Assassin's Creed 1. Chapter 1

A few months after the funeral, Connor cornered me and made me promise to write down my story before I forgot it all. He had been nagging me about doing it ever since I came clean with him about who I truly was.

Things have calmed down with the Templars so much I actually have some free time for myself. I haven't felt this calm ever since Achilles first took me in and healed me. Even Connor doesn't really have anything to do, besides taking care of the homestead and the people living on it.

We both have lost close friends in this damn war. Even with what happened with my friends, I never truly hated any of them. Maybe I was still caught up in the false dream that they would ever see the true light of what the Templars were doing. I'm not sure.

These past few years have been the hardest on me. Choosing to stay here was hard. I've come to terms that I'll never be able to see my family again since I destroyed my only way home so the Templars would never be able to use it to their advantage.

I've learned that I can't hold on to everything. I have to focus on the present, even though my true birth date isn't even for another 300 years. (I have never ever really gotten used to that)

My name is Piper, and this is my story.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry about last chapter. It was pretty short. But, so is this one. I promise that chapters will start to get longer! **

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Assassin's Creed, just the characters that you don't recognize**

Everything hurt. My arms. My legs. My whole body. I could still here my family's screams ringing in my ears. I knew I had to keep going. Not only for me, but for them.

I dropped to my knees, sliding under a fallen metal beam. I ducked and dodged many obstacles, hoping that the they wouldn't be able catch up. I could feel the smoke burning the inside of my lungs as I gulped in more air.

My eyes burned as I stopped at a corner in the burning building. I didn't know whether to go left or right. I grabbed the Assassin emblem my grandmother had given me that hung around my thin neck. Maybe I had thought it would give me a sign of where to go. I'm not sure. The details have gotten blurry over the years. But I'm getting off track.

"Get her! Now!"

I didn't need another warning. I turned left, feeling the bullets graze the back of my head.

_Guns?! Really?!_ I thought as ran through the hallway.

The smoke was getting so thick I couldn't see an inch in front of me. My lungs felt as if they were going to collapse. I wished I could find a window and take the easy way out. But I knew that the idea was stupid. The building was fifteen stories high, and of course, we were on the top floor. I had heard stories about how Assassins hundreds of years ago had to jump off of buildings into piles of hay. They had guts that I could only wish to have.

But, unbeknownst to me, my wish was about to come true. As I ran, I had tripped over a fallen piece of debris and was sent flying out a window.

You know when people have a near death experience and they say they saw their whole life flash in front of their eyes? Well, that didn't happen with me. I had opened my eyes and saw the ground hurling at me at what seemed to be a million miles per hour.

But Death never came. Maybe he was just being lazy, or that it really wasn't my time to go. The last thing I remember was a bright light, then darkness.

"Do you think she is alright?"

"I don't know, Boyd. Do I look like a doctor?"

"Look you two, she's waking up!"

The voices didn't sound familiar. They were all boys, I knew that. Young, too.

I slowly opened my eyes, allowing them to get used to the bright sun shining in my face. I sat up and put a hand on my head, trying to stop the throbbing.

When I finally found my will to look at the boys, I about passed out again.

They had to be a little older than my age of ten. That wasn't the reason I lost my cool. No, it was the fact that they weren't dressed like kids from 2009. No, they were dressed as if they had raided their great great great great great grandfather's wardrobes. Instead of a shirt that I was used to seeing, all of them were wearing holey linen shirts and ripped breeches. They looked like dirty little orphans (and certainly smelled that way, too). I would later find out that I was right

"You okay? You took a nasty fall," the oldest said to me. The boy had light brown hair, bright red cheeks, and pale skin. On top of that, he had a really thick English accent.

"Culkin, why she all dressed weird?" the other asked in a Scottish accent. He looked around my age, even with his sandy blonde hair in need of a haircut.

The boy that talked to me first turned to the younger one and smacked him on the back of the head. "That's no way to talk to a lady, Boyd."

I glanced at the other one that hadn't said anything. He had bright red hair and freckles covered almost every inch of his face.

"Who the hell are you?" My mom would have my butt if she had heard me, but I didn't care. "Where am I?"

All three of them turned and looked at me. For a moment, I thought that they were going to just slowly walk away and act as if nothing had happened and they didn't know me.

"Boston," the quiet boy answered. He answered slowly in a slight Irish accent, as if I would run if he said it to fast.

I quickly pushed myself to my feet and looked around. I wasn't in New York anymore, I knew that. It looked as if I had jumped back hundreds of years in time.

The roads were dirt and packed with people walking to their destinations. I knew I was screwed the first time I laid eyes on the people walking throughout the streets. The men were dressed in petticoats and the women wore dresses that went down to their ankles.

I glanced down at my own clothes. Old white, now grimy and stained with blood, basketball shorts and a black hoodie my father had given to me my 9th birthday. It was his own way of celebrating me truly finishing my first stage of becoming an Assassin. Oh yeah, I probably should have told you that I was training to be an Assassin, destined to follow in my parent's footsteps.

"What year is it?" Was my next question. It probably wasn't a good question and most likely made them think I was a bit crazy, if they hadn't already thought it.

"1766," answered Culkin. He scratched the back of his head as he said, "You must have hit your head a bit harder than I thought."

I reached back and touched the back of my head. It felt sticky and cold. I knew I had to get it bandaged before it got infected.

"Tories," Boyd said nervously. "We gotta go."

I glanced down the street and saw a big group of red coats walking towards us. I remember my mother teaching me about the Revolutionary War. About how the Templars took advantage of the British. How George Washington worked with the Assassins, or at least someof them. How Paul Revere's midnight ride wasn't done without a bit of help. I, of course, learned it about in school (during the few days that I had actually went when we weren't moving from place to place).

I knew then I was in deep trouble.

"Are they still looking for you, Culkin?" the red head asked.

Culkin shrugged. "I don't know, Fergus, but I'm not taking any chances." He turned to Boyd. "Tell the others about the girl. We need to get her to a doctor before anything bad happens."

Boyd nodded and ran away, disappearing into the darkness of the alleys.

"Fergus, you take her somewhere safe. Don't let anything happen to her." Fergus nodded and grabbed my arm.

I looked between them. "How in the hell am I supposed to trust any of you?"

Culkin looked at me and said in a serious voice, "I could have left you for dead when we found you. Isn't that enough?"

I gave him a short nod. "I guess."

"Good," Culkin said. "I'll be going now."

"Wait!" I yelled at Culkin. "What are you doing?"

Culkin smirked. "What I do best."

With that, he turned on his heel and ran towards the red coats.

I felt a tug on my arm and followed Fergus down the street.

**Achilles is in the next chapter and Connor is in the one after that (I think :/ ). Please review and tell me how I'm doing!**


	3. Meeting Achilles

**I want to tell everyone I'm writing this story for fun. I'm not making it my top priority (with school and all) and I can only write and post chapters when I have free time (which I rarely do). So please bear with me. This will either be a good story or something that I will regret even thinking of. **

I kept up with Fergus easily. He didn't run that fast. I also had the six years of training behind me.

My black hood was up, despite the heat of the sun beating down on me. Luckily my brown hair was pulled up into a low pony tail so it kept out of the way.

I tried to memorize where he was leading me, but I finally gave up. I was never good at memorizing things as my siblings were. He seemed to be going in a random direction throughout the crowed streets of Boston. I hoped he knew were he was going.

As we turned a sharp corner, we bumped straight into a whole platoon of red coats. When the leader glanced down at us, his gaze darkened.

"Great," I breathed.

My sight immediately changed. Fergus glowed a bright blue while the red coats glowed an ominous red.

I reached for my throwing knives, that were secured to the right side of my hips by a leather band. I said a silent prayer that I would at least hit them, giving us enough time to escape. I knew it would take a miracle.

I pulled Fergus behind me as I threw the first knife straight at the leader. It didn't kill him, but lodged straight into his hip.

"Run!" I yelled. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

Fergus shook his head. "I'm not leaving you."

I gave him the scariest glare I could muster up, making sure to keep a close eye on the red coats. "Don't you dare argue with me."

Fergus didn't take any time to get up and run off down the street.

"You little bitch!" the leader snarled.

I glanced back at them. I made extra sure to stick my tongue out and kicking a bit of mud onto their uniforms before running down the street.

I shoved past people, knowing the red coats were surely wanting my head on a stick for what I did. I nearly pushed down a gray haired African American man, muttering my apologies before turning down an alleyway.

Turns out that alleyway was a dead end. I didn't have enough time to try to climb before I heard the red coats stop behind me.

"You're going to pay for that," I heard the leader say.

I whipped my head around and saw the men pointing their guns straight at me. The leader smirked.

"It seems like our little pup is lost," he said in a sing song voice. "What ever will the little pup do now that we have her trapped?"

I raised an eyebrow at him, hoping that he couldn't tell that I was getting light headed from blood lose. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to be running as much as I had. "Are you always this stupid or are you making a special effort today?"

The man growled and started towards me. That's when I took a step back. I couldn't fight. Not in my condition. Even if I was in pristine condition I still couldn't take down this 180 pound man. Even if I did, I still had to deal with his other eight accomplices.

Just has he was raising his sword, both him and I were distracted by the surprised yelps of pain coming from the other red coats. The same elderly man that I had bumped into earlier was fighting, and winning I might add, against the annoying red coats.

I was too caught up in my surprise to notice the leader come after me and put his blade against my throat.

"Drop your weapons or I kill the girl!" the leader screeched.

The man looked from me to the leader then back again. I saw him tap his knee with his cane and hoped I was reading the message right.

I slowly reached for my knives. Once I had gotten a hold of a knife, I drove it into the leader's knee. I slipped away from the leader but not before the knife sliced the side of my neck, lucky it wasn't as sharp as it could have been.

I withdrew the from his knee and drove it into his throat. It was my first kill. Ever.

I let go of the knife as the man fell to the ground. Yes, he was a total jerk, but I still couldn't fathom that I had killed him. What if he has kids? A wife? Holy crap, what had I done?

"You did what you had to do. What you were trained to do."

I turned to see my savior standing a few feet away from me. Did he know about me? "I don't know what your talking about."

The man chuckled. "Not many young girls carry knives strapped to their bellies. And besides, I saw your necklace. But, I still can't help but think your not from around here."

"How long did it take you to figure that out?" I said in a sarcastic tone.

The old man shook his head and turned to walk away. "One would think someone would have a bit more respect to someone who saved their life. Especially if that savior could feed and shelter them."

"Wait!" the old man stopped at my outburst. I looked to the ground. "I'm sorry. I'm just so confused. One minute I'm running away from those bad men and the next I'm getting woken up by smelly boys!"

I paused and internally slapped myself. I shouldn't have said that. I barely knew the man and I was practically pouring my heart out to him.

I glanced to the old man. He looked at me, not in a disbelieving way, but like he was curious.

He approached me slowly. "I have materials to get you back into shape at my home. When I get done patching you up, you can tell me your story. Does that sound fair?"

I nodded and took his outstretched hand.

I had fallen asleep on the man's shoulder. My parent's had always told me never to get into cars with strangers, but that didn't necessarily apply to me. For one, it wasn't a car, it was a horse drawn carriage. Another reason was because I felt safe with the man. I knew I could trust him. My father always told me to trust my instincts.

He had carried me, how I still don't know, with his cane and all, into the house and onto a bed. He cleaned and wrapped my wounds. Luckily none of them were deep enough to stitch up.

I woke up in a soft and warm bead, feeling much better than I did. The man sat by the bed looking at me intently.

He sighed. "I was wondering when you were going to wake up. How are you feeling?"

I sat up slowly. "Better. Thank you."

"Now, let's start from the beginning. What's your name?"

I just stared. I wasn't going to say anything until he gave me a bit of background info on him.

The man looked at me slight surprised, slightly amused. "If that's how you want to do this, then okay, we'll do it your way. My name is Achilles."

"Piper."

"That's a start. How much do you know about the Assassins?"

"Enough."

"Are your parents Assassins?"

I nodded. "My mommy's parents were bad people. Without my daddy, my mommy would have ended up just like my grandparents. My daddy was an Assassin ever since he was born."

"Where are you from?"

I tilted my head. "You asking where I was before I woke up in Boston, or where I was raised?"

"Where were you before you woke up in Boston?"

I took in a deep breath. "I was in a building in New York. My family had just settled in, and hoped that the bad men wouldn't find us. My parent's didn't tell me anything, but I knew that the bad men had found out where we were staying. Then they came after us. The building that we had stayed in was very tall. 15 floors, actually. My mommy told me so. My daddy had brought me up and my siblings up to the very top to see over the city."

"Who do you mean by 'bad men'?"

"Templars."

Achilles motioned for me to keep going.

"We had gotten cornered on one of the high floors. That's when daddy shoved me into an air duct and told me to run. Last thing I remember hearing was their screams. I'm not sure if they made it out or not. My parents had tried to save my triplet brother and sister, but I'm not sure if they had gotten to safety. If they had gotten into the air duct with me, we must have gotten separated." I felt tears run down my cheeks.

"The building was hot cause of the fire. The whole place was about to fall on top of me. I knew if I slowed down even for a second that they would catch me and take me. So I kept going. I had tripped and fell out of a window on the top floor. Then there was a bright light and I was sent back."

Achilles rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What do you mean 'sent back'?"

I looked down at my hands and picked at my fingernails.

"If I am going to help you, we have to trust each other. You have to tell me."

I looked back up at Achilles and licked my dry lips. "My birthday is August 16, 1999."

Achilles stared at me with an unreadable face. For a few moments, which felt like hours, he said nothing. "Do you know why you are here?"

I shook my head. "I don't know." I looked up at Achilles frantically. "What if I can't go back? What if I never see my family again?"

I heard the old man get up and thought he had left me to wallow in my pity, but I felt one of his hands rub comforting circles into my back as I cried.

"It's alright, Piper. Everything will be okay," I heard him murmur before I fell asleep, once again on his shoulder.

**Review and tell me how I'm doing! :)**


	4. Connor

**FYI, I will say it again, this story is just for fun. I am putting school, sports, and anything else in front of this if it seems important enough. I will try to remember to update more often but I'm not taking this story seriously, so niether should you guys. **

3 years later

Over the next few years, Achilles had taught me how to climb, fight, and steal (even though I had already known how to steal ever since I was three years old). I could hit a target with a knife dead center from almost 20 yards away. I also was very good at hiding. But fighting, I was totally hopeless. Yeah, I could dodge a few swings of a sword or fist, but I could never do much damage and got tired very easily.

I tried to find out what happened to the boys that saved me that day, but I never found out. I hoped that they weren't hurt or had gotten killed trying to save me. I never even told them my name. I had gone back to Boston times before and asked around and eavesdropped a bit, but never hearing of what happened to them.

I had also befriended a barn owl that I had found injured on the floor of the corrals one day. I named him Vesper and trained him to come at the sound of me whistling. It only took about _2whole _years to do it. He came and visited every few months.

My horse, Riswell, an all black thoroughbred, had been a pain in the butt to break. Achilles didn't tell me anything about breaking a horse, just telling me to hold on and not fall off. I had bought him using money I had stolen from red coats in Boston when I would travel to try and find the boys. The week after breaking Riswell was the worst. I couldn't sit down without feeling pain shoot up from my bum.

One day I was sitting in the library, reading books on Assassins who had played a major part in forming the present day Brotherhood. I have read many times before, seeing if they would help me get an idea of how to get home. That's when I heard a knock on the door. We rarely got visitors out here in the homestead, so I was naturally excited to see who was knocking.

I raced down the stairs, only to see Achilles slam the door shut.

"Who was that?" I asked curiously.

"No one," he replied gruffly.

I gave him a glare. "I couldn't have been no one. I haven't heard you ever slam the door shut unless someone makes you upset."

And of course, Achilles ignored me and walked into the kitchen. I sighed and dropped the subject knowing he was just going to get angrier if I kept nagging.

"I'm going out for a ride. I'll be back in a couple of hours," I yelled to Achilles. I had worn my white Assassin's cloak instead of the black one. I slipped on my brown leather boots over my black breeches and headed outside.

I ran to the stables. It had been almost a week ever since I had last rode Riswell and I was dieing to feel the wind against my face. It had started to rain but I didn't pay it much attention. With my hood up, it kept it out of my face.

As I was saddling Riswell, I felt someone's eyes on the back of my head. I tried to act as if I hadn't noticed, all the while slowly reaching for one of my knives. We had always had a problem with poachers wanting to steal from the homestead. They had been harassing Achilles long before I arrived. They would say that Achilles had treasures in his manor. That manor was one bad windstorm from falling apart and I doubt anything valuable, except for the hidden basement, was in the house.

I whipped my head around, throwing a knife and embedding it into one of the wooden posts. I could only hear the metal ring from my blade.

I laughed at myself for being so paranoid. I lifted the saddle and buckled it in in less than thirty seconds.

I swung my legs and mounted Riswell. He was pawing at the ground ready to take off.

As I dug my heels into his side, he raced out of the stables. As we ran past, I reached and snagged the knife I had thrown.

The rain was stinging my face, but I didn't care. I made sure the reins were secure around the horn of the saddle before spreading my arms out.

I laughed wildly as Riswell jumped a fence. We galloped to the edge of the homestead before I turned Riswell around. It had gotten dark and my clothes were absolutely soaked.

The woods at night made me feel invisible to anyone. I could move silently and quickly with my years of theiving. I felt a bit sad when I saw the manor and it's stables, but knew it would be better to go inside before Achilles got angry.

I jumped off of Riswell and lead him to the stables. As I was putting the saddle away, I heard someone snort. No, I heard someone snore.

I paused and waited to hear the sound again. I didn't believe my ears until I heard the unmistakable sound of another snore. It was coming from the other stables!

I cautiously approached the stables, slipping my hood on that had fallen off during the ride. I wished I had worn my black cloak instead of the white one. It would have been easier to sneak around in.

My vision changed, allowing me to see a gold figure in the stables, on the ground. I took out one of my blades. I didn't want to kill the person, it was just an extra precaution.

As I got closer, my vision returned to normal and what I saw surprised me. It wasn't a nasty poacher coming to steal, it was a boy. A Native boy.

He looked about a year older than me, dressed in moccasins with dark brown hair, maybe black if I could have seen better. The boy didn't look dangerous. I was pretty sure that I could kill him, even if he was wide awake. One flick of a wrist, my blade would be sinking into his throat. (Connor, if your reading this, you know I could have)

_Is this the person Achilles was yelling at earlier?_ I thought. It could have been. He could have also been traveling in the area and needed a place to stay. Then why wouldn't he just come and ask for shelter in the house? Achilles surely would have granted him a room with food. If not, I would have convinced him to.

I wanted to leave something to show that we didn't want any trouble. Maybe food or a blanket. The kid did look cold in the thin blanket he was wrapping himself in.

I ran inside and took a blanket from inside my room. I was warm with a fire going downstairs, so I knew I could survive without it.

I tried to keep the blanket dry as I ran back outside. I made sure to keep quiet, so the boy wouldn't hear me and think I was trying to hurt or kill him.

I took very small, quiet steps toward the boy. I practically threw the blanket on top of him. Right as I released the blanket, I bolted to the door. I glanced behind me at the stables. He hadn't moved.

I very quietly crept up the stairs and into my bedroom. As soon as I was under the sheets, sleep quickly found me.

I didn't dare go outside the next day. I was trying to convince Achilles to tell me who the person was at the door yesterday when I heard a knock at the front door.

I paused in the middle of my speech and glanced at Achilles. He was shaking his head and looking at the ground.

Then a knock came at the back door. It sounded more demanding.

Achilles walked to the window of the room and opened it. As he leaned out, his voice sound calm. "I apologize if I've been unclear- or otherwise confused you with my words." He sounded sweet. That's when I knew something was wrong. "It was never my intention to mislead. So let me try to clarify: GET THE HELL OFF MY LAND!"

I gave him a mild glare as he turned. "Okay, you can't expect me to not wonder who that was after that."

"I'm coming up!" I heard someone yell.

"And lookie here! We have a visitor," I said in sarcastic voice.

Achilles whacked me with his cane on the back of my head. "I will never understand how women from your time acted this way."

I stuck my tongue out as I heard someone jiggle the handle of the balcony door.

"Damn, that guy isn't kidding, is he?" I asked rubbing the back of my head.

"Just hear me out?! What are you so afraid of?" The voice came from outside the door.

I saw Achilles got a look in his eye. Whoever this poor sucker was, they were going to get their butt handed to them on a silver platter.

"Put your hood on," Achilles commanded in a tone that I never wanted to hear again. I quickly obeyed in fear of another whack to the head.

He yanked the door open and revealed the poor sucker was the boy from the stables last night. As Achilles approached him, the boy started to back up every step that Achilles took towards him.

"Afraid? You think I'm afraid of ANYTHING, least of all, a self-important little scab like you?!"

Achilles tripped the poor kid with his cane. I stood in the doorway, all the while praying that I wouldn't have to pull Achilles off the boy. Achilles then put the handle of his cane near the boy's neck as the kid put his hands up in surrender, not noticing me in the doorway watching.

"Oh, you might dream of being a hero. Of riding to rescues, of saving the world- but stay this course, and the only thing you're going to be is dead."

Achilles slowly released the boy. That's when the kid took notice of me. I shook my head and tried to tell him not to argue with the man, because it would leave him broken and bloodied.

"The world's moved on boy. Best you do too."

Achilles pushed me inside and I gave the boy one last look before Achilles slammed the door shut.

"I will not leave! Do you hear me?!" The boy yelled. "I am NEVER leaving!"

Achilles huffed and walked downstairs.

"Get up," Achilles said poking me with his cane.

I pulled the warm soft blankets of my bed over my ears. "Bite me."

Achilles whacked my back with the cane. "The poachers are back."

I was wide awake when he said that. I threw the blankets off and flew out of bed. I quickly slipped on my lucky black cloak as Achilles hobbled out of the room.

I met Achilles outside. He was hiding safely behind a tree, watching as the boy fought the poachers.

"You have to admit," I whispered, "he's doing an okay job against those men."

Achilles waved off my comment. "Sneak around and douse the lanterns. I suspect the leader is around here somewhere. You will be able to sneak around him in total darkness better. He brandishes a long blade that he secures to the back of his belt. Take it, and distract him. I'll take care of the rest."

I nodded. "And if anyone gets in my way?"

"Kill them," Achilles confirmed.

I left without another word, slipping silently around the barns. While the poachers were to distracted to notice me, I started to blow the lanterns out. They hadn't noticed, and neither did the boy.

As the boy interrogated the remaining man, he was blindsided by the leader. I tried not to cry out as I doused the last lantern.

"You workin' for the old man, then. Is that it?" I saw Achilles kill the man that the boy had interrogated.

I quietly slipped behind the huge man and slipped his knife away with ease.

As I backed a safe distance away, the man reached for his knife. "Maybe this'll get you-" The man paused mid sentence.

I cleared my throat, getting the attention of the boy and the man. I twirled the knife in between my fingers as they stared, unknowing of what to do. I smirked.

Before the man could do anything about me, Achilles had walked up and ended his life with his hidden blade, dropping the body on the cold, wet ground.

Achilles helped the boy up as I threw the knife, skewering it in between the man's fingers in the ground. The kid had a nasty bruise on the side of his face.

"Thank you," the boy said.

"Clean this up," Achilles commanded. "Then I suppose we should talk."

