Another chapter in one week! Yeah man! Whoot. Now hold onto your hats, if you guys are unsure if she was a templar or assassin, read this chapter you will find out. It's sort of an emotional based one. so prepared for it.

-Moon

It took no time to get into Shippen's office. There were hardly any guards or servants that walked the halls. Catherine picked up the edges of her skirt to create lesser noise. When they came to the entrance, James pushed the door open to let themselves in. There were signs that James had been in here, but someone would have to pay closer attention to see it. He took off his mask to help his line of vision.

"I've looked everywhere for it Cathy." James sighed with exasperation.

Catherine bit her lip, "It wouldn't be out in the open." She was nervous about the whole plot. Her father was right downstairs with a hundred or so templars.

"Can't you use your special 'gift'? The one you always told me about." James asked as he scratched his head. "We need to hurry before someone notices us missing."

"I agree." Catherine had let James in on her secret about her ability when he first moved his family to the homestead. She closed her eyes for half a second to focus when her vision turned grey with hints of blue throughout the room. James was solid gold, but her focus changed To a bookshelf glowed the same color as James. A safe highlighted just behind it. She could tell that the shelf had been built on a track with smaller wheels to guide it.

"There. Help me push this shelf." Catherine waved James over. He shuffled over quickly to grab the other end of the shelf. "We have to be quick and quiet."

James nodded before he started pulling as Catherine push. It didn't take much effort to move the shelf. James dropped to his knees pulling out what looked like a lock picking kit when the safe was reviled.

"I asked Master Mack to let me borrow this for my trip, he gave it to me no questions asked. Thankfully, he taught me how to use it."

Catherine nodded as she watched him work. She kept her eyes to the door until she heard the hiss of a yes from James. The blacksmith apprentice opened the door to the safe. He stretched out his arm to reach in there to pull out a leather-bound book. Catherine to the item in her hands, knowing well that this is what she was looking for.

The book looked brand new to be such an old object. James glanced into the safe once more and pulled out a stack of letters wrapped in a ribbon. The wax-sealed enclosed it had the violent red cross of the Templars. These letters could hold information about plans between Shippen and the Templars.

"Stuff those in your pocket quickly. We will go ahead and take them-" She stopped mid-sentence when she heard the sound of a doorknob turning. James raced to stuff the letters into his pocket before anyone strolled in. Catherine still had the book in her hands. There in the threshold was Shay Cormac, Haytham Kenway, and Edward Shippen.

Her knuckles turned white as her grip tightens on the book. They were caught. Her heart felt like it was going to burst through her chest.

"Catherine, what are you doing here?" Shay's eyes widen at the sight of his child holding the book.

"It seems we caught your so-called Assassins, Master Kenway. A couple of children who stick their noses in places where they don't belong." Edward narrowed his eyes at the two of them.

Catherine couldn't get a word out, she felt mortified that she had been caught. James stepped forward, surprising that he was taking charge. "I told you, boy, you a had a chance to stay out of this." Haytham glared at the blacksmith apprentice.

"It changed the moment you threaten my family and Catherine." James snarled. "you all are the scum of the earth."

Haytham argued, "I never once threaten them."

"Yes, you did!" James shouted, "You threaten my family with death."

"Settle down you both, we need to discuss this." Shay declared as he stepped forward.

Catherine closed her eyes for a moment before finally speaking after an entirety. "You can't have this. I won't let you have it."

Edward Shippen cracked a grin at her comment like she was a foolish girl. His smile caused an feel of unease.

Shay sighed like any father would, "I hate to break it to you sweetheart, but that is not the real manuscript." Shay spoke pointing at her as he took a step forward. "We laid a trap for assassins, but I didn't think it be my own daughter."

Catherine looked at her book before flipping it open to look at the pages. Everything was blank, causing her to cry out in frustration before throwing it to the ground.

"Who sent you here?" Shay demanded.

Catherine stood there shaking her head. "No, I won't tell."

"Achilles?"

"He called this whole thing a waste cause-" Catherine retorted but James stepped in on her answer.

James shouted with venom dripping from his voice. "Because I am the one to push it. I was the one who informed Catherine about you people. I was the one who brought her home after she hid out with Achilles and the natives. " He was lying to the Templars to save Achilles and Connor if they were to fail. It was a surprise, but a genuine move.

Catherine opened her mouth a little, she was only shocked about it. "James…"

"Catherine, it's alright. You don't need to protect me, especially for this." James reached around the waistband of his pants. He drew his pistol and pointed straight at her father.

Catherine now realized why he was here. He must have asked Charles to come, he had used Catherine as a form of vengeance. "James, no." Catherine prompted like a stern bull.

"Boy, put that weapon away." Haytham took a step forward. "You have one shot. If you hit him, I will cut you down where you stand. If you shot me, he will cut you down." Referring to Shay pointing to him.

"No one is cutting anyone down." Catherine gritted pushing herself in front of James, "Because your not shooting anyone."

James looked outraged at Catherine. "He killed my father, he killed my father leaving my mother and us alone. You want Lee dead, what difference does it make."

"He burned down an entire village and strangled a young boy. Caused a giant massacre in the middle of Boston. It's different."

James spat with rage and determination, "It's not. Your mother is dead because of the Templars, Catherine. Get out of the way."

"My mother is dead because of me."She stated, blocking his aim with rage in her body. "If I had listened to her and stayed to do my chores, she still be breathing." The words caught in her throat. She couldn't believe the words that escaped her lips. Her lips shuddered as she realized she was hanging on those words all this time. Looking back at Shay, his eyes soften from shock to sadness.

