took a break from her spat with Jack to greet the newcomers. "I wasn't sure about what you liked to eat, so I hope you're fine with fried chicken."

Faith looked at the woman. She spoke in a careful tone, trying not to offend Clair. "I'm a vegetarian."

"Really?" Clair responded, shooting an icy glance at Jack. "You didn't tell me that."

"She's a big girl. She can take care of herself."

"It's fine," Faith said in a tight voice, the one she always used when she was around her father. "Anything's better than pizza."

"Tell me about it," Desmond agreed. "I've been eating nothing but bread and cheese for a year now."

Faith did smile at that. "I'd revolt."

"When it was just me, what was the point?"

"It's not just you anymore," she told him.

"Thank God," he muttered.

Desmond hadn't meant for that to sound as desperate as it did. But it had. Honestly, he was glad he wasn't alone anymore. He hated being by himself. Pete had been his sole outside contact, and the young man wasn't around much more than he had to be. He was off living his own life. Doing what he wanted to do. Desmond tried hard not to be jealous of that. He tried to remain glad that he at least had a life now. But the solitude made it hard for him to find happiness in anything.

Lost in thought, reliving a past he really didn't want to remember, Desmond ignored most of what was said. It wasn't until the mention of a familiar place that his attention was once again on the present. Brooklyn. Faith had said it. She was telling Clair about how she had lived in Brooklyn for a while as a teenager.

"No shit," he mused. "That's where I lived. I tended bar at Bad Weather."

Faith looked at him. "Did you work with woman named Karen Moore in 2009?"

The name sounded familiar, but Desmond had worked at the nightclub for a long time. He had seen a lot of people come and go during his employment. Not many of his coworkers stuck around for more than a year or two. Still, the name sparked something in his mind. He vaguely remembered a red head with long legs who tended with him for a while around then. She had quit not long before Desmond had been abducted by Vidic's cronies.

"I think so. Did you know her?"

Faith nodded. "Well, sort of. I went to school with her brother, Tim. Karen snuck us into the club one night."

"That wouldn't take much sneaking," Desmond told her. "They'd let just about anyone into that place. Especially a pretty girl."

Connor's eyes rose to meet his descendant's. Desmond realized he had just implied that Faith was pretty. That wasn't what he had meant. He was merely stating that the club security wasn't picky about who they let in. He thought about explaining that to Connor, but felt it would only make him seem more guilty. He opted to keep quiet and hoped the Native wasn't the jealous type.

Instead of becoming angry, Connor looked at Faith and said to her in Mohawk. She appeared confused, as if she had not understood what he had said. Desmond pretended he hadn't understood what Connor said. The bleeding effect could be a real pain in the ass sometimes.

"Nevermind," Connor muttered, not bothering to translate for Faith.

To Desmond, Connor's decision to not reiterate his point in a way Faith understood was a mistake. He had never met a woman who didn't like to be told they were beautiful.

When the meal was over, Desmond helped Clair pack everything up and load it into her Jeep. Just as he always did. She thanked him. Just as she always did. Then Desmond left her and Jack alone in the garage to say goodbye to each other. Just as they always did.

At 9:00 Desmond turned on the Hurricanes at Avalanche game. Edward sat down to watch with him, asking a few questions about the sport that had confused him during the last game. Desmond told him what he could. He wasn't all that familiar with hockey. It wasn't until he had met Jack and Pete that he even watched any sport regularly.

When Jack joined them right after puck drop, he looked to be in a bad mood. The fact that Carolina was playing poorly only served to make his attitude worse. Desmond thought it best to keep his mouth shut. Edward, wisely, did the same.

Around the second intermission, Desmond's phone tweeted. He figured it was Pete, either attempting to hook him up again or complaining about how the Canes were losing. It surprised him to see Faith's name on the screen. He opened the message.

What did Connor say?

It took Desmond a moment to realize she was inquiring about the Mohawk words the Native had spoken at dinner. He was curious as to why she was asking him and not her husband. Still, he answered honestly.

He said he's always thought you were beautiful.

He didn't expect a reply to that. But he got one. Thanks.

As he was putting his phone away, Desmond realized that Faith was the first woman he had exchanged messages with since getting his phone. He did have Clair's number, but they had never spoken via cell. All communication with her had been in person or through Jack or Pete. Faith was the female to reach out to Desmond since his 'reawakening'.

For some reason, that fact made Desmond smile.