I stayed behind as Achilles walked to the manor. I pulled the bodies away, hiding them so no one would come across them. The boy followed my lead and did the same.

We didn't say anything to each other as we walked back to the manor. Achilles sat by the fire, staring intently into the flames.

I knew better than to sit down, so naturally I leaned up against the wall. The boy didn't know and had chosen to sit a chair. It didn't hold his weight for a second and collapsed under him. I covered my mouth trying to stifle a laugh.

The boy looked nervously at Achilles. "Sorry."

"Not your fault. This whole place is coming apart. Goddamn miracle it hasn't already. Anyway, who are you?"

"My name is Ratohnhake:ton."

_How in the world are you supposed to say that? _I wondered. _I'm going to have to give him a nickname if he's going to be here for the long haul._

"Right," Achilles said. "Well, I'm not even going to try and pronounce that. Now tell me why your here."

Ratohnhake:ton pulled a piece of paper out and unfolded it. On it was the Assassin insignia. "I was told to seek this symbol."

Achilles took the paper. "Do you even know what that symbol represents? Or what it is you're asking for?"

"No," Ratohnhake:ton answered truthfully.

_At least he isn't a liar _I thought.

"And yet here you are," Achilles said.

"The spirt said that- that I-"

Achilles interrupted them. "These 'spirits' of yours have been harrassing the Assassin's for centuries. Ever since Ezio uncorked the bottle. Ah, but you don't even know what an Assassin is, do you?"

Ratohnhake:ton shook his head.

"Well, best settle in. I've got a story to tell and it's going to take a while to get it all out."

I rolled my eyes as Ratohnhake:ton pulled another chair and sat. I had heard this countless times before.

I pushed off the wall and walked into the kitchen, grabbing an apple and chopping it into pieces. I'd rather sit here, alone and in the dark than here that story again.

As I walked back into the room, Ratohnhake:ton stood up.

"Then I will stop them," he said defiantly.

Achilles stood up. "Oh, I have no doubt you'll try. Come on. I have something to show you."

I saw Ratohnhake:ton jump slightly at my all of a sudden presence. I didn't mean to scare the kid, but seeing him like that made me want to jump out and yell "BOO!" I kept my mouth shut, though.

"Careful," Achilles said as both Ratohnhake:ton and I followed him. "Wasn't a joke when I told you this place was coming apart."

"Why don't you repair it?" Ratohnhake:ton asked.

"What's the point? Besides, I don't have the materials for the job."

"So buy them."

Achilles chuckled. "Look at me! You think that I can just march into some store, purse full of pounds, and go shopping?"

"Yes. Why not?"

Achilles sighed. "So naïve."

He reached up and pulled the candlestick that opened downstairs door. "This way."

I followed after Ratohnhake:ton. In the middle of the floor, was a pair of Assassin robes. I had a couple of pairs tailored to fit me, knowing fully that the robes in the basement were made for a man. I had gotten a pair of hidden blades made for me, too. They were like my throwing knives: I never went anywhere without them.

Ratohnhake:ton took interest in the robes. He bent down to pick up the box which held the hidden blades. Achilles whacked the boy's hands with his cane.

"Don't think you can just come in here, throw those on, and call yourself an Assassin."

"I did not," the boy stammered. "I would never presume."

Achilles waved him off. "That's alright. I know they've a certain allure. Very well, I'll train you. Then we'll know if you've got the right to wear those robes."

Ratohnhake:ton seemed happy. "Thank you...um..."

"Name's Achilles." Achilles glanced at me, asking for permission to say my name. He knew very well it took time for me to warm up to new people. I gave an almost unseen shake of my head.

Achilles walked over to the wall in which the pictures of leaders of the colonial Templars hung. Ratohnhake:ton moved the wood planks covering the portraits. He seemed to stare at portrait of Charles Lee more than the others.

"What do the Templars want?" Ratohnhake:ton asked.

"What they've always wanted: control. They see an opportunity in the colonies. A chance for new beginnings, unfettered by the chaos of the past. This is why they back the British. Here they have the chance to illistraight their merits of their beliefs. A people in service to the principles of order and structure."

"I have seen what is to come if they succeed. They all have to die, don't they? All of them. Even my father."

Wait. What? Who in the hell was his dad?

"Especially your father. He's the one holding the whole thing together."

Haythem Kenway. I had run into him a couple of times before. Every single time I was just barely able to escape. I still had some choice words I wished to scream into that man's face.

Achilles turned to me. "Take him to the guest room. Get him whatever he needs. In the morning, you'll help me train him."

I nodded and turned to Ratohnhake:ton. I nodded my still covered head towards the stairs.

As I was leading Ratohnhake:ton to his room, he spoke.

"Thank you."

I stopped mid stride and turned around to look at him.

"For the blanket. I can go get it if you would like."

I shook my head and showed him to his room. I could live without the blanket. Hell, I had six extra.

I walked back to my room and shut the door behind me. I climbed into bed and quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

**I finally got Connor into the story. **


	5. Training

**School is a bitch. Luckily, I'm done with it! That's why it took so long. Sorry 'bout that!**

I woke up early before the new kid and Achilles because I wanted to have some free time before training started.

I put my white cloak and pulled up my hood. I was still untrusting of Ratohnhake:ton. How did he know where to find us? And how am I supposed to trust him when his father has almost killed me on several occasions?

I got an apple for Riswell and me. As I was backing out of the kitchen, I bumped into Achilles.

I turned and faced him, wiping the juice off of my chin and grinned at him, mouth full of apples.

Achilles shook his head and chuckled. "I need you to teach the boy your skills. I'm not the same Assassin I used to be."

I swallowed loudly. "What?! No!" I stomped my foot on the ground. I then got a whack on the knees from Achilles.

"You cannot expect me to train the boy by myself," Achilles said.

"Like hell I can't. Watch me," I said as I walked past him towards the front door.

"No more trips out to Boston or New York, then," Achilles said.

I turned to Achilles and scowled. "Fine. But I'm not going to go easy on him."

"Any way you can teach him. Be back in an hour."

"No promises," I said as I closed the door behind me.

When I got back, Achilles was showing Ratohnhake:ton how to fight with a sword. I could tell the boy was getting tired. Achilles yelled at him to pick the sword up and try again.

I dismounted Riswell and led him to get a drink of water. I tied him to the post above the water and walked back to Achilles and Ratohnhake:ton. Ratohnhake:ton had his hands on his knees and was gulping big breaths of air. I smirked and suppressed a laugh. This boy was very new to this.

Achilles smiled at me. "You're back. Now, I have some things to attend to. Teach him. And take that hood off while you're at it."

I rolled my eyes and reluctantly pulled the hood off. Achilles nodded his satisfaction and walked back to the manor.

I glanced at the boy. He was staring at me, surprised. "Don't look so surprised."

The boy turned red. "Sorry. I never would have thought you a girl."

I resisted the urge to punch the boy. "It's fine," I said though gritted teeth. "Anyways, back to training. Have you ever stolen anything?"

Ratohnhake:ton shook his head. "I have never stolen anything in my life."

I walked up to Ratohnhake:ton and started to circle around him. "This will be much harder than I'd thought."

He fidgeted as I walked around him, my eyes like a hawk's.

I decided to mess with him a little. As I was behind him, I swiped his hatchet, all the while saying, "I can steal from anyone and you wouldn't even notice it before I was long gone"

I stopped in front of him, the hatchet out of his sight behind my back.

Ratohnhake:ton got a cocky look in his eyes, oblivious of what I had just done. "Are you completely sure?"

"Yep," I said revealing the hatchet from behind my back.

The boy's eyes widened and reached for where his hatchet used to be.

"When I get done training you, you'll be able to do the same." I shrugged. "Well, that's the idea. You'll either be an amazing thief or you won't even be able to steal from a blind, deaf man."

I handed the hatchet back to Ratohnhake:ton. Then I pulled out a bag full of coins I had stolen. "Try to take this from me. You have until dinner to do so." I hooked the bag onto my belt by my left hip.

As I walked away, Ratohnhake:ton protested. "How do you expect me to steal from you?"

I spun around and tapped my temple. "Think like an Assassin. Oh, yes, I should have probably told you already, the name's Piper."

I heard him groan softly as I closed the door behind me.

Achilles looked at me from the kitchen. "Done already?"

"Nope," I said pointing to the bag of coins on my hip. "He has to steal this from me by dinner. Then I can gauge on how much I need to help him."

Achilles opened his mouth but I stopped him. "Don't question my teaching abilities, Achilles. You're the one that put me up to this."

I quickly stepped into the kitchen and started to make dinner. I couldn't cook on the stove to save my life, so I was usually in charge of cutting the vegetables up.

As I was washing some carrots and potatoes, I felt a tug at my side. "I can feel that."

I turned to see Ratohnhake:ton on his hands and knees right behind me. He lifted himself off the floor and dusted himself off.

"Good job at sneaking up on me, though," I said trying to lighten his mood. "Try again in a bit."

He sighed and walked out of the room, probably going to talk to Achilles. I pulled my medium length hair back out of my face as I cut up the veggies.

Dinner had gotten done about an hour later. I yelled upstairs to get Ratohnhake:ton. He had gone up there earlier to read some of the books in the library.

As I passed Ratohnhake:ton in the hall, he bumped into me lightly, muttering a 'sorry'. Did he think I was that stupid?  
"Not so fast, kid," I said turning to see Ratohnhake:ton's shoulders drop a little. "Oldest trick in the book. See, the idea is to steal from me without me knowing."

I held out my hand for the bag. He reluctantly put the bag into my hands.

Achilles talked with Ratohnhake:ton for most of dinner. I got done first and excused myself to wash my dishes, knowing that most of the topics they were talking about didn't exactly pertain to me.

I slipped out the back door. I needed some air. Ever since two nights ago, I hadn't been feeling so well. I knew it was because of my immune system. My body wasn't well protected against some of the sicknesses here. It was built up to protect against the sicknesses in 2009, not 1769. Even after years of being here, I still was very prone to sicknesses.

Achilles knew about this and always cautioned me when I went to Boston or New York. I didn't want to worry him, so I kept quiet. His wife and son had died of illness, too. I didn't want him to go through that state of grief again.

As I sat on the edge of the cliff with my head in my hands, I heard the door open and close, followed by some footsteps.

"I hope you're not planning on scaring me, because I can already hear you," I said. I kept my head in my hands.

I heard the thud and slight cling of metal against metal. I looked at the ground next to me. The bag that I had thought was around my waist was next to my foot.

I turned and saw Ratohnhake:ton with a slight smile on his lips. I picked up the bag as he sat next to me.

"When did you take it?" I asked. I really had no clue of how he could have done it. It was tied securely around my waist when I got up from the dinner table.

"I snuck in the kitchen while you were washing your dishes," Ratohnhake:ton said.

I smirked as I looked across the bay. I coughed into the crook of my elbow.

"Are you well?" Ratohnhake:ton asked.

I swallowed to get the itchiness out of my throat. "I'm fine. Just a cough."

Ratohnhake:ton looked at me skeptically, but changed the subject. "What else are you planning on teaching me?"

I shrugged, leaning back on my arms. "Whatever Achilles needs me to teach you. I still have to show you how to throw knives after we polish up your thieving skills. If you learn how to throw knives as quick as you did with stealing, it won't take long."

I stood up. "We should be getting back inside. Achilles will freak out if we're gone too long."

I offered my hand to him. For a moment, he just stared and I thought he would ignore me and get up by himself. He then took my hand and I helped him up. The top of my head reached only to his chin, but I was hopefully that I would get a growth spurt sometime soon. I was only 13 at the time and knew sooner or later it would happen.

I walked up to my room, hoping to sleep off the scratchy feeling that hadn't left my throat.

I laid down in bed, curled up under the sheets. I soon fell asleep.

A few months later

Ratohnhake:ton and I had become good friends over the next few months. I still couldn't pronounce his name to save my life. He had tried to teach me, but failed every time. I think he thought it funny, the way I would get so frustrated so easily. I am sure that is the reason he didn't give up on teaching me until the last time he had tried to teach me. I started to get angry when I saw the laugh in his eyes and threatened to skewer him if he didn't stop making fun of me. I admit it, I am a sore loser. Even though Achilles had pressured me into learning different languages, I was still too lazy to pronounce his name, so I usually called him kid.

He kept his emotions in check. That closest I had gotten to a smile out of him was when Achilles chased me around the manor because I had accidentally lost track of time one day. I had fallen asleep near a creek in the middle of the day and had woken up to see the stars shining and hearing Achilles and Ratohnhake:ton calling my name. That old man is faster than he looks, even with his cane.

Both Achilles and I took turns teaching Ratohnhake:ton about the Assassins and Templars. I had shown him a book that contained journal entries from Ezio Auditore da Firenze and Altair Ibn-La'Ahad. I had read the book over many times before, hoping it would give me any ideas of how to get home. My many efforts always were futile.

Ratohnhake:ton had one day asked me about my family. I still was a little weary of telling him the whole truth, so I told him that I would tell him another day. Every few weeks he would bring it up during training or when I had free time. Something kept me from telling him. I had every right to trust him. Hell, he had saved me from a pack of wolves that had attacked me during one of our training sessions. But, I couldn't bring myself to tell him the whole story.

Even he had told Achilles and me about what Charles Lee had done. About his mother, his past. Ratohnhake:ton told us this during the first week of his training. Even after six entire months, I couldn't tell him.

I was feeding Vesper a piece of meat when I heard the crunch of someone's feet in the snow. I glanced behind me and saw Ratohnhake:ton pause once he saw the owl resting on my shoulder. Vesper's talons would cut, but not penetrate, the thick leather guard I had made especially so Vesper could sit on my shoulder

I smiled. "This is Vesper. I found him a few years back in the stables. He's really friendly. But, he doesn't come around often. I'm actually surprised he came when I whistled. Usually he is nocturnal, but every few months he comes back."

Ratohnhake:ton still had a frightened look in his eyes.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Owls are an omen of death to my people."

"Oh, sorry." I whistled to Vesper. He cocked his head at Ratohnhake:ton before hopping from my shoulder to my bracer on my arm. I gave him a bit more meat before he flew off into the cold sky.

I started to walk away towards the cliff and heard Ratohnhake:ton follow me. I plopped down on the edge and breathed out, watching my breath fan out and disappear.

Ratohnhake:ton sat next to me.

I took a deep breath in. "I'll tell you."

I saw him give me a funny look. "About my family. _Just_ my family. Nothing else."

I took his silence as a que to keep going. "I've got two sisters and two brothers. My mother had triplets, me being one of them. My triplet sister, Iris, is exactly identical to me, besides her having a birthmark on the back of her neck. My triplet brother John, looks like the boy version of both me and my sister. Cindy is the oldest and oddest of the family. She didn't want to become an Assassin. She wanted to fall in love and ride off into the sunset with her Prince Charming." I wasn't sure if he got the 'Prince Charming' part, but I kept going. "Louis was born about a year after Cindy. He was eager to take up the responsibilities of an Assassin, but he was reckless. Killed anyone he thought was a threat to the Brotherhood. We didn't get along that well."

"What of your mother and father?" Ratohnhake:ton asked.

"My mother's parents hated her. They were Templars and hated the fact that my mom had fallen in love with an Assassin. John, Iris, and I didn't know this until a week before we were separated. My mom ran from her parents and got married to my father the first chance she got. My grandparents were, how do I put this, very powerful Templars. They had hundreds, if not thousands, of Templars under their control. We were always on the run. My family never stayed in one place for more than a month. My father was always paranoid. All of my siblings and I were trained to be specialized in something. Cindy knew how to mix almost every type of poison out there. Louis knew how to kill a person silently in more than two hundred ways. Iris was a sharpshooter and John was an excellent swordsman."

"What were you trained to be?"

"Thief."

"Why did your father train you to be specialized in something? Why not teach everything to everyone?"

"My father thought that our family was much like a rope. Every cord weaved to make the rope is vital to its strength. If one cord is severed, the rope could continue to rip and tear until it snaps. I guess my father never thought of what to do if one of us got killed." I chuckled.

"What makes you laugh?"

I reached for my necklace and unclasped it, holding it out in front of me. "My mom's mother gave this to me. Gave one to all of my brothers and sisters. I'm confused to why it's an Assassin insignia, instead of the Templar Cross. You'd think that my grandmother would hate to even think of her own flesh and blood fighting for the Assassin cause."

I heard Achilles shout my name from inside the house.

"I'd better get inside and see what the old man wants."

I stood up after Ratohnhake:ton. As I made my move to follow him to the house, my vision began to change and get blurrier. My ears began to ring a loud and high pitched tone. I stumbled and fell to my knees. I clutched my head, trying to make the noise go away. I felt Ratohnhake:ton's arms curl around me and pick me up.

"Piper!?" I heard Ratohnhake:ton yell. "Achilles! Come, hurry!"

I heard a woman's voice say, "They have come."

I blacked out immediately after that.


	6. Boston Massacre

**Here is another chapter because I have nothing else to do and because I feel bad that I left for a month. I've been debating on whether on making this a ConnorXoc story because of the where the story is going. I have written a lot and right now, in the near future Connor won't be featured in a few chapters. It'll cut off of Connor's story and go into Piper's own story. I hope you guys don't rip my head off then! hehe :)**

"Ow," I said as I rubbed my head. I stood up and kept my head in my hands. "Yeah, kid, if you would catch me next time that would be great."

I didn't hear Ratohnhake:ton respond, so I looked up and gasped.

I was standing in the middle of a pasture. The horizon seemed to go on forever in all directions. There were no trees or bushes, just knee length grass. A warm breeze blew my hair out of my face as I pulled my hood down to get a better look at where I was.

"They are here ," a woman said.

I turned to see a woman in a white dress. She had long dark hair with a strange looking headdress to top it off.

I took a few steps back and got into a defensive postion. "The hell are you?!"

"I am Juno."

"You were the one that caused me to black out?"

I started to reach for my knives when she spoke. "Your family is alive and well."

I froze.

"But they and others intend to destroy this land, to undo the hard work we have done."

That reignited my anger. "You're lying! Even if they were still alive, they would never do anything like that!"

The dream, if I could call it that, changed. I was no longer standing in the prairie. I was flying over the colonies. I heard gunshots and screams. The city I was looking down on was glowing orange and red from the fires that tore though the houses. I saw many of the colonists retreating into the wilderness, followed by men chasing after them.

Something was wrong. The guns in this time couldn't fire as fast as the ones as I was hearing. The guns that were firing sounded like they were automatic.

"Those guns don't sound like the ones from this time," I murmured.

"Because they are not," Juno said.

I looked up to see her in the form as a bird. I glanced at my own body to see a body of an owl.

"Oh no," I said. "There's no way to get those kinds of guns are from this time."

"Those guns were crafted in your time, but sent back into this time. The ones responsible for this intend to ruin the hard work that we have done for their own gain," Juno explained calmly.

"That's impossible."

"Without the certain tools, it is. Your grandmother's gifts to you and your family are the key."

"You mean the necklaces? There is no way that those necklaces could be that powerful."

"Your ancestor stumbled upon a very powerful metal, used for war by my people, by accident. This stone contains very special powers. Your ancestor crafted those necklaces as gifts to your grandmother as a gift."

I scoffed. "My mother's side of the family has been with the Templars for a thousand years. Why were the crafted into the shape of the Assassin insignia?"

"That, I cannot tell. You will have to uncover the mystery before it is too late."

"If you're asking me to kill my own damn family, I won't!"

"You will not have to kill all of them."

I laughed a cold laugh. "You expect me to agree to that?"

"You must. You have to make sure our work is kept safe and secure."

"You expect me to believe that my own family is planning on doing this?! They are Assassins! They would never in a million years do something like this!"

"The Templars have your family under their control. You must stop them."

"And if I refuse?" I asked.

"What you see below will come to pass, even if Ratohnhake:ton succeeds in his mission. Go, before it is too late!"

Before I could say anymore I woke up with a start and jerked up in bed. I must have scared the lights out of Ratohnhake:ton because he fell of the chair that was situated beside my bed.

I put my hand over my heart and tried to calm down. I tried to process everything that had just happened. I was still dazed when Achilles came storming into the room.

"Piper, are you alright?!" Achilles walked over to me and grabbed my shoulders. "Calm down, calm down."

I took a deep breath in and finally started to calm myself. "What happened?"

Achilles looked at Ratohnhake:ton uneasily. "You were outside with the boy and passed out. He carried you in and you were as pale as the snow on the ground. We tried to give you medicine but you fought us. The boy some how calmed you down enough to where you were only fidgeting in your sleep."

"How long was I asleep?"

Achilles sighed. "Three days. I was beginning to wonder if you needed to be sent to Boston and had a doctor check up on you. Then, while I was readying the horses, I heard you scream and came as soon as possible."

Ratohnhake:ton asked the question that I didn't want to answer. Not yet. "What happened when you were asleep? You started to mumble words that I couldn't understand."

I looked at my hands. "I'm not sure. It's all a little fuzzy. I need time to think."

Achilles grabbed Ratohnhake:ton and ushered him out of the room. "Very well. Call if you need anything."

Ratohnhake:ton gave me one last look before the door closed.

A few days after the incident, Achilles finally, and reluctantly, let me out of bed. Even after the freedom of outside, Ratohnhake:ton or Achilles always had their eyes on me, as if expecting me to pass out again.

I tried to make sense of the dream. I still thought it was a load of baloney and the Juno lady was just a figment of my imagination. I do have a very vivid imagination, mind you.

I was cleaning out the stables when Achilles yelled for me. I walked to the front of the manor and saw Achilles sitting on the carriage, holding the reins. Ratohnhake:ton was already inside the carriage.

"Where are you two headed?" I asked.

"_We_ are headed to Boston to do something about the house. You know Boston well enough. You can help the boy get the supplies I need."

I scowled. "What about the horses?"

Achilles just tapped the carriage with his cane.

I quickly got in and sat across from Ratohnhake:ton. Then we were off.

Ratohnhake:ton got out of the carriage first. He had asked me a few questions about Boston on the way, but then fell silent. I made sure that my black hood was on before I got out. The guards didn't particularly like me in this city.

I had worn my black hood with brown breeches tucked into my boots. It was something that I rarely wore and I knew I couldn't have the guards on my butt this trip if I was to keep an eye on the kid.

He glanced around the city and his eyes fell on a woman passing by. Achilles whacked him with his cane and scolded him.

I got a stare from Ratohnhake:ton when I laughed. We followed Achilles down the street, Ratohnhake:ton all the while awestruck by the city.

"This place is incredible. The people. The sounds and smells. I could walk these streets for days and not know half its wonders."

I laughed. "Trust me, it gets boring faster than you expect."

"I thought the same as you once upon a time," Achilles commented. "These days, I prefer the quiet of the countryside."

"But there is so much life here. So many opportunities."

"For a few, my boy. For a few."

Achilles stopped and handed Ratohnhake:ton a piece of paper. "There is a store near here. You're to buy the items on this list. Tell them where the carriage is- they'll see to it that it's loaded. Piper will accompany you. She knows this city very well. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Good. You're also going to need a new name. Your skin is fair enough that you'll might pass for one with Spanish or Italian blood. Better thought Spanish than a Native. And both is better still than I."

"That is not true," Ratohnhake:ton said.

"What's true and what is aren't always the same," Achilles said.

"What would you call me, then?"

_Please pick a name that I can pronounce properly._ I thought.