Her voice produced the overwhelming emotions that Catherine felt. In a huffing rage, she looked at her father in the eye, "Don't say anything, I am not finished." A moment had to past before she stop to collect herself. "I was there because I stood for what I believe in. If I'd stop now, my mother's death would be for nothing."

"A gunshot is what killed your mother, not you." Shay reached out to walk towards Catherine. "Not you darlin,"

"I wanted to voice my fears and concerns. Mum advised me not to go, but I went. If I didn't she'd be alive." Catherine quietly spoke. "If I stop here, her death would mean nothing. You Templars think its okay to hurt anyone you wish to please your ambitions. You killed six people because it suited your needs."

She was no longer talking to Shay, but she was talking to Haytham. "James and myself will make sure you people will never hurt anyone again.

Haytham flashed a face of annoyance, "Like how? by joining the Assassins lost cause? They are non-existence here in the colonies. The only one that stands is a souring old man who is using you as a pawn in his 20-year-old revenge plot." he snorted. "I have never seen such blatant naivety from a young woman who has so much potential."

"No, he advised me against. I am here with James on our own accord." Catherine spat "I am no wasted talent. I've just chosen sides..."

"And what would that be?" Haytham asked with humor lingering in his voice.

"The side that is right. The side where it fights for people's freedoms. I am not alleging with anyone, but my own beliefs. My own creed. I am no Assassin, but I will stand by them. I will learn, and I will change any wrong they had committed."

Shay crossed his arms over his chest. "So, you are admitting to being-"

"An Assassin, I will be an Assassin with my own creed. I know what you did, and I understand why. Uncle Liam and the other assassins were in the wrong." Catherine could remember when she first met the old man. He told her how Shay took out the Colonial Brotherhood. "Though, there needs to be a new generation. We will fix the mistakes of the past Assassins."

"That's not going to bring back anyone Catherine." James gritted his teeth. "My mother had scrap to get by for myself and my two sisters."

"So did mine. She was a proud woman with an absent husband. I am sorry for your father. I truly am, but I am not going to stand here and let you try to kill my father. This isn't how you go about things."

Catherine watched James play with the trigger of the flintlock pistol. She saw it in his eyes. There was no time for any more words, but action. She attacked James hand grabbing onto the flintlock trying to wrestle it out of his hand. Her mind was outraged that James had weaseled into his way into her mission to kill her own father.

BANG

The initial impact felt like a wasp stinger impacted her skin. The shock overwhelmed her with James looking like he saw a ghost. The only thing she could whisper to James was to run. Run was the only words she could repeat. The amount of anger didn't matter if James died.

In slow-motion before she clasped into her father's arms. James ran to the closed window. Throwing an oil lamp near that sat on the ceil to block anyone from him following him. He jumped through the window, causing it to be the last Catherine saw James before seething in pain.

A hot stabbing pain ribbed through her right side. She thought how stupid she was to try to wrestle the gun close to her abdomen then to the air. The teenager had been shot. Shot like her mother. Shay held onto her side to stop the gushing of the blood that was pooling from her body. He applied pressure to the gunshot site.

The flames were quickly put out by Haytham and Lord Shippen, but Catherine didn't pay it any mind. "Catherine, Catherine!" Shay shouted as he held her in his lap. "Haytham we need a doctor now."

Catherine felt though as her side was burning. She could feel the exit wound. Catherine was glad that the musket ball was out. She didn't want to die of infection like her mom.

"Stupid girl," Edward rushed past her exiting the room.

Tears leaked down her cheek as her father held her in his lap. "Don't move love, it's going to be alright."

An abundance of fear took her. "I don't want to die Papa. Not like her." She whispered, "I-I want to say everything to you."

Shay shushed her kissing her head. "Save your strength. Your lucky how far away it is from your midriff. " He used the fabric of her gown to cover the wound until a doctor could come.

The amount of blood that she was losing her made her feel dizzy. The whole world felt as if it was spinning above her. His voice blurred as she felt her world lighten. "Papa…" the last words escape her lips before she heard Shay shouting.

Connor sat by an old dead willow with a small fire started to keep himself warm. He sharpen his tomahawk while he waited for Catherine and James. He could hear the soft neighing from the three grazing horses. He would keep a glancing eye on them until he heard the rustle of leaves and sticks breaking. He stood with his weapon at the ready when James emerged from the woods looking shaken and stressed.

"James, where's Catherine?"

James fell to the ground catching his breath. He looked as if he ran from the manor to the woods all the way to the Native. "They have her…she was hurt before I escaped."

"How?!"

"I-I don't know. It happened so fast." James gasped. "We need to go before they come after me. It turns out the manuscript was a fake! I jumped out a glass window and ran all the way here."

The Native assassin could see pits of glass sticking to his coat. A splotch of blood on James left arm was noticeable from where a glass nicked him. His looks collaborated with the story, but he was terrified for Catherine.

Connor opened his mouth in shock. "It was a trap?"

"Yes, it was!"

Connor stood up to run after her, he couldn't let her just suffer there. They could kill her. James stopped him by grabbing his arm. "You can't it be suicide."

"I have to save her!"

"She will be fine. Her father's got her. He won't let anything happen to her."

Connor glared as he threw his arms in frustration. "And how do you know that?"

"Because that's her father. I don't know if they are behind me, but we go to go now. We need to regroup with Faulkner and think of a better plan. It wasn't a complete waste. We managed to smuggle some important letters out."

The native boy watched James, he was panicked and obviously scared. Connor wanted to go after Catherine, he really wanted too, but it would be risking a lot. "We need to inform Dorian and Achilles." He spoke softly, "Charles might know what to do."

Connor would have to wait if she would reach out to him. She was smart and resourceful. He had to trust that she would be alright from all harm.