"Connor. Yes. That will be your name."

I looked at Achilles in surprise. He rarely spoke of his family.

"Alright," Achilles said poking Ratoh- I mean Connor- and I in the back with his cane. "Off you go."

I lead Connor to the General Store. I knew how shopkeepers in this city are.

"You lost?" the man said in an annoyed voice as we entered the store.

Connor handed the man the list. "I need the items on this list."

"You paying with coin or trade?"

Connor reached for the sack of coins Achilles had given us. The man's mood immediately brightened.

"Some of these I have. Some I don't. Lumber's hard to come by since my supplier up and vanished. I have the tools and pitch, though. Nails, too. Where do you want this delivered?"

"Our wagon is near the state house," Connor said scooping the remainder of the coins into the bag.

I glared at the man as Connor scooped the remaining coins back into the bag. All he cared about was money, nothing else, and it disgusted me.

"We should get back to Achilles," Connor said as we exited the store.

I'm not sure if Connor noticed, but I sure did. Something was wrong. The people of Boston seemed to be wilder than usual. They were yelling and picking fights with the Redcoats.

"This isn't good," I said.

Connor looked around too but didn't seem to notice was wrong. "What is it?"

"We need to get to Achilles fast," I said picking up the pace.

I grabbed Connor by the elbow and dragged him beside me as we turned through the loud streets. After dodging Redcoats and angry Bostonians, I finally spotted Achilles in the middle of a market street.

"What happened?" Connor asked as we slowed to a stop.

"That's what we're going to find out. Follow me." Achilles led us through crowds of people.

As I followed Achilles and Connor, I saw that civilians were getting beat by the red coats. It made my blood boil. I reached for my knives, but stopped when Achilles grabbed my wrist.

"Not now," Achilles whispered.

I dropped my hand and continued to follow Achilles. This was madness.

_March 5,1770, Boston. What happened here?_ I thought. I knew I had read about this before. Something was going to happen. And that something was big.

Achilles lead us to the state house, were people were rioting. That's when I realized it.

"Son of a bitch, this is not good," I breathed. It earned me a look from Achilles and Connor. _The Boston Massacre._

Achilles pointed to a man, standing near the state house. "There."

That man was Haytham. What was he doing here?

"Is that... my father?" Connor asked.

"Yes. That means trouble is sure to follow. I need you to tail his accomplice. This crowd is a powder keg, and we can't let him light the fuse."

"But-"

"But nothing. Do as I say and go!"

I turned to follow Connor but was stopped by Achilles grabbing my arm.

"Stay here and keep Connor out of trouble. Or you can come with me and meet up with Samuel."

"Why are you meeting with Sam?" I had known Sam for a long time, almost the whole time that I had been there. He was like a father to me and kept my sheltered every time I went to Boston for a long time.

"We need to discuss important matters. After that I am leaving Boston."

"Without Connor?" I asked. "I'll stay and see what I can do."

"Yes. Think of it as a training exercise. Your objective is not let the boy get killed."

With that, Achilles turned and left the crowd. I glanced up and saw the man that Connor was tailing up on the roof tops, aiming at the crowd.

"Great, now I'm on babysitting duty," I murmured under my breath.

I needed to get out of their fast. If Connor had lost the man in the crowds, the shot he was about to fire would light the fuse.

I quickly pushed my way through the crowd to the closest building and climbed to the top. From there I saw Connor kill the man and breathed a sigh of relief. I was about to signal to Connor where I was but then I saw Connor look across the courtyard at Charles Lee who stood with a pistol in his hand. Pointing it up to the sky, the bastard shot.

I heard a man yell, followed by gunshots and cries of pain. Haytham had grabbed a man and pointed to Connor. Connor started to run from rooftop to rooftop.

"Connor, wait!" He couldn't hear me over the shouts from the crowd. "Are you freaking kidding me?!" I yelled as I followed after him.

The guards were on his tail and no doubt any guard that saw him would start to chase after him.

I dropped to the ground and started to run, hoping I would catch Connor in time. I hoped he would stick to the ground because he wasn't used to climbing buildings yet.

I hid in an alleyway right in the path of Connor's escape. As he ran past me, I grabbed his wrist, clamped my hand over his mouth, and pulled him into the alley with me. He started to struggle.

"If you want to give us away, then keep it up," I whispered.

Connor stiffened for a moment, but soon relaxed after he recognized my voice. The guards ran past, shouting for him to stop.

"We need to find Achilles," Connor said as soon as I released him from my grip.

"Uhh, yeah," I said. I wasn't going to tell Connor Achilles had left him in Boston. "Follow me."

I lead Connor throughout the alleyways of Boston. We had to go across some main roads and I always checked to see if the coast was clear. Word of a Native man that had caused the Boston Massacre had spread quicker than I had anticipated.

"Over here," I heard Sam say.

I pulled Connor, who had gotten distracted looking at a wanted sign for him, over to Sam.

Sam nodded to me before looking at Connor. "You're Achilles' boy. Connor, was it? I saw what happened at the Town House. A fine mess, that."

"Who are you?" Connor asked.

"Samuel Adams, at your service," he said holding his hand out.

Connor uncomfortably shifted on his feet. I knew that he was a little bit socially awkward when it came to new people. Sam glanced at me and I mouthed a 'sorry' and gave him a shrug.

Sam gave up with the handshake. "Achilles asked me to get you two out of Boston."

"Explain," Connor said.

"The whole city is looking for you."

I glanced at a town crier, who was yelling about a criminal that was responsible for the massacre. A wanted poster was nailed to the tree next to the crier. On it was Connor.

"What am I supposed to do?" Connor asked.

Sam led him to the poster. "You can take down these posters for a start. Return to me when you've removed the others."

Connor quickly made his way to the posters.

I didn't want to sit here and do nothing. "I can go and bribe some of the criers."

Sam glanced at me. "You haven't any money."

I smirked. "Not yet."

I had bribed three town criers all across Boston, all with coin stolen from guards. I was proud of myself. As I made my way back to where I had last seen Sam. He was teaching Connor about bribing the town criers when I walked up.

"I bribed three of the town criers. Your face is still being plastered everywhere, though," I said.

Sam patted me on the shoulder. "You did well, Piper. Now to teach Connor about the printing press."

Sam led Connor and me to a printing press, using the tunnels. I had used the tunnels a couple of times before when I was really desperate. After a few pleading words, the man finally gave in, saying that the next time would cost.

We were finally headed back home. Sam led us to the harbor.

"Speak with the harbormaster and he'll see you home," he said.

"Thank you for everything, Sam. I promise one day to repay the favor," Connor said.

"Oh, I'm counting on it."

Connor held out his hand. "Like this?"

Sam smiled and shook Connor's hand.

Connor left to talk with the harbormaster.

"Oh, and Piper?" Sam asked.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Stay out of trouble," Sam said.

I smiled. "Now you're starting to sound like Achilles."

He chuckled and waved goodbye before walking into the crowd.

**Thank you so much for reviewing FluffySnuggleBunni, JennaKobis, and Guest (I hope I didn't miss anyone...)! I love reading your reviews. And thank you all for who favorited and followed! **


	7. The Aquila

**Thank you all who reviewed! I love reading all of them and they make my day:)**

"Welcome back!" Achilles said as we walked into the room.

"You left us in Boston!" Connor said angrily.

"The training we've done here is all well and good, but experience is the better teacher by far."

Connor continued to be angry. "What of my father?"

"Into the wind, I'm afraid," Achilles replied.

"We have to find him!"

"And we will- after the house has been repaired."

"But he's out there, plotting who knows what!" Connor yelled.

Achilles remained calm. "And what would you do when you found him? IF you found him? You're a boy with a few months of training. He's a man full grown who's spent decades honing his skills."

"He has a point, Connor," I said.

"If you're going to stand a chance against the Templars, you're going to need these," Achilles said giving Connor a box.

Connor took the box, still slightly peeved. When he opened the box, his mood changed. Connor glanced at Achilles.

"Go on, before I change my mind," Achilles said.

Connor fastened them to his forearms, looking them over.

I heard a pounding on the window and glanced over to see a man hitting the window calling for help.

I ran outside with Connor right behind me.

"You two, please," the man said as soon as Connor shut the door behind him. "Please he's going to die!"

"Calm down, what's wrong?" I asked.

The man shook his head. "There's no time, please come!"

I glanced at Connor and shrugged before following the man through the woods. We ran for a while before stopping at the river. I saw a man clinging to a log floating under the bridge.

"Down there!" the man pointed. "He's just passed under the bridge!"

Before I could even think, Connor was already jumping from rock to rock in the river.

"Of course," I said under my breath. I looked towards the man. "Follow me."  
I ran along the banks, all the while keeping an eye on Connor. Connor seemed to be taking his time and didn't notice the giant waterfall just a few hundred feet away from them.

"Connor!" I yelled. He glanced at me but kept his focus on the man. "Waterfall!"

Connor visibly picked up the pace then and quickly saved the man, pulling him to shore ahead of us.

The man and I caught up with Connor, who was lying on the ground trying to catch his breath. The man that had been saved was coughing up water.

I suppressed a laugh when the man on the ground started to argue with his friend.

"Who are you callin'," the man took a deep breath," a nobhead?" the man said in a thick accent.

The other man helped him up. "You, because you are one."

They explained why they were with the logs in the first place. They hoped to set up a mill in the area. I knew we needed the wood if we ever wanted to get the house back into shape.

"There's a place not too far from the manor on the hill were we are staying," I said. "You can take a look if you'd like."

The man smiled. "I like you two already. We'll have a look."

The men soon walked off, probably to get dried off.

"We should tell Achilles," I said. "And get you dried off. It must be freezing."

We ventured back the way we came. I thought about the two men and hoped that they wouldn't get into any more trouble.

While Connor got warmed up by the fire, I told Achilles about the logger and their plan. While Achilles looked relieved to know that we would have wood to fix the manor with. I was a bit weary. I don't like new comers and certainly new comers that are stupid enough to work by a river and not know how to swim correctly.

*A few weeks later*

Achilles sighed as he looked on the logger's home. "I'll miss the peace and quiet, but we can certainly use the wood."

Connor looked at Achilles. "The manor needs a lot of work."

"That and other things," Achilles agreed. "You two meet me by the small shack on the shoreline when you have the time. There's something else you need to see."

"What is it?" Connor asked curiously.

Achilles picked his words carefully. "An asset."

I hoped he wasn't talking about that piece of junk ship that had crashed in the bay a few years back. There was no way in the world that could be considered an asset.

I walked back to the manor by myself. Connor said he wanted to wander around the land for a bit before going down to the bay.

I quickly bathed and scrubbed the grime out of my hair and skin. I grabbed one of my knives and started to shave my legs. That was how most of my scars that were on my legs got there, but I'd never tell anyone that. It gave me an extra dose of the 21st century, and that was hard to come by. I changed back into my robes before making my way to the shack.

Connor and Achilles were waiting by the shack when I arrived. I gave Connor a slight shrug before he turned and knocked on the door.

"GO 'WAY!" I didn't know if it was just me, but I smelt alcohol coming from the shack.

Connor looked at Achilles, who nodded. Connor slowly opened the door.

"Said 'go away', boy. D'ya not speak the king's English?" Yep. The man was definitely drunk.

Achilles and I emerged in the doorway. I tried not to show my disgust on my face. It smelled like body odor and alcohol in the small shack. I glanced at Connor and barely contained my laughter at the look on his face.

"Didn't see ya there, old man. I'd of set my home in order if I'd known you'd be callin'."

"The boy's name is Connor. The girl's is Piper. They're here to restore the property."

"Restore? Restore! Pardon my manners!" I made way for the man, who had gotten up and was walking outside the shack.

"She's still the fastest in the Atlantic," the man said pointing to the ship. "Sure she needs some attention...minor things mostly but with a little affections she'll fly again!"

"Who is 'she'?" Connor asked.

"Who is she?! Why, the Aquila, boy! The Ghost of the North Seas!"

"The boat," Connor said.

"B-b-boat?! She's a SHIP boy, and make no mistake about it!" He turned to Achilles. "I thought you brought them here to restore order! I reckon their the greenest pair on the Frontier."

"You two meet me back at the manor when you're finished here," Achilles said.

Connor pointed to the Aquila. "You said it requires repairs. You able?"

"SHE does need work- a ship is a she, boy- and yes I can refit her but I'm lacking in the proper supplies. Some...some quality timber would help me get started."

"We can see to that," I said. "How long before she is able to sail again?"

The man poked me on the shoulder. "I like her, she learns quick! You just get me the lumber and I'll raise a crew."

With that, the man slide down the side of the shack and passed out.

"I was just waiting for him to pass out," I said. "He needs to invest in other things than his ship. Like a bath."

"Come," Connor said. "We have to meet up with Achilles."

I followed Connor to the manor, never falling too far behind him.

Achilles was sitting at his desk when Connor and I walked in. "Ah, there you two are. I've something to show you. Come, take a look."

"What is it?" Connor asked.

I leaned up against the desk. "It's a ledger, isn't it?"

Achilles nodded. "It helps keep track of the homestead's dealings."

Connor pointed to the latest entries. "And these?"

"That was years ago. Before the slow fever. Before the Templars. Before everything collapsed." He paused. "But that's all in the past. Better we focus on what's in front of us. Take up the ledger and I'll teach you both how it all works."

I cleared my throat. "I should probably tell you now I am not good with money."

"Why do you think that?" Connor asked.

"Why do you think I have to steal money from the guards?" I countered.

Achilles sighed. "Very well. Come, Connor. I'll teach you."

"I'll be down by the river if you need me," I called.

*6 months later*

I finally did it. I found what had happened to the boys that saved me! Holy crap, I don't know why I hadn't thought of it earlier. All I did was ask Sam for his help. His contacts did the rest.

Boyd was working as an apprentice for a carpenter on the outskirts of Boston. Culkin had turned eighteen a few months ago and immediately joined the Patriots and their fight against the British. Fergus had seemingly vanished immediately after I told him to run. Sam had found out that he was also in the fight against the British. Other than that, there was nothing on the whereabouts of him.

I was a little weary to see them. They probably thought I was long dead. Hell, they didn't even know my name. After all they had done for me; I still had forgotten to tell them my name.

I also didn't know if I could trust them. They most likely think that I'm a raging lunatic when I barge in and tell them who I was.

I didn't want to worry Achilles or Connor, so I kept quiet about it. I told them that I was headed to Boston just to visit Sam. It was a little white lie. I didn't tell them about what Sam and I were going to do while 'visiting'.

Connor had enough on his plate already. Every minute of his free time he spent learning about the Templars. I rarely had a civilized conversation with him. He would acknowledge me with a nod or a wave when we saw each other around the homestead. I didn't want to bother him or Achilles, so I made sure to hide the letters from Sam under a loose floorboard in my room.

I waved a goodbye to Achilles as I rode off on Riswell. Connor was busy with Godfrey and Terry, so he didn't make it for the farewell.

Riswell made very good time and I got to Boston earlier than I had anticipated.

I made sure to keep my head low, even though the guards would have no good reason to fight me. But of course, that wouldn't stop them.

I made my way quickly to Sam's suggested meeting point. When he saw me dismount Riswell, he smiled and made his way over.

"Everything is ready. I'm sure you can handle yourself in a fight, but just in case, you know the signal if things go sour," Sam said leading me to Boyd's shop.

"Yeah, I know." I took a deep breath in and pushed open the door.


	8. Boyd

The shop was small and smelled of pine. No one was at the front desk, but I could hear someone walking around in the back. The air was filled with sawdust, making the shop look like it was glowing in the afternoon sun.

"Hello?" I called pulling down my hood. "Is anyone here?"  
"I'll be with you in a moment," a voice called. It didn't sound old, so I suspected it was Boyd.

As the person made their way to the front desk, I immediately knew it was Boyd. He had the same blonde hair and blue eyes. His face had gotten a bit more defined than the last time I saw him almost 4 years ago. He was wearing a tan apron over dark brown pants.

"Are you Boyd?" I asked.

The young man stared at me for a moment as he wiped his hands on his apron. "Have we met before?"

I cleared my throat and clamped my hands behind my back. "I don't blame you for not remembering."

Boyd seemed to be searching his memories for when he had seen my face. I did look a bit different. My hair had gotten darker over the years and I had a small scar on my neck from the man who had threatened my life right after Achilles had killed those guards. It was almost faded, but still could be seen by anyone if I had my hood down.

Boyd eyed me suspiciously. "If you are who you think you are, answer some of my questions."

I shrugged my shoulders. Weird, but not surprising. "Go ahead."

Boyd wiped his hand on his apron. "How did we find you?"

"Culkin told me that I had fallen off of a building."

"What did Culkin do right before the red coats arrived?"

I thought on this for a moment. "Well, he did hit you upside the head because of asking him why I was dressed so weird."

"Who was the boy in charge of getting you to safety?"  
"Fergus."

"What color of shirt was I wearing the day we found you?"

I gave him a slight glare. "How in the hell do you expect me to remember that?"

Boyd nodded. "It's you alright."

He stepped out from behind to counter. "You look so different! What happened? How are you? Fergus said that you had most likely been killed."

"I almost was killed," I said truthfully. "A man had came and saved me at the last moment." I pointed to my light scar. "That's how I got this."

"Huh," Boyd thought out loud. "The other girl didn't have any scars except the one on her cheek."

"What other girl?" I asked.

Boyd shrugged. "A girl that looked exactly like you came in a few weeks ago. She claimed to be you. I got suspicious and asked her the same questions. When she couldn't answer, the pair hit me upside the head and knocked me out."

"Pair? I thought you said it was just a girl."

"No, there was a boy with her. He looked like her twin, or somethin'. Same eye and hair color. The only thing that was different was his nose. He must've made someone very angry to get the bruise he had."

My thoughts immediately went to what Juno had said months ago.

"But, that doesn't matter anymore," Boyd said setting down his tools. "How have you been fairing these past couple of years?"

"I can't complain."

Boyd looked around suspiciously, as if someone could be listening in on our conversation. His voice dropped low. "Have you heard about the massacre six months ago? I was supposed to pick up supplies that day, but fell ill before I could. They say the still haven't caught the killer. I've heard from the boys around the streets that they had seen a red skin walking around, tearing down all wanted posters after the killing. Then, mysteriously, the town criers started blabbing on about how there was a makeup tin and wig found at the town house. It's a bunch of baloney if you ask me. I think that the red skin did it, and covered up for his crimes. He would have the most reason to."

I tried to control my anger, I really did. Before I could slug the kid in the face, his boss screamed at him from the back.

"Get yer ass back in here! We have only a few hours before I have ta deliver these orders!"

My anger was now channeled to the man in the back. "Does he always treat you like this?"

Boyd shook his head. "Yes, but he's never done anything to me. I promise." Boyd sighed. "I'd better get back there."

I nodded. "If he ever does anything to you, just tell me. I'll take care of it."

Boyd looked at me and started to laugh. But when he noticed how serious I was, his laugh faded away and he turned serious. "I will. I promise."

I waved goodbye to Boyd and walked out the door. Sam came up to me.

"Are you alright?" He looked me over. "I heard shouting and feared the worst."

I shook my head. "I'm fine."

We started to walk to Sam's place, where I planned to stay the night before riding back to the homestead.

Sam must have seen my confused face because he stopped walking and stood in front of me. "Is something troubling you?"

I nodded. "Boyd said something weird back at the shop. I'm still trying to process it."

Sam stopped me from going further. "What is it?"

I shook my head. "Nothing. It's nothing, just a feeling."

"It can't be nothing if it's troubling you so. You can tell me anything, Piper. Anything."

I took a deep breath and led Sam into an alleyway away from prying eyes. "I think my brother and sister are here somewhere in the city."

Sam clapped his hands together. "That's wonderful news!  
I was skeptic. "I know I should be at least a little happy, but I just have a bad feeling about what Boyd said."

Sam nodded and put his hand on my shoulder. "Well get a good night's rest tonight. Maybe then you'll be able to make sense of what happened."

I nodded, allowing him to pull me into the safety of his home.

* * *

I was planning on staying in Boston for longer than I had told Achilles and Connor. I had to find out if the pair that attacked Boyd was my brother and sister. I hoped it wasn't, but the facts were piling up against me. Boyd was certain of what he'd seen and Juno's words kept echoing in the back of my head like a broken record.

I was taking a walk throughout Boston after talking to Boyd some more when I heard shouting coming from behind me. I first thought it was the guards chasing after another thief, but as soon as I almost dismissed the shouts, something really weird happened.

Someone in a hood identical to mine, black with white trim, ran past me and into an alleyway.

I paused and pointed a finger at the alley where the person had disappeared into. I looked around me to see if anyone else had just seen what had happened. Of course they didn't. My mouth was opening and closing like a fish when I heard the claps of feet and clanks of metal behind me.

"Stay where you are!" I heard someone yell.

I glanced behind my shoulder and saw the guards pointing their guns at me. I raised my hands and turned to face them. "It's not me you're after! They just ran into the alley!"

The guards looked at each other not knowing what to do. That is, until their captain emerged from behind them.

"Take off your hood," the man commanded. "I saw the thief's face and if what you say is true, take off your hood."

I bit back an insult and slowly pulled my hood down. The last thing I wanted to do it have every guard in the city on my ass. This investigation was hard enough.

The captain turned red with anger. "You think I'm a fool?!"

I stepped backwards at the sudden change in his demeanor. "I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"I have no time for this," the man said. "Fire!"

I reacted quickly and ducked behind some crates piled up against a building. Knowing how long it took to reload the guns, I took my chances and ran.

I know I know, 'Why doesn't she stay in fight like a normal assassin?' Now don't get all prissy with me. I was a hormonal and confused teen at the time and even more confused assassin. Plus, for an assassin, I was pretty horrible at fighting. Yeah I could hit a bulls eye with a knife from almost 20 feet away by the time I was nine, but I couldn't fight. Unless, of course, the enemies liked to stay a few feet away at all times and only came at me one at a time, which they rarely did.

I wasn't worried about the bullets flying past my face. I wasn't worried that my life could end any second. I was worried about whoever the guards thought I was. I knew that tracking them wasn't a problem. I could loose the guards and find the person before they could even leave the city.

I quickly broke their line of sight and sat myself on a bench, pulling my hood back up. The captain yelled for his men to spread out and search the area. I saw him glance at me and start to come towards me. Thankfully, a wagon pulled in front of him before he could get any closer. I quickly got up from the bench and disappeared into an alley near the bench.

I slumped up against the wall of the alley and took a few deep breaths, regaining my posture. I quickly scaled the wall, knowing staying on the ground would just end up in more bad luck.

I closed my eyes for a moment. I opened my eyes, using my special vision to help me out. The lack of red was comforting. I retraced my steps and quickly made my way back to the alley where the figure had disappeared to.

I landed in the middle of the alley softly. Cautiously I kept walking until the alley opened up into a bigger space. One side of me, the logical side, yelled get the heck away from there, but the other side, the out of control side, screamed to keep going.

I gave in to the out of control side of me and kept walking into the alley. It was one of the stupidest mistakes of my life.

**Sorry for a short chapter. Only three pages long in Word, but I'll see if I can make the future chapters a bit longer. Now that I'm thinking about it, none of the chapters are that long. Sorry 'bout that! Anyway, thanks for all you guys who have favorited or followed! **


	9. Sisterly love

**I would've updated yesterday but that wasn't a good day for me and I didn't have any time. I'll see if I have time to update sometime during this week but I'm not sure :/ Enjoy the chapter!**

At first glance the alleyway just looked like a normal alleyway. I wouldn't have given it a second thought if I hadn't heard the sound of wood rubbing on wood, the sound of someone pulling an arrow back.

I pulled out my knife and turned on my heel, letting it go. The knife was meant land into the persons shoulder, but only sliced open sleeve of the black jacket. Whoever this was, they were quick. I reached for another knife and tried to get a look at my attacker. It was the same person who the guards thought I was.

We continued our brawl until I finally caught a very obvious mistake in their stance. Their feet were too close together, so when the person came at me, I ducked and swept their feet out from under them.

I kicked the bow out of their reach and stood over them. With my hand, I ripped off the hood of the person below me.

"Did you miss me?" Iris asked sweetly. The look in her eyes sent a chill down my spine. "'Cause I sure missed you!"

I took a few steps back in surprise, keeping my guard up. "H-how are you here?"

Iris laughed as she picked herself up off the ground. "Same way you got here."

I hoped my face didn't give away that I had no idea how I got here. "What about everyone else? Mom, Dad? Or John or, or Louis?"

"When we got out of the building, the Brotherhood had given up all hope of us being alive. Typical Assassin behavior. The Templars brought us back to health. We owe them our lives. Mom and Dad were blind. But then the Templars showed them the true path to a perfect world and they understood."

Luckily the Iris' bow was behind me, so I knew she couldn't get to it without going through me. "Don't you see?! You and everyone else are being indoctrinated by the Templars! This goes against everything we were raised to believe! I don't want to hurt you!"

Iris laughed. "The Templars seek peace while the Assassins seek war. Do you not see this, Piper?"

"Please, Iris. I'm begging you. Listen to me!"

Before I could calm her down, she unsheathed a knife and came at me screaming in rage.

I blocked the knife thanks to my strong wrist guards. I grabbed her wrist and twisted it painfully. She yelled out in pain as I pulled her arm behind her back and held a knife to her throat.

I was about to flick my wrist, slitting her throat, I hesitated. Iris was my sister. I couldn't just kill her. No matter what, she was still my family. My blood.

Iris used my hesitation to elbow me in my gut. I doubled over in pain and barely dodged the fist coming up to uppercut me. I took a few steps back and wiped my eyes from my tears. Iris came back to attack. Her fist flew up to my face but I blocked it. Then the other fist came up and I blocked that one, too. No matter how many times I blocked her, Iris kept coming. She was relentless.

Have you ever had that dream of your family dying, or completely forgetting about you? And you have this sick feeling in the pit of your stomach and you wake up crying thinking that the dream was real and your family had really died? Or forgotten about you? That feeling was exactly what I felt in that moment. But it wasn't a dream that I could wake up to. I couldn't get out of bed, walk into the kitchen and see Mom cooking breakfast, or Dad watching the morning news, and have that feeling of relief when you realize it was just a bad dream.

Iris kept coming at me until I was backed up against the wall. That's when she pinned me up against the wall and pressed the cool metal of a blade against my throat.

"Weak," Iris spat. "Naive. Foolish. That's all you are."

I could still feel the tears falling in warm streams down my face. I could taste blood in my mouth. She must have got me without me noticing. My breath came out in ragged pants from my tears. I could and still remember the feel of the rage coming off Iris. To have someone you love that much want to do nothing more than kill you is horrible.

Then something odd happened. Iris' eyes suddenly went glossy and out of focus before she blinked. She took one glance at me and the blade she had pressed up against her throat before dropping the knife and taking a step back.

"Oh no," Iris said. Her hands went up to her hair. "What have I done?"

Iris looked up at me and started to step back towards me. I quickly brought a knife in between us before she got any closer. I glared at her, trying to get the upper hand in what was happening. But the only problem was is that I had no idea what was happening.

Iris put her hands up in surrender and looked around nervously. "Please before Camille gets control again. You have to get out of here before John shows up. You have to go, now!"

My eyes narrowed. "How am I supposed to trust you after you held a knife to my throat?"

"That wasn't me," Iris said desperately. She glanced around again, like a nervous doe, before throwing a folded piece of paper. "Just go before they get here!"

I caught the paper before looking up again at Iris. Her eyes barely held the tears that were threatening to fall.

"You can't let the Templars get to you or we won't have a home to go back to," Iris said. "You have to lay low before we can get control once and for all."

I had no idea what she was talking about, but I didn't care. I lowered the knife gradually and put it back into its holster. "Come with me."  
Iris shook her head. "I can't. I'll just lead them right to you. Whatever happens, you keep running. You don't stop until you find somewhere to hide with people that you trust. Now leave before I-"

She stopped mid sentence and clutched her head. I took a step towards her but stopped when Iris looked up at me with a desperate look in her eyes. "Go!"

I clutched the paper square to my chest before running out of the alley and tearing down the street. I prayed to whatever god or goddess that was listening to please not let me get caught by the guards.

As I was running down the street, I heard a blood curdling scream, and I knew it was Iris. I stopped myself from turning around and going after her. Pushing and pushing, I made my way around the guards and towards Sam's hous.e

I don't remember much of my run but I do remember was wiping my eyes of the tears falling from them and how ashamed I was of myself. I hadn't cried since the night at the homestead right after I was propeled back into time.

The look on Sam's face was the look of pure horror when I came barging into his house crying my eyes out. My face was bloody and my stomach ached where Iris had elbowed me.

When my knees came in, Sam was there to catch me before I fell to the ground. He gently sat me on his armchair and got a cold cloth to clean my face with.

I wrung the cloth in my hands as Sam got up to get me a drink. I had to get to Achilles and tell him. Achilles would know what make of Iris' cryptic warnings. He would know what to do.

I couldn't tell Sam about anything because it would force me to talk about my true origin. I had to get to the homestead while her words still rang fresh in my head.

I was packing my stuff up when Sam walked in with a glass in his hand.

He looked around before giving me a slight glare. "What do you think you're doing?"

I didn't even glance at him. "I need to leave for the homestead. Now."

"You won't make if it gets too dark."

"I will if I ride hard." I slung my pack onto my back and gave Sam an apologetic look. "I'm sorry but I have to leave. Achilles is the only person that I know that can make sense about what just happened. I need to go."

I gave Sam a hug before leaving. Riswell must have seen how wild I looked and started to get nervous himself. I tried to calm him down before saddling him.

I took a deep breath and heaved myself up onto his back. I then pulled him towards the direction of the homestead and took off down the street.

Riswell was sweating and breathing hard as we came up to the stables of the homestead. It was about an hour after sundown and I thought Achilles and Connor had gone to bed.

I made a mental note to sneak Riswell a few apples tomorrow as I unsaddled him as fast as I could. I gently pulled the reins out of his mouth and gave him a few pats. I heard the manor door open and slam shut, followed by fast stomps coming towards me.

I furrowed my brow, wondering why either of the men would be angry with me, besides staying longer that I had previously told them, but I don't know why that would make them as angry as this person sounded. I'd thought I had hid the letters well enough so they wouldn't find out what I really was planning on doing while I was in Boston.

I turned and saw Connor clutching the letters that I had hid in his hand. He was fuming.

"Why did you not tell us?" He asked angrily.

I knew that he would be mad for about ten minutes before calming back down so I didn't take it too seriously. I needed to get to Achilles as soon as possible and time wasn't on my side.

I walked past him. "I don't have time for this."

He grabbed my elbow and spun me around to face him. "Do you know how foolish that was?! You could have been hurt or killed!"

Iris' words echoed in my head. Instead of Connor, I saw Iris' face contorted with rage. I snapped out of it and yanked my elbow away from him.

Tears blurred my vision as I took a step away from Connor

"You know I am right! You're being naïve and you should have listened to Achilles and I!"

I clenched my fists and gave Connor a deadly glare. "You have no idea what hell I just went through today." I noticed then that I was unconsciously backing Connor up against the stables, his face the one of fear, but I didn't care. "Until you've been through what I just went through, you shut your damn mouth or I will gladly do it for you."

I turned on my heel, fuming, and stomped towards the manor. I must have scared the shit out of Connor because he didn't even attempt to follow me. I was grateful that I had done just that because I had bigger problems than him being mad at me.

Achilles was staring into the fire of the fireplace as I stomped inside. "I was wondering when you'd return."

"I need to talk to you," I said. "Something happened in Boston."

Achilles heard the desperation in my voice and slowly stood up and walked over to me. "What is it?"

"I saw my sister. She's here. And if my sister is here, then my whole family could be here, too. S-she tried to kill me. Something was wrong with her. Something or someone was controlling her. She snapped out of it right before she tried to slit my throat. I-i don't know what was wrong with her and I couldn't fight back! She gave me a slip of paper before she told me to run before the thing that was controlling her took over her again. I didn't know what to do and I'm so confused and-"

Achilles shushed me. "Calm down, calm down. Take a deep breath and sit down for a moment."

He led me to a chair across the one he had been occupying right before I stormed in. I felt a bit silly, having a crippled old man lead me to a chair to sit down. It should have been the other way around but at that moment I didn't give it much thought.

I took a few deep breaths as I sank back into the hard wooden chair. Achilles sat across from me and looked at me expectantly.

I told him the whole story of what happened. I knew he would be mad that I hadn't told him of what I had really planned to do in Boston. When I was finished I put my head in my hands.

"I was stupid. I shouldn't have left her there." I shook my head.

Achilles sighed. "What done is done. We can't change anything. Now, about that piece of paper she gave you. Have you opened it?"

I ran my fingers through my hair. "No, not yet."

He held out his hand and I put the piece of paper into his hand. Achilles slowly unfolded it and stared intently at it. He then handed it to me.

I thought the paper was going to have writing on it of some sorts but all it had was a five pointed star with the word "Boston" written underneath it.

"Do you know what it means?" Achilles asked me.

I shook my head. "I really have no idea."

I felt a new wave of tears try to escape my eyes. I put my hand over my eyes and put my elbows onto my knees. "What am I supposed to do?"

Achilles said nothing and moved over next to me. He then proceeded to rub comforting circles on my back, exactly how he did the first night I had stayed at the manor.

I heard someone walk into the room, probably Connor. I removed my hands from my eyes but kept my gaze down. I didn't want anyone to see me like this. It made me feel weak.

I tried but couldn't control my ragged breaths and the tears falling from my eyes. I squeezed my eyes shut in the attempt to stop crying, but it didn't help as much as I had hoped.

I heard the sound of fabric rubbing together and hesitating footsteps go upstairs. Connor must've left.

"Now," Achilles said. He stopped rubbing my back and stood up, keeping his hand on my back. "You need to get some rest. You've been through a lot today."

I slowly got up and wiped my face. Achilles gave my arm a comforting squeeze before heading upstairs.

I stood in the same place until I heard Achilles' bedroom door shut, snapping me out of my thoughts. I made my way up the stairs as quietly and slowly as I could. I walked over to the doorway of my room and turned to look at Connor's door.

I felt a wave of guilt flow over me. I didn't mean to say what I did. I was angry and let my anger take control over me. I had been trained to keep my emotions in check, but it seemed like I didn't train enough.

I walked over to his door and lifted my fist to knock on the door. Right before my fist made contact, I hesitated. If I were him, I would want to whack me across the face. I bit my lip and took a step back prior to heading into my room.

I undressed my blood stained clothes and climbed into bed, my body slowly relaxing. I was going to be stiff in the morning, among other things. Sleep finally took me after what seemed like an eternity.


	10. Leaving

**Please don't kill me after this chapter. I had to find a way to get Piper into her own story line. The girl that Piper is based on (who is my cousin) suggested it. BLAME HER NOT ME.**

As I finally got the will power to get out of my soft and warm bed, my body protested, my bones popping and my whole person stiff. I wasn't even up for more than ten minutes and the day had already gone bad for me

I put on a gray hood with white pants and black boots, something that I rarely ever wore because it was too big for me, but wearing baggy and comfortable clothes was something that I felt the need to do, considering how bad my muscles protested every step I took.

I noticed that Connor's door was open, along with Achilles'. I had woken up late, seeing that the sun was a quarter of the way in the sky.

I slowly made my way down the stairs and grabbed an apple from the kitchen as I looked around for Achilles and Connor. "Hello? Anyone home?"

I got no response. I took a bite out of my apple as I opened the back door. I saw Achilles on the cliff overlooking the bay.

"What are you staring at?" I asked.

Achilles did nothing but point out to the horizon. I shielded my eyes as I looked out onto the Atlantic. I saw what I thought was a ship sailing out toward sea.

I looked down on the bay and saw it empty and the dock deserted. "It that the Aquila?"

Achilles nodded. "And I think Connor is one of the passengers."

I felt guilty again. "You know when they'll be back?"

"If I could take a guess, a few weeks. The boy didn't even say goodbye." Achilles glanced at me and furrowed his brow. "Is something the matter?"

I clenched my fists and kept my eyes on the tiny dot that was the Aquila. "Connor and I had a fight. I said some things I shouldn't have."

"And when was this?"

"Right after I got back. Connor had found the letters that Sam had sent to me about meeting Boyd and confronted me. I was so riled up that I blew up on him."

Achilles was quiet for a moment before speaking up again. "You don't usually blow your top off. He must have said some things to you."

I nodded. "While Iris had me pinned up against a wall she called me naïve and foolish. Connor said the same."

Achilles hummed and headed towards the manor. "Well while the boy is gone, you'll be in charge of his chores."

"What?!" I turned towards Achilles.

"You can start by replacing the shingles on the roof. Come get me when you're done."

"Replace the entire tile on the roof,'" I said in a mocking voice while I walked behind Achilles. "'I'm an old man who likes to give people bruises with my cane.'"

"What was that?" Achilles said turning around.

"Nothing," I said sweetly.

"That is what I thought," Achilles said walking into the manor.

Three weeks later

Working outside on the manor in the hot sun will make you think. It'll also make you really tan, too.

Even though I was still worried about Connor, I knew I needed to get back to Boston. I needed to get to Iris and help her in any way I could, to try to get her back to normal. I didn't care what Achilles thought about it, she was my sister and I wasn't going to give up on her that easily, even though it meant leaving the manor.

I shrugged on my pack as I headed down the stairs. When I passed by the kitchen, Achilles saw me headed for the door.

"And where do you think you're going?" He asked walking up to me.

I didn't look him in the eyes, knowing that I wouldn't be able to go on with my plan if I did. "For a ride."

"You don't need all of this stuff for a ride," Achilles said poking my pack with his cane.

"Maybe I do," I said moving for the door.

"I forbid you to go to Boston."

I turned on my heel and glared at him. Before I got even a word out of my mouth, Achilles cut me off.

"It is too dangerous!"

"Iris is my sister, I'm not going to just leave her with the Templars!"

"You are not going to play hero and get yourself killed!"

I glared at Achilles. "I will do anything to get my sister back, and there is nothing you can do about it. I'm not going to stand by while my own sister is in the hands of the goddamned Templars!"

"Your sister is already lost! You came to terms with that years ago, with her and the rest of your family! You throwing yourself at the Templars isn't going to change that!"

I threw my bag to the ground at Achilles' feet (childish, I know. It's embarrassing).

I stormed out and ran into the woods as fast as my feet could carry me. I didn't want to admit it but I knew Achilles had a point. Getting my family back wouldn't be easy going. But that wouldn't slow me down. I would get them back even if it killed me.

I ran blindly for a few minutes before finding a quiet, shady spot to get myself together. I wiped the tears from my eyes and took a few ragged breaths to calm myself.

Running a hand through my hair, I reached into my pocket to take out my map of Boston (that I had made myself because the shopkeepers there overprice them way to much) and the slip of paper Iris had given me. I threw them both to the ground.

As I was getting up to apologize to Achilles, I glanced down at the papers on the forest floor. That's when I noticed it.

The paper Iris had given me was thinner than the map, letting the map on the bottom show through the paper.

I quickly knelt down and started to line up the star's points with different parts of the city. I wasn't getting anywhere and was about to give up when I had an idea. I lined up the top of the star with the building that I had woken up at the bottom of the first time I had ever been here. The star's other points lined up with different alleyways or dead-ends perfectly. One of the alleyways being the one that I had first seen Iris, I knew I had a huge break in my quest to bring my family together.

I had to get to Boston ASAP without Achilles knowing I had gone until it was too late. If either Connor or Achilles were hurt trying to help me, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. If they were caught in the crossfire and I knew I could've done something to save them but didn't, I couldn't be able to live with myself.

"Piper?!" I heard Connor yell. He sounded close. I needed to hide.

I knew a place near here that not even Achilles knew about. I found it running from some poachers that had come when Achilles was gone to get supplies without me. I didn't want to worry him so I never told anyone.

I turned around until I got my bearings of where I was.

"Piper?! Where are you?!" I heard Connor yell. He sounded worried, but I knew I couldn't risk seeing him hurt.

I started to run away from Connor and towards my hiding spot. His voice soon faded behind me.

I found my hiding place after about ten minutes of hard and silent running. It was a deep cave that was situated behind two boulders. The only way in was a small space between the boulders that was hard even for me to get through.

I squeezed through the opening but when I finally got through I felt my necklace break and fall a few feet from the opening. It was covered in blood. I reached up to my chest and saw my fingertips covered in blood, too. I must have been cut squeezing through the boulders.

I was going to squeeze back to grab it when I heard Connor walk by the opening. I pressed up against the opening and held my breath.

I heard Connor pick up the necklace, because I heard the soft ring of the symbol hitting the chain.

"The poachers," I heard him growl. I wanted to reveal myself but stayed hidden.

'It's for their own good,' I repeated to myself. 'It's for their own good.'

I heard Connor yell angrily and run off. I slid down to the ground and pulled my knees up to my chest. I rested my forehead on my knees and got ready to sit there until late at night, when I could sneak through the house and get some of the few things I needed for the trip. I couldn't pack everything up; because they would notice it was missing and know that I ran away.

If they thought I was dead it would be the perfect storm for getting my family back together and getting home. I cared about Achilles and Connor like family but if I was going to stop what Juno said would come to pass I needed to get everything and everyone from my time back where they were supposed to be, even though it meant leaving them both behind. I knew that it was the only thing that would guarantee that they wouldn't get hurt trying to aid me. And knowing that ripped me to shreds.


	11. Iris

**Hey people, I would have updated yesterday but my sister had the laptop all day, so here I am. Sorry if I pissed you off in the last chapter, but I needed a way to branch off into Piper's story, so here we are. Anyways, tell me how I'm doing (hopefully I'm not doing too bad) and let me know if you want it to be a ConnorXoc fic. I'll take into consideration whether you guys want it to be and what the girl that Piper is based off of wants. I hope you enjoy!**

It was late, probably midnight, when I finally came out of the cave. I stretched, popping a few bones in my back in the process. I popped the bones in my neck before I silently crept through the forest towards the manor.

I got to the manor quickly only to find the candles lit. I used my special vision to see if anyone was outside with me before creeping slowly to the window that was lit.

I saw Connor, Achilles, and the loggers sitting in the living room. Achilles was facing the fireplace, his head down. Connor was pacing throughout the room and the loggers were sitting, quietly talking to each other. I leaned in closer, trying to hear what they were saying.

"-give up that easily!" I heard Connor yell. "She is out there somewhere, I know it. She could be being tortured right now and all we are doing is standing here like-"

"Don't you act like you're the only one that cares about Piper!" Achilles yelled. "Until we get our bearings, nothing we do will get us any closer to finding her."

"Connor, he has a point," Godfrey said. "There's nothing we can do right know to find her. Best you both get to bed. Tomorrow morning we will start searching again."

I saw Connor turn towards the window but I quickly ducked. I stayed a still as possible for what seemed like hours before the loggers exited the manor and made their way home. I heard some muffled voices from inside the house before the light went out.

I waited for around an hour before getting up and sneaking into the house. Being a thief made me very quiet and swift, especially if it was in complete darkness. Over the few years I had lived at the manor, I had memorized which floorboards creaked when you stepped on them. I would always have Achilles test me to see if I could make it to him without him knowing from different sections of the house.

I made it up to my room without the slightest bit of noise. I took things that wouldn't be noticed if they were gone if someone looked through my stuff. I didn't pack any clothes because I could steal money to buy replacements once I was on my way.

Once I was done gathering my things, I slipped out the window and landed silently onto the ground.

As much as I wanted to take him, Riswell would be noticed gone of I did. I heard him whinny and kick and the stable doors as I passed by him. I needed to get to Boston on foot.

I traveled through the night, not daring to stop in fear that Connor might be right behind me.

I pulled the map out of my pocket when I got to Boston and tried to figure out how to go about getting to Iris. The only thing that snapped her out of killing me was me head butting her.

I formulated a plan as I headed towards the alleyway I had encountered Iris. I prayed that she would be there.

I stayed to the ground and got to the alleyway with no trouble. I made sure to keep all my senses on high the second I took my first step into the alley.

"I'd never thought I would see you again," Iris said.

I spun around and took a few steps back. Iris was leaning up against the wall, twirling an arrow between her fingers.

I glanced around for anything blunt to hit her upside the head with. I saw a thick stick about a foot away from Iris. I know, it wasn't the best plan but that was all I had at the moment. I looked back up at my sister, formulating a plan in my head.

"I know you, Iris. This isn't you," I said.

"You don't know me at all," Iris growled. She pushed off the wall. "You haven't even talked to me for years."

Iris pulled her bow off her back and drew an arrow, pointing it at me. "All I need is the necklace. Then I can kill you, once and for all."

That wasn't good. If she knew that I didn't have the necklace, I probably would get caught and tortured until I revealed where the necklace was, then I would get killed. I needed to stall and somehow to get to the stick.

"Why do you need the necklace?" I asked. I started to circle around to the stick. "It's just a chunk of cheap metal."

"With those chunks of 'cheap' metal, we can usher in a new world without being hampered by the Assassins. Your mentor let the Colonial Assassins fall. Without them, killing you and your native boyfriend will be like squashing a bug."

Native _boyfriend_?

I glanced around quickly, and noticed that I was close enough I could roll to the stick and get to cover.

"Well then, you'd better have a good plan," I said.

She looked at me, confused. "Why?"

"Because I don't have any idea where my necklace is!" I laughed and quickly grabbed the stick, ducking behind some crates.

I heard a thunk and looked to the left, seeing an arrow just centimeters away from my head. I listened closely and noticed she didn't draw another arrow

"Hiding? I see the Assassins have been training their recruits well," Iris said. "And using a stick? I am actually pitying the Assassins. Are they really putting their faith in you?"

"No," I said. "And truly, I don't blame them."

With that, I jumped over the box and hit Iris as hard as I could on the head. She wasn't ready for my sudden appearance so it was an easy shot and she fell hard, like a sack of potatoes. I just knew in the morning she would have a giant goose egg on her forehead.

"You'll thank me later," I said. I had to hide her before the guards found her.

As I was grabbing her wrists to drag her deeper into the alley, I noticed weird scars on her neck, like an injection gone badly. My mom was a nurse, so I knew it looked like an injection of some sorts.

I gently set down her wrists and knelt by her head. I gently tilted her head to the side and brushed my fingers across the scars. One was newer than the others. The oldest was barely visible.

"What did they do to you?" I whispered.

As I was investigating, Iris' eyes snapped open. I screamed and rolled backwards onto my feet and pulled out a knife.

Iris sat up fast and her face contorted into one of pain as her hands shot to her head.

"My head!" I heard her moan.

"I-Iris?" I stammered.

Iris glanced at me and rubbed her eyes. "Piper…?"

I smiled and nodded my head. "It's me, Iris."

Before I could even react Iris' arms were around my neck. I quickly returned the hug and held her as tight as I could.

She pulled away and smiled, tears running down her face. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

I did nothing but laugh and bring her into another hug.

Iris pulled away from me and looked at me, confused. "I told you last time to stay away. What happens if I lose control again?"

I smiled and held up my stick. "I'll just have to hit you with this again."

She didn't even smile at my attempt of a joke. "You can't just keep hitting me with that."

"I know," I said dropping the stick. "I have a theory of how the Templars are gaining control over you guys but I'm gonna need your help to prove it."

"Let's hear it," Iris said crossing her arms.

"Have you ever noticed those scars on your neck?" I asked.

Her hand shot up to her neck. "Yeah, but I never paid any attention to them."

"Where did you get them?"

Iris put her fist to her chin, trying to remember. After a few moments, she shrugged. "I really can't remember. I'm sorry."

Iris and I were never that alike. Iris liked to apologize for everything all the time and take two hours to do it while I would like to say sorry once and get on with life.

"Dude, its fine." It was weird to say 'dude' because I had lost that part of my vocabulary once I met Achilles because it was too hard to explain to him what it meant. "Can you remember when they started to show up?"

She got her thinking face back on and was silent for another few tense moments. "I think I do. Right after the Templars got a hold of us. Right after we got separated."

"Has it shown up on anyone else, like John or Louis?"

Iris started to nod slowly. "Yes, I remember seeing them once on both of them."

"What about Cindy?"

"I haven't seen her in a long time," Iris said miserably.

"What do you mean?"

Iris took a deep breath. "When the Templars figured out about the power that the necklaces have, they sent all of us back in time. They tried on their more loyal members but it would only work for us. Once back, we proved ourselves to the grandmaster and his five accomplices. Then we were chosen and each assigned to a different member."

"Who was Cindy assigned to?"

"Charles Lee. He was very mean, but he seemed to like Cindy. Of course, Cindy was mute right after we got here. She wouldn't talk or barely move. All she did was kill anything and anyone that Lee told her to."

"Where is she now?"

Iris shrugged. "I don't remember much. I'm sorry."

I put my hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to apologize."

"But there is still one thing that I don't understand."

I dropped my hand. "What is it?"

She looked at me, angry. "I told you not to come back. I could've killed you!"

"Listen," I said, calming her down. "I had a vision. If what the Templars are planning to do with the necklaces is true, then this whole world is screwed. You have to trust me. The only way to undo this is to get everyone and everything from our time back."

"Okay," Iris said. "What's your plan?"

"I know I'm asking a lot of questions but you said the necklaces were the reason that we are here. Do you know how to reverse that?"

Iris opened her mouth, as if to say something, then closed it and shook her head.

"Come on, Iris! You are the smartest one here, in the whole family too. I'm gonna have to have you figure it out. The sooner the better."

"What about the others?"

"While I am gathering everyone else, you have to figure out how to reverse it. It's our only was to undo this mess."

Iris nodded. "I'll help you gather everyone."

"Can you multi-task?" I asked skeptically.

Iris scoffed and hit me on my shoulder. "As you said, I'm the smartest one in the family. I can do it."

"Don't let what I said go to your head," I said, laughing.

Iris laughed and then suddenly got quiet.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I've been getting those injections for a long time. What if I start to relapse? What then?"

I grabbed both her shoulders. "I'll help you. I promise you'll be okay."

Iris smiled and nodded. "I'm happy you didn't listen to me. Our family will be back together soon!"

Once she said that, my thoughts went immediately to Connor and Achilles. They had become my family the past few years. I just left them to think that I was dead and gone.

I nodded, shaking away those thoughts. "Let's get an inn for the night. Then we can get supplies and figure everything out in the morning."

Iris nodded and we were on our way.


	12. The Vials

**Thanks so much for those who reviewed. I'm still debating on whether having this be a ConnorXoc story, though. Happy Birthday, America! :)**

As we walked through Boston we told stories when we were little, laughing like school girls.

"And then Louis was like 'those men wouldn't have even noticed the difference!'" Iris said.

I laughed as I took a bite of an apple that I had bought at the market. "I miss him."

Iris' laugh faded and she nodded sadly. But then her mood brightened suddenly. "But since we've got you now, we'll be able to go home."

"You guys could've left without me, or at least tried. Why didn't you?"

Iris gave me a confused look. "You don't know, do you?"

I shook my head and took another bite. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Iris sighed. "In order to get home, we'll need to have all the necklaces, especially yours."

"Why is my so special?" I wiped my mouth.

"Every single one of our necklaces could've been chosen to open the portal to this time. It was your necklace that allowed us to come here. Yeah, it took awhile for our necklaces to allow us to come, but your necklace is the reason for us being here."

I furrowed my brows and looked at the ground, dropping my half eaten apple to the ground. "So what you're saying is that this is my entire fault."

Iris shook her head. "That's not what I meant I swear!"

"Let's just get to the-"

"Have you seen this girl?" I heard a very familiar voice say.

I looked across the street and saw Connor, who was dressed in Assassin robes, asking stall owners where I was.

"Ah shit," I said. I grabbed Iris and yanked her along. "We have to go, now."

She pointed to Connor. "Isn't he that Native that's been causing all the trouble?"

"Yes," I said, "And I can't be seen by him."

"Well why?" Iris asked.

We finally got to a dark alley and I covered Iris' mouth as Connor walked by dangerously close and asked another vender.

"Because I need him to think I'm dead. It's the only way to make sure I can get everyone together without him or the old man getting caught in the middle of the mess I've made," I whispered.

Once the coast was clear I let go of Iris and looked up and down the streets, combing them with my vision, not seeing one bit of blue.

I breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Iris. "Do you understand?"

Iris nodded. "I'm sorry that we're making you do that. You two seemed close."

"You've seen us together?"

Iris smiled and nodded. "After the massacre I tailed him for a while because Haytham wanted me too."

"You were assigned to work under Haytham, weren't you?"

Iris nodded. "For the most part he was polite and nice. Sometimes he was just cranky though."

"You do know that the Native that you were tailing is his kid, right?"

"Nope," She said, still smiling.

"Sometimes, your over-enthusiastic personality creeps the hell out of me."

Iris laughed and we went on our way

*2 years later*

We looked up and down for every sign of John, Louis, or Cindy, but could find none. I started to feel bummed out because we weren't getting anywhere. Even with the map and the star we couldn't find them. The only upside to the bad situation is that Connor and Achilles stopped showing up at random times to Boston to look for me. When they did come it was for supplies. It made it easier to hide from them.

Another thing that bothered me is that I couldn't steal as much from the guards because if they caught me, they would plaster my face across the city where Connor or Achilles could see. I hated being cautious.

Iris still hadn't gotten anywhere with the necklaces. She couldn't remember much from the time that she was with the Templars, and I noticed that my memories where starting to fade, too (which is why I'm writing them down while I still have most of them and because Connor is looking over my shoulder right now, making sure I am writing). It scared me.

I didn't dwell on it long and I kept my mind off everything by trying to help Iris in any way I could. I would tell her every single detail of how I was transported back in time every time she needed. And every time she needed it, it took about two hours to tell her so I finally wrote it down because I was too lazy to keep telling her.

Me being a paranoid idiot I changed practically every part of me in order to stay away from Connor and Achilles. I cut my hair with a pair of scissors that Iris had. Instead of halfway down my back, it was only went about two inches below my shoulders. I could still pull it up into a small ponytail if I needed to get my hair out of my face, and the shorter the hair, the easier it is to take care of in colonial America. I also never wore a hood anymore, and kept all of my Assassin robes in a cupboard in the house that Iris and I were staying in. I usually wore a three cornered hat that I had taken from a drunk sailor with a black waist coat, white shirt, and dark blue breeches. It was comfortable and easy to move in. I could also tuck my hair up into my hat to give the illusion that I was a small sailor, maybe a cabin boy, not someone who was trained to kill people every since they were small.

I had taken Iris for a walk because she had been cooped up in her room for a week trying to find a way to get home. I had to drag her kicking and screaming, but I got her outside. Not even ten minutes later, she was her normal and happy self.

"I have been having weird dreams lately," Iris confessed.

"I didn't even know that you actually got sleep instead of that journal being glued to your hands," I said.

"Well that journal is our only way home, Mrs. I-am-too-lazy-to-walk-ten-feet-to-the-kitchen-and- get-myself-food."

"Oh shut up," I said. "What are your dreams about?"

"I actually think they are memories, not dreams."

"Why do you say that?"

Iris shrugged. "It just seems like déjà vu whenever I have a dream. It's like I've been there before."

"Write them down," I said. "Then we can judge if they are dreams or memories."

Iris nodded and we kept walking in a comfortable silence.

We stopped for a moment and sat down on a bench. I kept my head down from the guards and glanced at Iris. Her hair was lighter than mine by a lot. It was probably because of my mom's golden colored hair that Iris had natural streaks of golden brown in her hair. She carried herself different from me, too. I never had to push or shove through crowds because people would always move out of my way. Iris had to politely excuse herself and lightly make her way through crowds. It was probably because Iris chose to wear a dress and blend in with the women of this time rather than risk getting caught by the guards for dressing like a man.

I laughed quietly and wiped my brow, looking out on the busy street. I looked up and down the street with my vision and noticed that there weren't any guards. I thought it was odd that there weren't any Redcoats to make sure that the rich people stayed happy and the poor people stayed scared.

"Whoa," I heard Iris say. "How do you do that with your eyes?"

I blinked, 'turning off' my vision, and looked at her. "What do you mean?"

Iris pointed at my eyes. "Your eyes were glowing gold!"

"It was probably the sun."

Iris shook her head and pulled at my hat. "Your hat keeps the sun out of your eyes."

"Oh, you mean my eagle vision?"

"Is that it? Why can't I do that?"

"You can't?"

Iris shook her head.

I opened my mouth to say something when I figured out why there weren't any guards in the area. They were all chasing Connor.

I thought he was going to continue on his way past us but then he decided to take a seat RIGHT NEXT TO ME. I was happy that I didn't tuck my hair up into my hat that morning because it served as a shield so Connor couldn't see my face.

I stayed still and didn't even dare to breathe as the guards ran past us. One, though, walked up to me and Iris.

"Excuse me," He asked politely. "Have you seen a man in a hood run past here?"

I quickly pointed in a random direction before Iris could open her mouth.

The man tipped his hat and yelled to the other Redcoats, running in the direction that I had pointed.

"Thank you," Connor said quietly. His voice sounded deeper from the two years we had spent apart, and it hurt to see him like I was and have to hide. He left without another word and disappeared into the crowd.

"You're welcome," I said sadly. I blinked away my tears and took a deep breath.

Iris put her hand on my shoulder. "It's for the best."

I shrugged off her hand and stood up. "I know."

"Where are you going?"

"I'll meet you at the house," I said walking away.

*A few hours later*

I kicked at little pebbles mindlessly as I walked through Boston. It had gotten dark and most people had gone to bed except for some drunks that were stumbling their way home and the redcoats that had night duty.

I pulled out the map and the star, determined to find some kind of clue at one of the points. I had crossed out the point that I had met Iris at and went counter-clockwise to the bottom left corner next. I had been there before but I had a feeling that I needed to go there again.

I made my way there. It was an alley, just like the one that I found Iris in. I combed over it for about two hours before I decided it was time to go home.

As I was moving to scale the building to go home, I bumped against a box. The noise it made was weird, sounding like glass clinking against each other. This part of the town was the poor district so I knew it wasn't fine china.

I took a step back and eyed the mysterious crate before I deemed it necessary to open it.

I pried it open with one of my knives and gasped at what I saw inside.

Hundreds of tiny vials, defiantly not from this time, were packed tightly into the wooden box. I picked one up and tried to read the label but couldn't read the language it was in. It seemed Italian to me.

I tucked a few into my pouch then placed a few bombs around the base of the box. Whatever this was, it had to be destroyed before anyone saw it.

After I destroyed the box I double-timed it back to the house. I had a feeling that these vials were connected to everything going on.

I ran into the house and into Iris' room, shaking her awake. She groaned and flipped the covers over her head.

"And you call me lazy," I said as I grabbed the edge of the mattress. I lifted it up, toppling Iris onto the floor.

"What was that for?" She asked getting off the ground and rubbing her head.

"I found these over where we looked for John," I said, pulling the vials out of my pouch. "I know that these are from our time, I'm positive."

Iris pulled herself up off the floor and took one of the vials from me. She nodded. "You're right. What of the rest?"

I paused for a moment. "I destroyed them," I said. "I didn't want anyone from this time to find them."

Something in Iris' eyes flashed with anger, and as soon it was there, it was gone. "I'll see what I can make of it. Get some rest."

I nodded slowly and backed out the room. I closed the door behind me and took a deep breath. What in the world was going on?

I shook my head and went to my room, falling asleep after tossing and turning for what seemed like an eternity.

**GUESS WHO PIPER GETS TO MEET NEXT CHAPTER! AHH I WANT TO TELL YOU BUT IT'LL RUIN IT. I'LL STOP TYPING BEFORE I TELL YOU WHO IT IS!**


	13. Where am I?

**Sorry for it taking so long. I've been nannying for my aunt while her and my uncle go on a trip. I'll update a chapter later today(hopefully, that's the plan)!**

I heard voices, but I knew it wasn't Iris because there were men speaking, too. Not to mention it was in a different language and my bed was extremely uncomfortable. And it was hot, too.

I slowly opened my eyes and regretted it immediately.

The sun was shining right into my face. I quickly covered my eyes with my hand and sat up. My hand fell sticky and warm, so I took a look at it. It was covered in blood.

I got up and made my way to the well that was in the middle of the wide alleyway. I quickly filled up a bucket of water and washed my face, looking at my reflection.

I screamed and kicked the bucket over, spilling the water all over the ground. I wasn't wearing my hat or my stolen clothes anymore. No, I was wearing Assassin robes. They weren't like the ones that I had. They were made out of a different kind of fabric, and the colors and design were different than my ones back hom.

I took in my surroundings and saw that the buildings were made out of different material, too. My heart started to race and I started to panic.

I had no idea where I was, or really 'when' I was. I backed up to the wall and put a hand on my heart, trying to slow it.

I couldn't find my gun, hidden blades, or knives anywhere on my person. I pulled up my hood; a weird feeling movement considering how long it had been ever since I had wore a hood, and made my way slowly out of the alley.

There was people walking the streets wearing clothes that I had only seen at Renaissance fairs that my father used to take me and my siblings to when we were little. Some were shopping at the vendors located at the side of the street. Others were mingling with each other, not paying my any notice.

What really scared me is that I didn't know how to speak Italian. I knew what it sounded like because my favorite uncle would get drunk and speak in Italian until he passed out at family parties. My father was always embarrassed because of his family, but I loved them because I never had contact with anyone on my mother's side of the family besides getting the necklaces.

I calmed down after about ten minutes and started to figure how where I was. I moved through the streets quietly and quickly, trying not to get into any trouble. The shop owners would scream in Italian at me, trying to get me to buy something, but I had no idea what they were saying so I just ignored them.

I accidentally bumped into a man, and mustering up the little Italian that my uncle taught me, I apologized. "Mi dispiace."

I silently celebrated as I walked away that I had actually remembered how to say 'sorry' when I heard yells coming from behind me.

"LARDO! GUARDIE! GUARDIE!"

Lardo, I had heard that before. Where had I heard it?

_"My little lardo," Uncle George, my father's brother, said in his Italian accent. He took another swig of his beer as I looked at him, confused._

_ "Are you callin' me fat?"I said trying to act intimidating, which was hard for a six year old to do._

_ "Lardo means thief," Uncle George said patting my head. "That is what you are, is it not?"_

_ I nodded and giggled. "Mama's not going to be happy when she finds you drinking that."_

_ Uncle George laughed and picked me up, hoisting me onto his shoulders. "No, she is not, my little pup."_

"Okay," I said, putting up my hands as the guards surrounded me. "If I did steal from him, he wouldn't have felt it."

"Non giocare stupido con noi. Vieni con noi e vedremo quello che Mario vuole fare con voi," One of them said.

"I have no idea what you're saying to me," I said. "Now, just let me go, and I'll leave the city and never come back."

It was almost impossible to see, but the guard who was talking to me looked behind me and nodded his head. I heard the man before he even brought up the club he was going to knock me out with.

I stepped to the side, the club landing only inches away from my foot. The man who weilded wasn't strong and it was hard for him to lift it off the ground. I put my foot on the end of the club and kicked it out of his hands. While he was still down I grabbed his face and kneed him.

I dodged the sword that came at me and grabbed the man's wrist, twisting it painfully. I flipped him around and stabbed him with his own blade. I kicked him off the edge and turned to the other men.

As I fought off the other men, I started to feel sick to my stomach, and I felt vomit come up from my stomach. I ignored it and tried to keep my food down as I deflected another blade.

"ARRESTO!"

The remaining guards looked up onto the roof tops where the voice had come from. A man, who looked way too old to be jumping off buildings, landed by the guards and started to speak to them.

"Che cosa stai facendo, combattendo una piccola ragazza come lei?" the man said gesturing to me. When he turned fully to me I noticed his left eye was a milky white. A nasty scar ran up and down from the same white eye. He was pretty scary looking, too.

While he was distracted with the guards, I slipped away into the crowd that was forming around us and made my way to the edges of the city.

I knew that it was a mistake as soon as I got into a sprint. One, the man almost immediately knew I had gone, and two, my stomach got sicker and sicker with every step I took. My vision blurred as I stumbled and fell to my hands and knees. I clutched my stomach and threw up what I had eaten for dinner.

Once I had gotten done throwing up, I heard the man slow to a stop behind me.

I wiped off my chin and lifted myself to my feet, turning to him. He was speaking fast Italian to me.

"Listen, old man, I have no idea who you are or what you're saying," I said.

When he would take a step forward, I would take one back. This continued until he finally figured out that I wasn't going to let him get close to me.

He sighed and thought a bit more. Then he put his hands to his chest and said, "Mario."

"You think I'm stupid, don't you?" I crossed my arms and sunk to one hip.

He rolled his eyes (Eye? Or eyes? I don't know) and put his hands to his chest and said, "Mario."

I glared at him and put a finger to my chest. "Piper."

"Piper," Mario said. My name rolled across his tongue in a weird way. "Mario," he gestured to himself. "Piper," he gestured to me. Then he pointed up at a large house that overlooked the city.

I laughed. "You think I'm going to trust you?"

His blank face told me that he didn't know what I was saying.

I shook my head. Then I gestured to myself then pointed outside the city.

Mario shook his head then perked up like he just got an idea. He reached into the pocket of his coat.

I took a step back into a defensive position, grabbing a blade in my right hand. Mario put his remaining hand up as a signal of peace. I relaxed but still kept my guard up.

He pulled his hand out of his pocket and revealed what was in his hand. It was a metal Assassin insignia.

"Oh thank goodness," I said. I pointed to him. "Assassin?"

He smiled and nodded. "Assassino."

I was confident in my decision, knowing that in my sixteen years of being alive that most women weren't trained like I was to kill, so he probably knew I was an assassin once I had fought his guards.

With a skip to my step, knowing I would soon find out where I was, I followed the man through the city, and to his house.


	14. Meeting Ezio

**Thanks for everyone whose reviewed or faved or alerted(is that what it's called?)! I would have had the chapter up on Saturday but I was busy the whole day. Here is a long chapter for you guys!**

***Three months later***

During my first week of being in Monteriggioni I wrote down my story just to make sure I didn't forget. I was getting very paranoid that something might happen and I would end up forgetting about what would happen to Colonial America if I didn't finish my mission.

I luckily learned Italian quickly with Mario teaching. I still had no idea how I was sent back into time again

But I did figure out what year it was, almost passing out when Mario told me. It was the year 1476 in a city called Monteriggioni.

I felt like I had heard Monteriggioni before from somewhere before. I had read about it somewhere, but I couldn't remember where.

I gave up on trying and started to piece together of how I got here without my necklace. The first night I had stayed here I had found a vial of the stuff I had found in the alley in my pouch, along with some medicine and a lock pick.

I threw the lock pick out because I could pick a lock without one. Just give me a belt buckle and I would be done before you could say 'thief'.

Mario was kind, once you got to know him. Sadly, the city was slowly falling apart and he couldn't do anything about it. Mario would always be busy with the Brotherhood and didn't have much spare time.

It was getting late and I was just coming down from the villa's rooftop when Mario handed me a few throwing knives and motioned for me to follow him.

"What is it?" I asked once we got to the stables.

"I believe my nephew is in the need of help."

"Is he an Assassin?"

Mario nodded and kept walking without taking a horse.

"We aren't taking any horses?" I asked.

"It is not that far," Mario said. He looked at me over his shoulder and smirked. "We can walk."

I groaned and caught up with Mario. "How do you know where they are?"

"I have my ways," He said smiling.

Mario and I walked for a while before we came up to the road that headed towards Firenze. I saw some Templars surrounding an Assassin and two women. The one that was ordering the Templars around couldn't have been older than twenty. I had no idea how he was in charge of that many Templars, but I didn't feel the need to figure out.

Mario motioned for me to climb up into the trees, something that even he had trouble with.

I quickly made my way to a tree and climbed up. I crawled out onto a branch that one of the Templars had decided to stand under.

I waited patiently for Mario to give me the signal while the boy in charge kept rambling on and on. Then I heard the whistle.

I assassinated the one below me as Mario took out the others with his bow.

"What is the sorcery?!" the boy screamed.

I laughed and looked at him, walking between him and the Assassin and the women. "It's not sorcery, Templar, its a little thing call skill."

The boy glared at me and raised he sword. Before he could even say anything, Mario knocked the sword out of his hands. Mario came up from behind me, tossing the other Assassin a sword. As they got to fighting off the Templars, the leader took one look at the battlefield and ran.

"Do you want me to go after him?" I asked Mario, stabbing a Templar and looking at Mario.

"No," he said. "We need all the help we can get."

I nodded and kicked the Templar off my sword. I saw a messenger try and escape from the fight, but killed him with one of my knives.

The other Assassin was having trouble. I didn't know if it was because he was a bad fighter or that he was getting tired. His moves were clumsy and predictable but thankfully the Templars there weren't that good of fighters.

The last one standing was a quick one, but I was quicker. We blocked each other's attacks easily and I couldn't find any weak spot on him. He started getting angrier with his attacks, making him sloppy. As he brought his arm back to swing I slashed him across the stomach, bringing my other hidden blade around to slit his neck, feeling his blood splash against my face. Then I brought both hidden blades under his chin and threw him to the ground. I heard one of the women gasp and yelp at the sight of so much blood.

Once we were done, the Assassin pulled down his hood. He was handsome, I'll give him that. The man tried to give Mario back his sword. "You have my thanks."

"Keep the sword, Ezio," Mario said.

Ezio. Where had I heard that name before?

Ezio looked at him, confused. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"Don't you recognize me? It's a-me, Mario!"

"Uncle Mario?" Ezio exclaimed.

Mario hugged him, picking Ezio up in the process. "It's been too long, nephew! Far too long!"

Ezio. Ezio Auditore. Ezio Auditore da Firenze. I read his journal to find clues to get home! But that was the only thing I could remember about him. I couldn't remember what was written in the journal or what happens after he gets here. I needed to keep my cool and not say anything that would blow my cover.

Ezio took a few deep breaths, looking up at his uncle.

I didn't pay any attention to what they were saying and instead went around the bodies and recovered my knives I had lost during the fight. I started to walk back to the villa when I noticed something on the ground. It was covered in loose dirt, probably because it was dropped during the fight.

I knelt down and brushed the dirt off of it. It was a necklace, almost identical to mine. And I knew who's it was.

"Son of a bitch," I said in English.

I knew it was Louis' because of the chips in the metal. He had accidentally dropped it down the garbage disposal and turned it on, almost ruining the disposal and getting the lecture of his life from Dad.

I picked it up, which was a very bad idea.

Instead of standing on the trail leading back to Monteriggoni, I was standing in a room filled with people. It was made out of stone, the ceiling arching and painting lining the walls. It was a very beautiful place.

"Another vision?" I murmured to myself.

"WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?!" I heard a frightening familiar voice screech.

I moved my way through the crowd (literally, I actually passed through people like a ghost) and saw Louis in the middle of the room holding a sword to a man's throat.

"I-I didn't m-mean t-too," the poor man said. Even from twenty feet away I could see the sweat glisten on his face. "I-It won't happen a-again."

Louis brushed his blonde hair out of his face and smiled, his blue eyes getting dark and cold. "I know it won't. And do you know why?"

The man looked hopeful that Louis would let him go. "N-no, sir."

"Well, here is your answer," Louis said driving the blade through the man's chest.

The man's eyes widened then slowly lost focus as he slumped to the ground, the blade still in his chest. A pool of blood slowly seeped from his body, filling the cracks between the stones that made the floor.

"Now," Louis said stepping on the dead body. "I want every available man who isn't going with Vieri looking for my necklace."

The men in the room shifted uncomfortably, not daring to move.

"GO!" Louis bellowed throughout the giant room.

The men all scrambled at once, fitting through the tiny doorways leading to what I guessed was outside.

I looked back at Louis and saw him dig into the pocket of his expensive looking tunic he was wearing. He opened his palm, revealing my necklace.

"Oh, Piper," He said to himself, walking out of the now deserted room. "If only you could knew, if only you knew."

A man walked in who I immediately knew was important. He was dressed differently than the others in the room, and held himself a bit higher than the rest. "Sir, we believe we know how to control those necklaces of yours."

Louis looked at my necklace then back at the man. "Good. Camille has done her part, now it is time to do ours."

Louis continued to talk to the man, walking towards him. That's when I noticed his limp. I don't know how he got it, but something that made him limp that bad must have been horrible.

I saw him grab at his thigh, and take a deep breath.

"Sir, are your stitches coming undone?" the man asked.

Louis shook his head. "What I had to sacrifice to get here was worth it once our plan comes to a head. Now, show me how to control them?"

The vision faded as I opened my eyes, back on the trail.

"Let's get you all away from here," Mario said, snapping me back into reality.

I put a hand to my head as I followed Mario back to the villa, keeping my eyes down. I started to formulate a theory in my head on the way to the villa.

Camille was the same name that Iris said the first time I had seen her.

_Please, before Camille gets control again!_

Shivers ran up and down my spine as I tried to piece together the puzzle that lay before me. This was way bigger than I had previously thought. And if Louis got to my necklace and could jump anywhere in time, I needed to find out who got it to him.

Louis must have activated it. It may have taken me back with it, too, because it belonged to me.

Mario didn't notice me, thank goodness, because he was talking with Ezio. I hadn't told him about where I had come from, just telling him that my parents died in a fire and my siblings were captured by the Templars and that I hadn't seen them since.

They continued to talk and I didn't pay any attention until Mario said my name.

"Piper will assist you with training," He said to Ezio.

I opened my mouth to protest when Ezio cut me off.

"No, uncle. I came here to escape Firenze and I intend to take my family further still," Ezio said.

"But what about your father, he would want you to finish his work," Mario said.

"What work?" Ezio said. "He was a banker."

I turned to Mario and whispered to him. "He doesn't know, Mario. His father didn't tell him."

Mario looked at me then back at Ezio. "Your father did not tell you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ezio answered truthfully.

"You have no training at all?" I asked him.

Ezio looked at me and shook his head. "Training for what?"

"Go and fetch the gear in the market," Mario said. "It will give me time to think."

"But-"

"But that's that. We'll talk later," Mario said.

Ezio relented and went down to the market as his sister and mother went into the villa. I followed Mario to his study.

"Ezio doesn't even know what his father did," I said. I unsheathed one of my knives and twirled through my fingers. "I don't know how he'll react if we tell him his father killed people then came home and acted as nothing had happened."

"I know Ezio. He will come around," Mario said. He looked at me with a concerned look on his face. "I saw you when we were walking through Monteriggoni, clutching your head. Is everything alright?"

I nodded and opened my mouth to reassure him, but Ezio came bursting through the door before I could get a word out.

"I have done what you asked, uncle."

Mario forgot completely about our conversation and turned to Ezio. "And quickly too! Very good. Now let's teach you how to fight."

"No," Ezio said defiantly. "As I said, we are leaving."

"You barely survived the fight we had a few minutes ago," I said. I pointed the knife in my hand at him. "You couldn't protect your family if you were attacked again."

"If you want to leave," Mario said, "So be it. But at least do so armed with the skills and knowledge necessary to defend yourself. If not for me, for your mother and sister."

"Fine," Ezio said.

*The next day*

The next morning Mario got me out of bed at the crack of dawn and stuck me in the training arena with Ezio. I was already mad that I had to train with Ezio and now I didn't even get a full night's sleep.

"I do not want to fight you," Ezio said to me as I pulled out the blade that Mario had given me, the dull metal ringing quietly.

I laughed. "Trust me, there is no way you'll hurt me. If I were you, I'd be more scared for my safety."

Ezio didn't even crack a smile at my try at a joke, which bugged me a bit, but I knew what he was going through right now. But even then, it didn't stop me from my competitive side getting hold of me.

My eyes narrowed as Mario spoke to Ezio. I focused on the fight, not on what Mario or Ezio was saying.

I went offensive first because Mario wanted Ezio to learn how to dodge. The sword was dull so it couldn't do much damage, just bruising, but that didn't mean I would hold back.

I was stressed and tired, a bad mix for me. Training hard until I my body felt like jello was a good way for me to work off stress, so I gave didn't hold back.

I got a few hard hits on him before he finally started to dodge my ongoing attacks. He wasn't a quick learner, but he wasn't half-bad either.

Ezio learned how to counter after a few more rounds. He couldn't knock me off my feet, but he could deflect my blade and have enough time to take a swing at me. I would always dodge it, though, being able to read him like a book.

The next faze was taunting, which I loved. My first year of truly being an Assassin, I couldn't control my emotions and often lost fights because of it. Now I turned my anger to my advantage and rarely ever lost control over it.

"Come and get me," Ezio taunted. The look on his face told me he was enjoying it.

I kept my face stoic as I dropped my sword to the ground, popping my knuckles and raising my fists. When Ezio gave me a look, I answered, "I do better without it."

He taunted me as I let him build up confidence by swinging slowly and clumsily.

Mario knew what I was doing and tried to keep Ezio from getting lazy, but it didn't work. For only a second, his hands dropped ever so slightly and I took my chance.

I swung my foot up, connecting it with his face. Hard. Then while he was down I used my momentum and turned, punching him in the stomach, sending him down onto the dirt.

I brushed my bangs out of my face and climbed out of the arena, not looking back to see if Ezio was alright. As much as it embarrasses me to admit it, I really didn't care if he was hurt or not, and looking back on it today, I regret it terribly.


	15. Talking

**Sorry about this chapter being so short. It's mostly dialogue between Piper and Ezio, so that's why. I'll post another either tomorrow or later today, depending on my plans. Anyways, thanks for everyone who faved or subscribed! And thanks for people who've review, I love reading them!**

I sat on the roof of the villa and looked out onto the horizon where the sun sat on the mountains, flipping Louis' necklace between my fingers. I tossed it up and caught it, putting it back on my neck.

I laid down on my back staring at the stars that were just barely starting to shine. I remembered when Cindy would drag all of us outside to watch a meteor shower. Then after it was done she would sit out there for hours looking at the stars and seeing if she could find all the constellations.

She'd taught me some, like Apollo and Scorpio. She taught me how to find the North Star using the Big Dipper. My father made her teach everyone how to use the stars to get home, but John and I were really the only ones that paid any attention to her.

I about drifted off to sleep when I heard someone else come up to the roof and sit next to me.

"I am sorry," Ezio said, "for acting the way I did."

I sat up but kept my eyes forward. "I wasn't acting the best way, either. You had a reason, though. I didn't."

We didn't say anything for a few minutes. Ezio had pulled down his hood, running his hand through his hair.

"I know what it feels like," I said.

Ezio looked at me, not understanding.

"To lose family." I looked down at my hands that were in my lap. "I didn't do anything to save them. I ran. I left my family when they needed me most and now everyone that still alive in my family is now working for the Templars. Now I have this giant goddamned mess to clean up, which includes me killing the remaining members of my family if they don't listen to me."

I sighed loudly through my nose and turned my attention back to the bright purple and red sky, lying on my back. When I was younger I would have killed to go to space, but now that seems like a faded memory, one that I am sure I will lose if not for my story I am writing now.

Sorry, I'll get back on topic.

Ezio looked up at the stars and leaned back on his elbows. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

I hummed. "My sister was addicted to the stars when she was younger. She would get us all up in the middle of the night just to watch shooting stars."

He was quiet after a while. "Does it get better?"

"What do you mean?" I asked sitting up.

"You know, does the feeling you get ever go away, after you lose your family," He said looking at me.

I looked at him and saw the pain in his eyes. "It depends. You always have that feeling, that voice in the back of your head. But there are two different kinds of people: people who'll let that voice take control of their entire life, or the people that will push through and try to do what is right, the people that will do anything to make their family proud." I looked at him. "You're going to have to choose, but the person that does anything to make their family proud will have to make sacrifices, hard ones. I had too."

"What did you have to do?" Ezio asked, curious.

I sighed and pulled my knees up to my chest. "After I was separated from my family, a man took me in. He raised me for a few years, and took in another kid, too. His mother was killed by the Templars and he wanted to get trained. We were really good friends, but we had a fight, and I left to keep them safe. If they ever got hurt trying to aid me, I-I couldn't live with myself. I had already lost my family and I didn't want to lose them, too."

Ezio sighed and looked out onto the city. "Was it worth it?"

I shrugged and stood up, seeing the last bit of sun swallowed by the horizon. "I'm still trying to figure it out."


	16. John

**Here is a six page chapter to make up for the extremely short one yesterday. If any of you guys have noticed, I've decided to make this a ConnorXoc story! Now I don't know how well I am at writing romance and stuff like that, so be gentle!:)**

Thankfully I kept a journal of everyone I met that meant something to me, like Connor or Achilles, because I would've forgotten their names and who they were by the time I actually made it back to Colonial America. I made extra sure to see if I remember everything from America and write it down every chance I could. I also wrote down what my life was like before everything happened, and how I got here, just as a fail-safe if something were to happen.

I had spent little over a year here, and had celebrated a birthday. It was nice not have to train or do manual labor on the city, but it did damper my spirits to know that I wasn't that closer to find a way home.

Ezio and I became close after our conversation on the roof, and I told him about my family, but I hadn't told him or Mario about who I really was. I needed to wait for the right time and it hadn't happened yet.

Because Ezio and I had gotten so close, I felt the overwhelming need to prank him, which I did all the time.

When he was flirting with women in town, I would purposefully walk up to him and either talk about a doctor that needed to talk to him about his 'rare fungal disease' or I would act like I was his other girlfriend and freak out on him, talking about how we had planned to name our children or how we planned our wedding. When I did either, I would use a weird accent, a mix between German and English, over accentuating my r's and z's.

Nevertheless, it was my way of telling him how much I cared about him. Yes, it's mean, but it sure was funny to see the looks on the girl's faces. That's what he gets when he flirts with any girl, available or not.

Ezio was a great Assassin, and soon passed me up and could take me down whenever we sparred. I still had the advantage when it came to thieving and knife throwing.

I cheered Ezio on from the sidelines as he fought Mario to see how far he had come. I admit I was a bit nervous for Ezio because Mario was a very good fighter, but Ezio beat him nonetheless.

"Well done, nephew. You have really come into your own," Mario said.

"Thank you, uncle. For all you've given me."

Mario smiled. "You're family! Such is my duty and desire."

"I am glad you had me stay," Ezio said.

"Good! You've reconsidered leaving!"

Ezio looked at the ground, then at me and back at Mario. "We sail for Spain in three days."

"Oh of course you do," I said glaring at him.

"But nephew, I have given you these skills that you might be better prepared to strike against our enemies," Mario said.

"And if they find me, I will," Ezio said.

"You want to leave, Ezio? To throw away everything your father fought and died for? To deny your heritage? Fine! So be it! Goodbye and good luck," Mario said pointing a finger at Ezio. He walked away seething, leaving Ezio and I alone.

Ezio turned to me. "You have to understand-"

"You're leaving your father and brothers to die in vain while you run from the truth. We need you, Ezio, and you can't keep running forever. The Templars won't stop until every last Assassin is dead. You're father went down fighting for something he believed in while you are trying to run away from something that can't be escaped," I said. "Sooner or later the Templars will find you and you will have to fight."

He stared, not knowing what to say. I knew exactly the position he was in. Needing to protect your family by leaving your whole life behind was hard, but at least I kept fighting for the Assassins.

"I know what position you're in, and I know it's hard. But you can't run from your problems. You have to face them head on sooner or later, even if it means to leave your loved ones behind to protect them," I said. I turned and started walking back to the villa to find Mario.

Ezio tried to call for me, but I didn't listen. I needed to figure out what was our next step. I needed to talk to Mario.

I found him in his study, still steaming, but calmer than before. It was like he had read my mind and answered my question before it was even asked.

"We are going to San Gimignano to kill Vieri," Mario said. "Go and pack your things. Meet me at the stables in half an hour."

I nodded and went to my room. I gathered my knives and strapped on my sword. I reached for Louis' necklace that I had set on my desk. I thought of it as a good luck charm, kissing it before putting it back in its hiding place.

Even despite that, I had a sick feeling in my stomach as I walked to the stables. My conscience was telling me not to go and I was about to comply with it but I ignored it when Mario said he needed me scout out and see how many guards Vieri had and where he had placed them.

Mario sent me off to scout right after sundown. I quickly scoped out the perimeter of San Gimignano and found that the southern gate wasn't as reinforced as the others. I sent word to Mario but stayed put in a tree that overlooked the southern gate.

I saw Ezio scaling the wall and rubbed my eyes just to be sure it was him. Once I was sure it was him I saw him take out the archers and open the gates.

I jumped down from the tree and onto the ground, quietly making my way to gate.

I stayed in the shadows and made my way past the fighting and tried to locate Vieri from the safety of a dark corner. I couldn't find him in the hordes of guards so I used my eagle vision to see if I could find him in the crowd.

I groaned and was about to start fighting when I saw Louis fighting Ezio. It was obvious that Ezio was losing ground and making mistakes. I needed to get in there fast before Louis killed him.

I ignored the sick feeling in my stomach as I unsheathed one of my knives and charged towards the two men.

Both of them weren't expecting me to show up but Louis recovered quickly while Ezio started to scream at me as I made my way between them.

"Stay back, Piper!" Ezio yelled.

I blocked one of Louis' attacks and yelled back to him. "Go and find Vieri now! I can handle him!"

Ezio hesitated for a moment before leaving.

"Just you and me, Louis," I said, trying to sound confident in myself. I tried to stop my voice from giving away how terrified I was.

Louis looked at me with a confused look before a terrifying smile split his face. "God, you are more idiotic than Camille made you out to be!"

I glared at him. "I have never met Camille in my life."

Louis cackled. "I can't believe that you were the threat that they were talking about! You're supposed to be the one that will be the 'end of us!'"

After he was done laughing, he wiped his eyes. "Listen, kid, your brother is long gone now. I've had this meat suit for years and he has never given me a tough time like your other siblings."

I glared at him. "You won't faze me that easily."

I charged at him, even knowing that he was the best fighter in my whole family, but knowing I was always quicker than him.

I ducked under his sword and attempted to slice his arm, not wanting to do too much damage, but he grabbed my wrist and flipped me over his back and onto the ground. He lifted his foot and tried to crush my face, but I rolled over and stabbed his foot with my knife.

I was holding back and he knew it. He knew it and was using it to his advantage.

I got off the ground just in time for Louis to throw a punch. I dodged them one after another until my back was against a wall.

"Piper!" One of the mercenaries, Raphael, yelled. He was stuck in a heated battle with one of Vieri's men but noticed that I was having troubles too.

I glanced at him for too long, allowing Louis' hand to wrap around my own knife and stab my side.

I dropped the knife that I was holding in my other hand, grabbing at the knife in my side and trying to push Louis away, gasping for breath that wouldn't find its way down into my lungs. I felt like a fish out of water. It didn't hit any vital organs, I know that now (it was too close to the edge of my side to hit any of them) but it sure hurt like hell.

"Too bad I can't kill you, right now at least," Louis sneered, pulling me close and twisting the knife. "But that doesn't mean I can't beat you within an inch of your life."

I ignored the smoldering pain in my side and tried to keep the scream in my throat down. "To bad you won't get the chance, you son of a bitch."

I looked behind Louis to see Ezio coming down the building covered in blood followed by Mario. They hadn't noticed me until Raphael pointed me out. They both finished their targets quickly and ran to me and Louis.

"No!" Ezio yelled.

"Let her go, you bastard!" Mario screamed and unsheathed his sword.

Louis pulled my out in front of him, wrenching the knife out of my side and putting it up to my neck. "I can do a lot more damage if you want me too. Isn't that right, little sis?"

Ezio and Mario were surprised to find out that he was my older brother, but I didn't have time to explain when I saw one of Louis' last archers line up to shoot Mario

"I'll tell you where my necklace is," I said to Louis in English. "Just let them and the mercs go."

"I'm not that stupid," He said.

I shook my head as much as I could without cutting myself. "I swear heaven and hell if you let them go I will tell you where your necklace is."

Louis was quiet for a moment before relaxing for a moment. "Fine. But if you are lying I will go to Monteriggoni and kill them in front of you. Deal?"

"Whatever you're going to do," Mario said to me, "don't do it."

"Deal," I said. I didn't notice it until I had said it, but I said it in Italian. I wasn't used to speaking English and had reverted to Italian unconsciously.

Both Mario and Ezio looked at me, horrified while Louis whistled to his men. As they climbed down the building, Louis loosened his grip, ever so slightly. That was my chance.

The whole conversation with Louis I was moving my hand towards a knife that I always kept closer than my other ones for situations just like these. It was sharper and longer than my usual ones, but I had learned to control it just like my other knives.

I was mentally preparing myself to kill Louis. If he and his accomplices where the only ones back in this time, and I had no idea how to get back to America (even if I found my necklace), I needed to get rid of them before they did permanent damage. No matter how much I loved Louis, this wasn't him.

Before anyone could react, I grabbed Louis' wrist with my free hand and twisted his arm, forcing him to turn with his back to me. I grabbed a hold of his knife and kicked him in the back, disarming him.

I turned, throwing my newly owned knife into one of Louis' workers, surprising him and all of his buddies, giving Ezio and Mario enough time to get their shit together and start to fight.

Louis snarled, turning back around to face me. "You bitch!"

I took a deep breath, and fought without holding anything back.

I took every chance, every little slip that Louis made to kill him. My anger that I had been trained to hold back for years had unleashed itself and I couldn't get a hold of it. It scared me for a second, but soon I just rolled with it, letting my body do what it was trained to do: kill.

I don't remember actually stabbing him, but I remember feeling his blood coat my hand. I remember him slumping against me, his breathing becoming labored. I remember the weight crashing down on my once I had realized I had just mortally wounded my own brother.

I slowly lowered him to the ground, removing the knife from his chest as slowly as possible.

It was like what happened to Iris, his eyes got glossy, and then he blinked slowly, speaking in English. "I'm so sorry, Piper."

The growling sound that underlined his voice was gone, and I knew Louis was back. That made me break down, all of my previous mental training going down the drain.

"Louis, what did I do to you?" I sobbed.

He slowly put up a blood covered hand to my face, cupping it gently. "It's not the first time I've died."

I was confused at what he had said and ignored it, feeling his thumb wipe away one of my tears. "I'm going to get you a doctor and everything is going to be okay! I promise. Y-you're not going to die." I turned my head and looked out where the fighting was going on, where everyone was oblivious to Louis and me. "Medic! I need a doctor now! Please, someone!"

Louis shook his head slowly. "It's too late. Listen to me, the Templars hooked all of us into the Animus and let their own take over our bodies."

"Louis, I don't know what you're talking about. Just save your strength. The doctor will be here soon."

He kept going, ignoring what I had just said. "Destroy the serum. That's the only thing keeping everyone from gaining have power over their bodies. If it doesn't work, do whatever it takes to stop the Templars." He took a deep breath, mustering up what strength he had left. "Let go of the ultimate to return."

I didn't understand what he had just said, nor did I notice that the fighting had stopped, Louis' men dead, and I didn't notice Mario and Ezio standing with my back facing them.

He reached into the pocket of his clothes and handed me my necklace. I practically ignored it, stuffing it into my back pocket and looking back at Louis.

Louis started to close his eyes, and I felt his hands slip away from my face.

I grabbed it and pressed it up against my cheek where is used to be. "Don't go! No!" I turned and faced Ezio and Mario, yelling at them in Italian. "Help him! For heaven's sake don't just sit there!"

I turned back to Louis and shook his body, trying to get him to wake up. "Open your eyes! You can't die! Please you can't die!"

I felt someone's hands grip my upper arms and pull me away from Louis. I turned and pounded my fists against their chest. "Let me go you bastard, he's still alive!"

Ezio's armor protected his chest and he pulled me away from Louis. "He's gone, Piper," he said softly.

"No! No! No!" I shrieked. "He's still alive! He can't die!"

I felt my body grow weaker and weaker with every failing punch.

"We need a doctor, now," I heard Ezio say. Some of the men broke off into groups to search for a doctor while Louis' men stood, awkward and out of place.

Mario talked to them while Ezio carried me over to a bench, bridal style. He sat down carefully, his arm that held my legs coming up to my wound. Ezio started to put pressure on it to stop the bleeding, making me yelp.

"Shh, shh," He said. "You need to stay awake, no matter the pain."

I felt sweat run down my face as I bit my tongue, trying to keep my screams of pain down. I tasted the all too familiar flavor of blood in my mouth from biting down too hard and closed my eyes, trying to stop me from crying more.

After what felt like an eternity the doctor finally came. It when by in a blur, and I don't remember much besides getting carried to a dark room and screaming until my throat felt like someone had scraped it with a boiling garden rake.

Ezio and Mario were forced to leave because the doctor was scared that they were causing me more stress by just being there. It was true, I was worried about them but soon forgot after they left and focused on other things besides the pain that I was in.

The doctor gave me some sort of herbal tea that he said would help with the pain. I really didn't think it was a good idea because I wasn't used to medicines from this era, and it made me very, very tired.

My eyes drooped but I kept fighting to keep them open. I didn't want to sleep, I needed to get back to Monteriggoni and find a way to get back to America. I left all of my possessions there and needed to get back before I found a way home.

"Rest," the doctor said to me. "Don't fight it."

After that I gave up fighting, letting the medicine do its work.


	17. What's happening to me?

**I would have updated earlier but the past few days haven't been so good. I just lost a family member and have been getting her funeral ready. Sorry about that. This chapter isn't too long, but it's not short either. It's about four and a half pages in Word, so that's that. I hope you enjoy!:)**

I don't know how long it was asleep, but I was woken by Ezio's voice. I opened my eyes slowly and stared at the men that surrounded my bed. They didn't notice me waking up, and I kept still because it hurt too much to move.

"How long?" He asked. His voice sounded strained, pain and sadness obvious in it.

The doctor shook his head. "I do not know. Soon. I don't think she'll see another day."

"Is there nothing we can do?" Mario pleaded.

"The toxin is very complex, something that I've never seen before. The herbs that I gave her will help with the pain, but won't slow the toxin from spreading throughout her body."

"What do you mean 'toxin'?!" I exclaimed, making them jump.

The men didn't know how to respond, and looked at one another until the doctor finally spoke up.

"The blade you were stabbed with, it was covered in some sort of toxin," he said. "We don't know what it is, therefore we cannot help you."

"So you're saying I'm going to die," I said.

The doctor nodded. "We can give you more medicine to help with the pain, but other than that there is nothing we can do."

I was going to die. This is how it ends. I guess that that Juno lady was wrong. I was never going to see Connor or Achilles again. I would never stop the Templars. That means I didn't have to kill Louis if I wasn't going stop them. I killed my brother for no reason. What had I done?

If these were my last moments alive, I wasn't going to sit here doing nothing and wait for my death. I was going to get shit done.

I ignored my body screaming protests and threw the sheet off of me.

"Oh no, no, no," Mario said, grabbing my shoulders and pushing me back into bed.

"Get your damn hands off of me," I said.

Mario and Ezio took a step back, looking surprised.

I grabbed a shirt, seeing that I only had a cloth covering my chest, and slowly put it on. "I need to do something. I need your help and I'm not going to spend my last hours lying in a bed, waiting for my end to come."

The men shared a look but relented, knowing that I wouldn't give up.

"We need to go back to Monteriggoni."

It took a few hours to reach Monteriggoni, but what was weird to me is that I felt to changes to my condition, besides the pain that was inflicted on my body if I moved too much or too suddenly.

Every five minutes Ezio or Mario would ask me if I was feeling alright, and it got to the point that I would just ignore them. I was cranky because of my current situation, and I didn't need to be treated like a new born. I had just killed my brother and didn't need my hand to be held.

Ezio helped me off my horse and asked if I needed help getting to the villa.

"I'm fine, goddammit!" I screamed. I hadn't noticed that I had reverted back to English until I saw Ezio and Mario's confused faces.

Answering truthfully, I nodded. Ezio then grabbed my arm and wrapped it around his neck before picking me up, bridal style and carrying me up to the villa.

"We need to go to my room," I said.

Ezio gently put me down once we entered my room, staying close by me as if I was going to collapse any second. I made my way to the desk that sat under the window. I pulled out the bottom left hand drawer, where I had strapped Louis' necklace to the underside of it. I pulled it out and reached for my necklace that was still in my pocket.

"What are you doing?" Mario asked.

"I need your help," I said turning back to them. "It's going to sound crazy, I know, I probably would lock me up with crazies, but these necklaces are my way home. I need to get home and pass on my duty to someone. Oh goodness, that sounds weird now that I'm saying it."

Ezio and Mario had no idea what I was saying, so I groaned and dropped my hands to my side. "This is going to take a while, so I'll try to be quick. I haven't told you my whole story, and now that I am dying, I think it's the best time to do just that.

"You probably won't believe me, but I am," I paused and took a deep breath, "from the future."

I strung out 'future', so it sounded more like 'futurrrrre', because I was nervous. I had the tendency to either stumble on my words when I was nervous, or just start to laugh. One time when I was younger, I had been sent to the principal's office because I had beat up a kid that was bullying 2nd graders. Even though he was in 5th grade and I was only in 3rd, I still beat the crap out of him. Anyways, after the principal asked me if I felt responsibility for what I did, I laughed. I was nervous, and it really pissed him off and I ended up getting suspended after just two days there. My parents scolded me but when my father left, my mother gave me a high five, telling me it was the right thing to do.

Ezio and Mario didn't say anything, but just looked at me. I kept going, telling them without lifting my eyes from the floor.

"All in all, I need to get back, or at least try to get a message to my sister so she can finish my work before I die."

Mario wrung his gloves in his hand, unsure of what to say. "I cannot say that I believe you, but soon you will be absolutely handicapped, unable to do anything because of your brother."

"I don't blame you for not believing me, I know I sound like I'm full of shit, but you have to help-" My hands flew to my head and I looked back at the men as I had a sudden revelation. "Are you guys good at riddles?"

They were confused more than ever after my sudden topic change.

"I really have to have your guys' help, I am begging you right now," I said. I noticed that the room was getting hotter by the minute, and I knew the toxin was doing its work. "I don't have much time and I need all the help I can get, so please, just help me."

Mario opened his mouth, but Ezio beat him to the punch. "What do you need us to do?"

"'Let go of the ultimate to return'," I said. "We need to solve this. Now I'm guessing that if I sacrifice whatever is 'ultimate' I'll go back to my time."

"Is there anything else that your brother said? Anything unusual?" Mario asked. I was happy he decided to help even though he didn't believe me.

I wiped my forehead of sweat and thought.

_It's not the first time I've died._

_That's when I noticed his limp. I don't know how he got it, but something that made him limp that bad must have been horrible. _

_What I had to sacrifice to get here was worth it once our plan comes to a head. _

"Oh my gosh," I breathed.

Ezio and Mario looked at me, leaning closer.

"I have to die. That's it! I have to die in order to go back!"

They looked at me, not really processing what I had just said.

I sighed and wiped my brow again. "First, I have a weird vision where John had a really bad limp. They only way he could have gotten that is if he had gotten seriously injured. Then in that same vision a man asked if John was okay, and he replied that what he had to sacrifice was worth it. And then he says that it wasn't his first time dying when I had stabbed him. It makes perfect sense! John was doing me a favor when stabbed me!" I was so excited that I was finally heading back that I stood up quickly from my position on the bed.

The sudden motion ripped pain through my side and made my head spin, the corners of my vision going black.

Mario was there to catch me as I toppled over. "Go get some water and the medication, now!" He barked at Ezio.

Ezio left in a hurry as Mario set me back down on my bed. I sucked in a scream as I clutched my side and slowly relaxed into the soft sheets. Thoughts raced through my mind as I tried to ignore the pain in my stomach.

_I have to die._

_I am going to die in hopes that this MIGHT work. _

_What if it doesn't work?_

_It'll work._

_WHAT IF IT DOESN'T?_

_Well there isn't anything I can do about it._

_You said it yourself: you're not going to die in a bed doing nothing._

_I'm not doing nothing. I'm going to wait until I die to see if this works._

_IF it works._

_Okay, shut up. I'm done talking to you because all you're doing is ruining something that already sucks._

"Take this," Mario said handing me a cup. "It'll help with the pain."

I blinked, trying to get my eyes to focus. "I'm not taking that if it'll make me sleep."

Mario rolled his eyes and shoved the cup in my face. "Now."

I groaned and took the cup. It was a struggle because I started to see three cups instead of one, and three of everything that was too far from my face. I finally got a hold of it and drank it greedily.

Mario pulled the covers over my once I had taken off my extra clothing. "We'll be here if you need anything."


	18. Getting a Ship

**Here's the next part of the story. It's about eight pages long, so you're welcome! Haha, I hope you enjoy!**

When I woke again, my head was swimming and my body felt on fire but cold at the same time. I didn't know what toxin that Louis had given me, but I knew that I was going to die, and soon. I can't describe to you how I felt. I guess the best way is as if you couldn't move and felt numb, but you could still feel pain shoot up and down your body every minute. It was a weird feeling and I hoped I'd never have to feel it again.

It was late at night and the only light in the room was a solitary candle on my bedside table. It flickered, dancing from side to side as I looked around the room.

I attempted to take a deep breath but my throat felt like it was constricting like someone was trying to strangle me. It came out as a sick, mucus-filled gasp and I started to cough uncontrollably. I coughed into my hand, only to be horrified when I saw blood spotting my hand and the sheet below.

Ezio, who I didn't notice was in the room, sat up from his sleep in the chair at the side of the bed. He saw me motionless, looking at my hand, and yelled for Mario.

I started to cry, making my breath even more ragged than before.

As Mario ran into the room and Ezio gently pushed me back into the sheets I grabbed the necklaces that rested on my collarbone.

All I thought about was Colonial America. I hoped that it would send me back to a reasonable date and year where I was a normal seventeen year old, not interfering with the fabric of space and time(I'd already done it enough and didn't want to do it anymore that I was forced to).

I felt a cold cloth on my forehead and slowly started to close my eyes.

"Stay awake!" Someone's voice yelled. Who was that, again? What was their name?

Why was I here? I couldn't remember. Something was making my body hot, but whoever was speaking to me was helping, putting cold cloths on my forehead.

Why were they helping me? I didn't know them. I didn't remember their name or my name at all.

I needed to thank them. Why? I had no idea, but it felt like something I needed to do.

I opened my eyes with the last bit of energy I had and smiled at the two men that stood over my bed. "Thank you."

My breath became shallower and my body hurt as if someone was trying to rip it apart from the inside out. I'd thought I was going to die, if it weren't for the bright flash that blinded me and the men right before I closed my eyes.

XXX

I was lying on my stomach on the ground. At least I thought it was the ground, I didn't really know. My arm was asleep and my head throbbed as I sat up and hissed through my teeth.

I also smelt the sea, something I had grown used to living with Achilles.

I rubbed my eyes and opened them, yawning, too. I glanced around to see I was on a beach.

It was beautiful, like something you would see in a catalog for a resort in Mexico. The beach was about twenty feet at width and went as far as I could see in both directions.

Then I started to remember everything that had happened. Ezio and Mario trying to save me, and then dying, something that I would rather not repeat on paper because it brings back too many painful memories.

The water lapped at my boots as I stood and looked into the thick tropical forest behind me. I listened closely, and heard yelling coming from down the beach.

I jumped up, brushing off my clothes. I noticed that they were the exact ones I was wearing the day that I had transported to Italy. Luckily I hadn't grown much and they still fit almost perfectly. I almost stepped on my hat, which I then tucked my hair up into it before cutting across the beach to the edge of the thick forest.

I moved through the forest quickly and quietly towards the voices. Luckily they didn't hear me even as I tripped on a root, falling flat on my face.

I hadn't ran through a thickly forested area for a long time, okay? There wasn't anywhere to go in Italy, so cut me some slack.

The men were right on the shoreline ahead of me and I finally got a good look at them.

There was a large group of red coats, which made me happy that I at least knew a general time frame of where I was at. But what ruined my silent celebration was a man that was being threatened at gun point in the middle of the red clad men. He looked like a prisoner, with the sores on his wrists from shackles and the lack of personal hygiene I could see from here.

I threw my head back and groaned silently. I didn't have any weapons on me, but luckily my side didn't hurt from the stab wound. I would have to check it later.

"I'll kill you, you bastards!" the prisoner yelled. I could see from here that his face was tear-stained and red.

The commanding officer punched him in the gut, the man doubling over in pain. "You don't seem to be in a place to be making threats, are you?"

I looked around the forest floor and only saw egg-sized rocks that seemed like good enough distractions to me. The forest was too thick for them to see me if I stood just right in the shadows so I took my chances.

I grabbed the biggest one and aimed for the head of the one with the gun pointing at the man and threw it as hard as I could.

I didn't hit him, but hit the commanding officer in the head, knocking his hat off onto the sand.

It was successful at grabbing their attention, so I quickly took cover behind a tree as I listened closely.

"Williams!" I heard someone bark. "Go and check who that was."

"Yes sir!" I heard a young voice call out.

I heard him near the trees and as he walked past the tree I was hiding behind, I clamped my hand over his mouth and snapped his neck, lowering him down onto the ground carefully as to not make any noise.

"Williams!"

I knew he wasn't going to answer so I took my hiding place back and waited for my next victim.

"This isn't the time to be playing, Williams! Get out here this instant!"

I laughed silently. This man sounded like my mother when she got angry.

I heard another man trudge through the thick forest, and opening his mouth to yell once he saw his comrade on the ground, his neck twisted at an unnatural angle.

I jumped out of my hiding spot and punched the man in the throat. While he was silenced I kicked in his knee in, and as he fell to the ground I grabbed his head and disposing of that man the same way.

He fell with a thud, something that I couldn't fix and I really didn't care. Now that I had disposed of two of the men, there were only two men left.

I revealed myself, running as fast as I could down the beach and towards the men.

I dodged a bayonet and used my momentum to bring my foot up to kick him in the stomach. I then grabbed his face and kneed him, sending him to the ground.

I felt the last man's arm wrap around my neck and I flipped him over my shoulder, landing him on top of the other man.

I used my foot to toss the bayonet up and catch it before ramming it throw both of the men's heads.

I quickly grabbed the commanding officer's sword and pistol, strapping it on my hips before looking at the prisoner.

The man looked old, probably because of his blonde scraggily beard and hair. He smelled like he had just rolled around in manure, too.

I held out my hand to the man, but he just looked at it suspiciously. "If I wanted to kill you I'd have done it already. I'm here to help."

The man took my hand and I hauled him to his feet.

"Do you have a name?" I asked. I needed to get some answers fast and I didn't have any patience.

"Michael Johnson," he said with a slight British accent. He rubbed his sore wrists before popping his back.

"Do you know where we are, Johnson? Or what the date is?"

He gave me a weird look and stayed silent.

"I have no patience right now. Answer the damn question," I growled.

"October, 1773. I reckon we're on an island somewhere in the Caribbean. I don't really know but my lads do, but they're still in the fort's jail," Johnson answered quickly.

I sighed and wiped my brow of sweat. It was damn hot here. "Is there a way off this island? I need to get to Boston as soon as possible."

Johnson shook his head. "The only way off the island is by boat, and the red coats have the only one."

"Where is the fort where you're friends are being held at?"

"A few miles east down the coast line. Why do ya ask?"

I didn't answer. Instead I pushed past the man and started to head east.

"Where ya goin'?" Johnson asked.

"To go and get a ship," I answered.

"And how are you supposed to get that ship out of port when ya don't even have a crew?" I heard a smile in his voice.

I stopped and looked over my shoulder to see Johnson smirking, his arms folded.

I pursed my lips and kept myself from screaming at the annoying man that stood in front of me. "Your friends know how to sail a ship?"

Johnson nodded. "A 'course we do."

I sighed heavily through my nose. "How about I get your friends out of the fort and you get me to Boston?"

Johnson nodded and quickly came to my side. "So what's the plan?"

I clenched my fists and started walking again. "You hide while I get in and out of the fort with your friends, undetected. Then we go take the ship and bomb the fort from the harbor."

He seemed disappointed that I wouldn't let him in on saving his friends, but I wasn't going to risk him getting killed when I had just prevented that.

"You got any tips on the fort?" I asked.

"The only thing you need to worry about is the Warden," Johnson said picking the dirt out of his grimy and short fingernails.

"What's so bad about the Warden?"

"The Warden is a mix of crazy, wild, and downright murderous. The Warden's killed one of the best guards just because he was caught yawning. 'Bout fifty men killed in one day because the Warden's food wasn't the way she likes it."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I said. "The Warden is a woman?"

Johnson nodded. "Never seen her before, though. But I've heard if ya do, that means ya going to die soon."

"Well I'll get rid of the Warden if I run into her," I said.

We walked for a while in silence, only the waves crashing against the shores and the occasional bird chirp.

"How'd ya learn to fight like that? I've seen men that have trained for years that don't have your skills," Johnson asked.

"I've been trained to kill my whole life," I admitted. "My family has been trained killers for hundreds of years. Us Assassins fight for justice and freedom. Thats why I killed those red coats."

Johnson was quiet for a moment before speaking up again. "Do ya…do ya think that ya can teach me?"

I furrowed my brow again and looked up at the tall man. "Not many people see four men get killed and say they want to be trained to do that sort of thing."

Johnson looked out onto the crystal clear water. "They killed my wife and baby daughter before dragging me into this hell they call a fort. The least I can do is make them feel what I felt that day."

I sighed and wiped my brow. "You have to learn to control your emotions, not let them take over you. Once you let that happen, you're as good as dead. But, my family was taken from me, too, and I know what you're going through right now. It'll take a while, but I'll tell you the whole story of the Brotherhood.

"But before I do," I said, stopping him and looking back up at him. "Are you sure you want to get caught up in all of this? It's not an easy life to live."

Johnson nodded. "I'm sure of it."

I nodded and we continued down the beach.

During the duration of explaining the Brotherhood to Johnson, he asked a lot of questions. He was a good guy, really, but liked the sound of his voice a lot and it was hard to get him to shut up.

By the time I was done with my story, we had arrived at the edge of the fort. It wasn't dark enough for me to feel comfortable enough to invade the fort, so I deemed it necessary to wait until well past midnight. I moved best when in darkness, and I knew I would have to have that advantage if I were to assault the fort all by myself.

Johnson was asleep when I finally got the courage to make my way to the fort. He had drawn a map in the sand of the general layout of the fort. It was a rough sketch, but good enough that I could at least know where to go to find the jail.

I quickly scaled the stone wall. Once at the top I looked across the fort, which by what I remember, looked a lot like Johnson's sketch.

I had only the stolen sword and pistol to help me, which weren't my top choices of weapons. I'd feel more comfortable with a set of throwing knives and a bow, but I wasn't about to get picky.

I closed my eyes and tried to recreate Johnson's sketch in my mind. I was going to go to the weapons room and arm myself with better equipment, then I would free the prisoners and get to the bay, hopefully passing my their powder reserves so I could rig them to explode. Hopefully it would serve as a distraction for the guards, but I wasn't going to comb the whole fort for them. My top priority was to get the prisoners out alive.

I jumped from roof to roof, every few seconds ducking behind a chimney if I saw look outs. I couldn't kill them without alerting the other guards around, so I bypassed most of the guards.

As I was jumping, as soon as my feet made contact with the roof, it gave in. I fell about twenty feet, luckily rolling to break my fall.

I waited for a few moments. I would have thought that the loud crash would alert some of the guards, so I quickly ducked behind a pillar as I heard someone open the door.

As the guard walked past me, I quickly covered his mouth and snapped his neck before he could make a sound.

His body fell with a thud, but it was nothing compared to the loud entrance that I had done just moments before.

I grabbed his extra ammo before looking around the room I had landed in.

It was lit by a few torches on the wall. Hanging of the wall looked like curtains of some sort, dark reds and blues. They were made of silk; no doubt whoever owned this room was very important.

There were a few desks and tables, books and papers crowding the tops. I searched for a few minutes before coming across a locked chest that was hidden under the piles of papers. It wasn't too big, only about a foot wide, across, and deep.

I picked the lock quickly before looking at it contents, surprised to find what lay inside. It wasn't jewels or gold or anything seemingly worth a lot of money. They looked like shipping manifests.

There were people listed as crew only, not any passengers that needed transport. There were a huge stack of manifests, filling the small chest to the top. As I read through the cargo, chills were sent down my back.

They were shipping the same vials that I had seen in Boston what seemed like so long ago.

_Destroy the serum. That's the only thing keeping everyone from gaining have power over their bodies._

There were hundreds of ships that were carrying the cargo that Louis told me to destroy. They had planned the ships route ahead of time; some of them weren't even scheduled to take off until 1780.

They were shipping the vials to different cities: Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Charles Town (A/N: It's called Charleston now, but back then they called it Charles Town), all in large quantities. Each of the cities was due more shipments of the vials every few months, by sea, never by land.

I quickly stuffed all of the manifests in my pocket and decided to stick to the ground, not wanting to risk another loud entrance.

I poked my head out of the door, glancing around for guards. There were none, probably because the one that was meant to guard the halls was dead in the room behind me.

I slowly closed the door behind me, making sure it didn't make a noise.

I crouched down low as I moved throughout the hallways. My mother taught me if I was sneaking around to stay low because they were always expecting people to be at eye level. It was a really good strategy, but made my back ache afterwards.

I snuck out the back door of the building and stayed low in the shrubs that were planted on the side of the building I had just escaped. Some guards were doing nightly rounds, one poking around in the hay stacks while the others tried to stay awake.

While the one that was poking around in the hay stacks did another lap, I ran to the closest one, which was about thirty feet away from me, and jumped into it before anyone could see me.

I waited until I heard the familiar sound of footsteps stop in front the hay stack. I then grabbed the man around the neck, pinching a pressure point and knocking him out before pulling him into the bale with me.

I jumped out the backside, knowing I didn't have to worry about being seen by the guards unless I walked across the courtyard, which of course I would never do.

Besides the four guarding the courtyard, there were no guards that could see me. There were some that were on watch duty, but were looking out across the island, not in the fort, so I didn't worry about them.

I made it to the armory, only killing two guards that were guarding the room. Luckily I killed them before they could scream.

I wiped off my blade on the door frame before going into dimly lit room.

I picked out a few throwing blades, along with some poison darts. Sadly, they didn't have a bow, so I had to stick with my loud pistol.

I opened the door to the armory and swore. Pointing their guns at me were a dozen red coats, all with pissed off looks on their faces.

"Okay," I said. "I can either kill you all, or you can give me the keys to your jail and let me and the prisoners go peacefully."

The men's faces didn't change.

"I gave you a choice, don't tell me I didn't," I said.

I threw a poison dart at the biggest one, making quick work of him. I ducked beneath a swing of a sword and stabbed the perpetrator in the neck. I stabbed another in the stomach, flipping over his back and throwing a pair of knives into two separate men's necks, then dodging an arrow that had almost got me in the face. I pulled out my pistol and shot the archer on the roof, making him fall onto one of the last men standing.

I then flipped the gun and grabbed onto the barrel, using the end as a club and hitting a man in the face, his nose cracking. He fell to the ground, unconscious and choking on his own blood. I quickly killed him and used his bayonet to kill the last of the soldiers before looting them, finding a key that I assumed was the jail key.

I made my way to the jail, killing the guards that stood at the doorway. I had to push hard on the wooden door to open it, but when I did, I about threw up.

It smelled horribly, a mix of urine and feces, along with rotting flesh. I coughed a few times before breathing through my mouth and continuing through to the main room. It was circular and all of the cells lined the walls, filled with about three or four men per cell.

The cells were way too small to even house one man. It was about the size of a normal car, if I remembered right.

Most of the men were asleep, but I got them up opening the first cell door, the creaking of metal echoing throughout the damp room.

They thanked me, one of the men, who was shorter than me and as skinny as a twig, tried but I had no idea what language he was speaking, and I told them the plan Johnson and I had conjured up on the way here.

"He'll meet us by the docks then we'll take over the ship," I said.

The men nodded, but some looked a bit scared, probably because of the blood that covered my clothes and face.

With the help of some of the healthier prisoners, we killed the rest of the guards quietly and walked out the front gates of the fort.

Johnson was in there waiting for us, smiling and greeting his friends.

"How many guards are at the ship?" I asked him once the greetings were over with.

"About ten. They haven't heard anything about the fort so we can get the jump on them," Johnson said.

Ten guards weren't going to be much trouble for thirty grown men.

"Okay," I said grabbing their attention. "I'll go in and distract them, and when I give you the signal, attack, got it?"

Some of the men nodded, while others shook their heads.

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, when I do this," I said holding my hand up then closing it into a fist, pulling it down, "you bring hell to the guards. Now do you get it?"

Everyone nodded their agreement, and I explained in detail what needed to be done.

Once everyone really knew what the plan was, I took off down the stone road towards the bay, which was about a mile down the road.

The men fell into their positions once I had gotten in place. I could see them through the thick forest using my Eagle Vision, so I knew that I was good to go.

I walked up like I owned the place, strutting up to the guards who were patrolling the docks.

The commanding officer gave me a weird look. "I don't think you're allowed to be here."

I nodded and took off my hat, holding it in my hands. My brown hair pooled across my shoulders as I talked. "Yeah, you're right about that, but I'm going to take this ship then blow the fort to kingdom come once I'm out in open waters."

The commanding officer laughed and signaled his men, who surrounded me. "I'm afraid you won't get the chance."

I put my hands up in mock submitting, and then I signaled my men.

Within a minute, without me even lifting a finger, all of the men were dead on the docks, their blood staining the wood.

The men quickly got on board the ship, which I learned was named Virtus.

After a few minutes of Johnson yelling to his friends, we were out of the bay and in the Atlantic.

Once everything was set, Johnson allowed me to steer the ship, aiming it towards the fort that sat on top of the cliffs.

I looked at Johnson once we got the confirmation that the guns were ready to fire. He smiled and nodded.

"FIRE!" I screamed.

In one loud crash and one big explosion, the fort was no more, rubble falling into the sea, sending waves crashing up against the bluffs.

The men yelled and bellowed their happiness that the fort was gone forever, some hoisting

With that, I pointed the bow towards the rising sun, calling for full sail, and headed towards the colonies.


	19. Pirates!

**Thank you for faving and following! It makes my day:) Here's the next chapter, but I have to warn you I'm having a huge writers block so the next one might not be up for a while...**

I never did really get over killing Louis. It still haunted me, mostly at nights in my dreams every once and a while. I would wake up in a cold sweat all alone, then curl up under the sheets and try to fall back asleep. Sometimes sleep came to me easily, other times I could feel it creeping up on me then remember the look in Louis' eyes and his screams. Those nights I wouldn't get much sleep.

A few months after we destroyed the fort and got back to the colonies, Johnson and the other men had convinced me to stay on the ship. They elected me as Captain, something that I told them not to do, but I stayed nonetheless. Having a ship would be something that I would need if I was going to destroy the vials. Instead of the ship being named Virtus, I renamed it Sicarious because it sounded better to me than Virtus.

I trained my men to be Assassins, most of them having their own sob stories of why they wanted revenge, some just wanting to do it because they believed in freedom for all.

Johnson was my first mate with Beans as my quartermaster. Beans, even though no one really knew what hole he crawled out of, was old and a bit crazy, but I trusted him. No one knew his real name, so people just called him Beans on account of his pet beans he keeps under his hammock in a sealed box.

The rest of my crew were a mix of minor creepiness (in the right situations) to downright loco, but I trusted every single one of them with my life. Beans was the oldest on the crew being 60 and the youngest was Anders who was just two years younger than me. We had Spaniards, Italians, English, African, French, Irish, and Scottish, though we didn't really know what Worm, one of my gunners, was but he seemed to be a mix of almost everything.

Quickly, we because one of the most feared band of pirates on the coast, raiding every red coat ship that we came across. My rule was, though, never to raid any passenger ships or ships carrying food and supplies to the colonies. We would always take care of the vials after they were loaded off of the ship.

This is how we usually took over a ship: we would attack, taking out their main mast, stopping them completely before having my crew board the ship. I would have them take all of the men aboard hostage, and have anyone left look through the cargo for suspicious items. If we found weapons or food rations that would go to the red coats that were fighting the war, we would destroy them and let the men on the ship go. They would then tell their friends of our feat, encouraging any English ships that were carrying anything to help the red coats in the war to leave.

If we found the vials or any trace of the serum, I'd order for every passenger to die.

In the rare occasions that I actually came aboard the ships during these raids, I would were my tri corn hat, along with a bandana tied around my face so only my eyes could be seen. If, for some reason, someone got off the ship and told their superiors about our raid they wouldn't be able to say it was me who was the Captain.

Usually I would also order my men to raid the Captain's cabin to see if there was anything of use to us. There would be a whole pile of shipping manifests telling of more ships that were carrying the serum. It was obvious that they knew that we were destroying the vials so they upped the amount of vessels carrying the serum. I feared sooner or later whoever was running this whole thing would grow a conscious and have decoy ships to lead us away from the real ships.

It was tough work being a pirate, believe me. The first few weeks were hell because of my sun burnt skin, my I soon got used to being out in the sun all day ordering the crew around. I inherited my mother's ability to fry like a lobster and peel like a snake before actually getting used to the sun, even after inheriting my father's olive colored skin. Being the only woman on the ship was bad, too. I've had to give a few black eyes here and there to some of my crew who don't seem to know the meaning of personal space.

I had heard of the Boston Tea Party and was almost positive that Connor had something to do with it. It had his name written all over it and some of my contacts in Boston said that there was a Native among the men who destroyed the tea.

We rarely made port and when we did it was when we needed to make repairs to the ship or get more rum for my crew. I had tried rum before and it ended with me throwing it up over the side of the ship and getting laughed at by my crew. Alcohol and I don't mix too well. I still get a lot of crap for that.

XXX

_Connor knew his ship was getting overpowered by the pirates. Faulkner was right, they shouldn't have gone when they did. Pirate activity had been a record high in the past few months but no one knew why._

_Connor fought when they came aboard until they got a hold of most of his crew and held them captive, making Connor drop his weapons and allow the pirates to take him aboard their ship._

_He was taken to the poop deck_ (A/N: I seriously couldn't stop giggling when I wrote this. I have the mentality of a ten year old boy) _and sat in front of the captain, a Spanish man with long black hair and a well kept moustache._

_Connor glared at him as the man laughed._

_The man said something to his men in a language that Connor didn't understand, but he knew it wasn't good._

_His men started to load their guns and move towards his crew that was on the main deck. The captain started to laugh as Connor heard the clicking of the guns._

_Just before the guns went off, Connor saw the captain's face grow scared and worried and signal his men to stop. Connor glanced behind him to see another ship coming towards them at full sail, not seeming to slow down._

_He braced for impact as the ship neared and rammed them, ripping a hole into the side of the pirate's ship._

_"What the hell was that for?!" the pirate captain screeched._

_Connor got a better look at the ship and noticed the pirate flag it was flying and was confused. He heard a thud in front of him and turned to see someone he thought he would never see again._

_Piper stood there before the captain, dressed all in naval wear, and not looking happy. Her long brown hair pooled over her shoulders as she took off her tri corn hat and ran a hand through her hair._

_Connor didn't pay attention to what she was saying to the captain, he was too distracted by his supposed-to-be-dead friend. _

_She had grown to be very attractive, her eyelashes long and dark, her skin almost as dark as his. Piper's hair had golden streaks from being out in the sun and her body curved in ways Connor had no memory of when they were younger. Yes, Piper had grown to be VERY attractive._

_Connor's train of thought was interrupted when she unsheathed her hidden blades._

_"My crew will be helping with that," Piper said, smiling, as she whistled._

_Connor's mouth hung open slightly as he watched her fight. She had gotten much better and cleaner with her kills. All of her throwing knives hit her targets with deadly accuracy. Connor was actually surprised she hadn't been named a Master Assassin yet._

_Connor made his way to the dead captain's body and grabbed a knife off of it, which was a hard feat when your hands are bound. He positioned the knife and started to cut as fast as he could._

XXX

It was a normal day when all my hard work failed me. I had gotten up from a long night of sleep, called for full sail, and we started to meander down the coastline towards Boston.  
As we were coming around a bend into a bay, I ordered a full stop as soon as I heard the familiar booms of cannons.  
We pulled around the corner and saw two ships locked in a heated battle that was going to end soon. One of the ships was badly damaged while the other barely had any scratches.  
I knew the ship that was winning. It was the Aleri, a fellow pirate ship whose Captain was one of the most annoying men in the world. I had told him that if he ever attacked a civilian ship, which what looked like he was doing right now, I would kill him and his crew single handedly. The man was stuck up and killed mercilessly. Thousands of people have died because of him, a majority of them being women and children on their ways to the colonies.  
As I yelled for full sail, my intent to ram the Aleri, I saw its men board the loosing ship and take its passengers prisoners. We weren't fast enough before the prisoners were taken aboard the Aleri.  
The Aleri couldn't outrun us even on its best day and its Captain knew it so I climbed up my ships main mast.  
"Go full sail against the Aleri and ram it," I yelled to Johnson. "But don't board it until I give the signal!"

"Yes, ma'am!" He yelled back.

I pulled myself onto the royal yard and braced for impact as we neared the ship.

When the ships rammed against each other, I jumped onto their mast and barely caught myself before fell.

"What in the hell was that for?!" I heard Antonio, the Aleri's Captain yelled from the deck.

As soon as I got low enough, and dropped onto the deck right in front of Antonio. "Remember our deal, Antonio?"

He yelped, his dark Spanish skin seemingly getting paler.

"Remember when I said if you ever attack civilians or their ships I would kill you and your crew single handedly?" I asked, seeing out of the corner of my eye my crew getting into their positions as I took off my hat and ran a hand through my hair. I wasn't in the mood to be kidded with, and I meant business.

Antonio nodded and gulped. "Y-yes, Piper, I-I mean yes, ma'am."

"Well I lied," I said truthfully.

Antonio relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief as he wrung his hands together.

I smiled and unsheathed my hidden blades. "My crew will be helping with that."

I whistled, unleashing my crew. They jumped from the deck of the Sicarious to the Aleri, brandishing their swords and daggers.

Antonio whipped out his pistol and shot but I had rolled out of the way. I rolled behind him and stabbed him in the back of the leg then hooked my blade on his ankle and pulled, sending him to the deck.

Antonio quickly got up and took out his blade, the tip of it shaking with fear in front of my face.

I pushed the blade out of the way with my hand and raised an eyebrow at the man. He brought his sword back around and attempted to bring it down onto my head. I crossed my hidden blades above my head and caught the blade in between them, pushing forward and pressing Antonio against the side railing of the ship.

I tapped my toe, a small but sharp blade appearing out of the bottom of my boot. I stepped back and kept going until I felt the railing of the other side of the ship.

Antonio took my steps backwards of a sign of defeat and laughed as he walked towards me.

I put both my hands behind me on the railing and shrunk down in mock defeat.

When he got close enough, I climbed up onto the railing and jumped back off and kicked Antonio in the mouth, my blade sinking into this chin.

He fell and I rolled to the ground and unsheathed my pistol, shooting him cleanly in the forehead.

"I always keep my promises," I said to the dead man

His wide eyes were emotionless, all emotions faded along with his life. I slowly closed them and wiped my blade on my coat and I stood, hearing the familiar whoosh of a blade coming towards me.

I ducked and swept the feet out from under a man who tried to ambush me. I then stabbed him in the stomach and threw a knife at a man who was coming towards me.

I sheathed my hidden blades and drew my pistols, shooting two men who were attacking my crew.

I blew the smoke off my guns and put them back in their holsters. I smiled at Johnson, who gave me a nod and a laugh.

"That's how you do it," I said to my crew.

"Couldn't do it without ya, Cap'n!" Beans called back.

I shrugged, cleaning off my blades on my coat. "Sure you could," I said jumping off of the poop deck, landing on the main deck. "Just not as stylishly, of course.

"Half of you search the cargo," I said seriously. "See if you can find anything that might be of use to us. The rest of you help the prisoners."

Half of my men flowed into the lower deck as the others untied the passengers of the other ship.

I was going to go back to my cabin to change clothes when someone stopped me.

"Piper?"

My heart shattered as I turned to see who called me.

Connor stood there, unmoving and an unreadable look on his face. His hood was pulled down, showing his face. I had to say, he had gotten really good looking while I was gone. Damn, he was easy on the eyes.

I looked at him with my mouth wide open. I have to say that was one of the rare times I have ever dropped the f bomb in my life, and very loudly at that.

My crew that was on the deck stopped what they were doing and stared at me. I, of course, swore a lot but only ever saying that word when something had gone very wrong, so my crew was worried.

I put up a fist to my mouth as I looked around the deck to see everyone staring.

Beans started to do a weird looking dance around Connor, holding twin blades in both hands and taunting Connor to make a move. Connor looked at the old man then back at me with a helpless look on his face.

"Beans!" I yelled.

The quartermaster stopped and stared at me. "Ma'am?"

I glared at him. "Get the hell away from him and ship ready to go!"

Beans sheathed his knives and wiped his nose. "Sorry ma'am."

I glared at him as he walked by me. "Just get to the damn ship."

Beans nodded quickly and hobbled off.

"We really should start making repairs to our ship," Faulkner said walking up to Connor and me. He did a double take when he saw me. "I thought you were dead. What are you doing on a ship; it's no place for a lady."

"Then I should be asking you the same thing," I said angrily.

Faulkner put up his hands and walked off, leaving me and Connor alone.

Connor still stood there, speechless until he finally found his tongue. "I thought you were dead. We all did."

My chest felt heavy with emotion. "I know."

"Why?"

My voice caught in my throat and I stood there with my mouth open and my hands raised.

Connor looked at me with a hurt look on his face. It killed me to see him like that.

"I was worried about you and Achilles," I said. "If either of you were hurt helping me clean up the mess I made I wouldn't be able to forgive myself and I'm sorry I had to leave but I couldn't risk you guys trying to help me and I know that it probably wasn't a good idea to do that but now I know it and I know you and Achilles probably hate me for doing it but it was the only way to make sure you guys didn't-"

Connor interrupted my nervous rambling, wrapping his arms around me. One threaded around my waist while the other held the back of my head. Connor tightened his grip and he buried his face in my neck.

I was stiff for a moment before wrapping my arms around his neck, burying my face in his shoulder. He was still taller than me by a lot and he had gotten bigger from the last time I had seen him.

"Get a room!" Johnson yelled from the deck of the Sicarious.

We pulled away and I glared at Johnson as I saw Connor's face grow red out of the corner of my eye.

"Do you have the ship ready to sail?" I asked Johnson through gritted teeth.

Johnson shook his head. "It seems the crew is a bit riled up from the fight."

I pinched the bridge of my nose and motioned Connor to follow me as I jumped aboard the railing of my ship and held onto the shrouds. "All right you puss filled sweat bags, if this ship isn't ready to sail in the next five minutes next time, I'll dump all of the rum over the side of the ship. Do you idiots understand or am I going to have to spell it out to you, you twits?!"

I saw a hand rise in the middle of the crowd of men and the crowd parted to show Cookie, the ship's short and twig-like cook.

I sighed, knowing the white haired man was one of the stupidest men on the ship. "Yes, Cookie?"

"I can't read," he said.

"Holy shit!" I yelled, exasperated. "Just get the damn ship ready to leave you half-twits!"

The crowd dispersed and readied the ship as I turned to Connor. He had a surprised look on his face but wiped it off when he saw me staring.

I looked at the Aquila and then back at Connor. "Do you need some supplies to repair your ship? You're ship looks a bit worse for the wear."

"If it is possible," Connor said.

I nodded and barked some orders to my crew, who started the help the Aquila's crew get their ship back in order once they had prepared the Sicarious to sail.

Connor followed me to my cabin, and I knew he had questions so I closed the door behind me and turned to face him.

"Why are you a pirate?" Connor asked while he shifted uncomfortably.

I sifted through the stacks of papers on my desk, my back to him. "It helps me fix what I've done."

"And what is that?" Connor asked.

I closed my eyes and put my hands on my desk. "It's hard to explain."

"What have you done? Is that why you left?" He took a step closer to me. Despite what happened on the deck, I could hear anger rising in his voice. "What would make you fake your death and leave the people who wanted nothing more than to help you?! Achilles has never been the same ever since you 'died'." I heard the angry sarcasm in his voice. "Neither of us has."

I gripped the edge of the table so hard my knuckles were white and my fingernails started to dig into the wood.

"I shouldn't even be here!" I yelled, spinning around to look at him. "Hell, I shouldn't even be alive right now! It's my fault that the Templars have the upper hand right now, and now I have to kill my own goddamned family because of it! I never asked to be here, I never asked for my whole life to fall apart. I never asked to have to stab my own brother and see him die in my hands because of me! I didn't want this!" My voice got softer as I sank down in my chair. "I thought I could live with not seeing my family again, I was just coming to terms with that once I saw her. It's my fault that my family has fallen apart, and now it's my mess to clean up."

I looked up at Connor and stood. "I didn't want you involved because I was scared that the Templars would take you away, too, like they did with my family."

Connor opened his mouth but was interrupted by a loud band that it knocked both of us over. Connors heavy body knocked the air out of me when he fell on me.

My ears rang as Connor pulled off of me and helped me up. "What in God's name was that?"

Johnson burst through the door, clutching his side. "Cap'n! Two British frigates just attacked! Orders?!"

"What do you think?! Attack!" I yelled at him. "And get Briggs up here, we're gonna need a doctor if this gets ugly."

Johnson nodded and ran back outside as I turned to Connor.

"Get back to the Aquila, well hold them off long enough for you guys to escape," I said, grabbing my desk as another round of shots rocked the ship.

"No," Connor said. "We can help you."

I groaned and pushed Connor out of my cabin and onto the busy deck. "You're ship is in no condition to fight and you have to go with it because you're its Captain! Now go, I'll meet back up with you at the homestead!"

The ship rocked again, this time from its own guns going off.

"Go, we can handle ourselves!" I yelled at Connor.

He glanced between the Aquila and I then jabbed a finger at me. "You better survive this. I still have many questions."

I nodded. "I wouldn't have survived this long if I wasn't good! Now go!"

Connor made his way back to the Aquila and I turned to order my crew.

"Load the swivels and take out their forward masts! We can't let them get to the Aquila!" I yelled.

"Worm," I yelled to my gunner who was in charge of the most guns. "Don't fire until I give the signal!"

Worm nodded and scratched his thin beard before turning back into the fight.

"Follow behind the Aquila and make sure that no ship gets close to them!" I yelled to Johnson, who was on the wheel. I glanced around, running different tactics through my head. "Johnson! Get close to one of the ships but do not board!"

"A-aye, ma'am…?" He answered confusion in his voice. "Half sail!"

I moved next to Johnson and held up my hand. My gunners looked at me, silent, and waited for me to give the signal.

Right as one of the frigates was coming around into our sights, I closed my hand into a fist, signaling my gunners.

The ship roared as the cannons when off, ripping the frigate's bow into pieces.  
I took a deep breath as I climbed up to the crow's nest. I breathed in the salt air, smelling the smoke that tainted it.

We neared one of the frigates as I heard Johnson yell fire. I grabbed a rope secured to the mast as the ship jarred.

Johnson turned the ship sharply and rammed against the frigate. As the masts of the different ships neared each other I bent at the knees and jumped.

I landed on the frigate's crow nest, losing my balance and falling off of the crow's nest.

I reached out for anything to grab on as I tried not to scream. I grabbed onto a rope just ten feet above the deck.

I started to swing, gathering momentum before falling in front of the wheel.

The man on the wheel let out a yelp before I threw a knife, landing it in his forehead.

I turned and grabbed the wheel, pulling it sharply. It took a lot of strength, but I got it.

The men on board fell, some toppling over the side and others falling on top of each other.

A smile grew on my face as I vaulted over the railing, landing on a man and knocking him out.

I dodged a punch of one of the first of the crew to recover. As he brought his arm back I stabbed him in the stomach and rolled over his back.

I threw a few knives at the crew as I ran to the main mast.

I quickly crafted a few bombs from the gun powder in my guns. Soon I had three high explosives set up at the base of the mast. I lit them and started to run towards the edge of the ship.

I felt a hand wrap around my ankle. I fell, my forehead hitting harshly against the railing of the ship.

I rolled over on my back and clutched my forehead. I could barely hear anything over the ring in my ears. I did hear the click of a gun and rolled to the right just as a bullet ripped through the wood where my head used to be.

I looked up to see a very ornery looking man who I guessed to be about six feet seven inches with a big scar running diagonally across his face looking down at me.

I sheepishly smiled; secretly worried that instead of only one big man I now saw two. I must have had a really bad concussion.

I rolled onto my stomach and pushed off of the deck.

I jumped, dodging the leg sweep that the huge man attempted. I tried to punch the giant man as he was coming up but his face felt like it was made of some sort of metal.

I flicked my hand trying to stop the pain as I took a step back. "Shit, what is your face made out of?"

The man popped his neck, his face getting red.

I backed up as the man stepped forward. If I made the fuse the correct length, we had about ten seconds left until this whole ship went up in flames.

An idea popped into my head and I reached into one of my back pouches. I grabbed a handful of some black powder and threw it into the man's eyes, kicking his knee in and roundhouse kicking him in the face as he fell.

I stepped on his face as I ran towards the railing. I know I didn't need to do it, but I didn't care.

I jumped from a cannon to the railing and diving into the water. Just as I hit the water, the force from the ship blowing up pushed me farther down into the water.

I swam up, my lungs starting to burn for air. It felt like a million years but I soon breached the water and heard the splashes of debris hitting the water.

"Yeah!" I cheered. I splashed my arms against the water with a huge smile on my face. "Suck on that!"

I turned around in the water to see that the other British frigate was destroyed, sinking slowly down into the water

A shadow grew over my head as I turned to see the Aquila looming over me. A rope was thrown over the side and I grabbed it, yanking it twice.

I was pulled up and over the side of the Aquila, still laughing at my recent victory. Someone's hands helped me up by wrapping them around my shoulders.

I turned to Connor, who'd helped me up, and I smiled with a crazy glint in my eye, adrenaline still coursing through my veins.

"Did you see that?!" I yelled. "That was freaking epic! At first I was like, 'I ain't gonna make it,' but then I was like, 'screw I'm awesome and I'm gonna blow this ship up because I can!'"

It was made clear to me later why the crew looked so confused at me. I was speaking in Italian but didn't know because of my concussion.

Connor took a step back then gently brushed my wet bangs out of my face. "Did you hit your head?"

I shrugged. "I think I did, I don't really remember much."

Connor yelled for a doctor as I felt my stomach start to churn. As the doctor started to talk to me, I held up a finger, feeling my lunch come up my throat.

I put my hand up to my mouth and ran to the side of the ship, throwing up the contents of my stomach.

"Are you alright, lass?" I heard one of the men ask.

I threw my head up and nodded. "I feel much better now." I turned back to Connor. "I'm going back to my ship now. To da loo!"

Connor grabbed my arm before I could jump off of the ship. "You are hurt."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm fine. Just a little concussion. Trust me I've done a lot more stuff being a lot more injured."

Connor nodded his head. "That is why you need to come back with me. It is not safe out here."

"Cap'n!" I heard Beans yell. I smiled and turned to see the Sicarious coming towards us.  
"I'm happy you managed to keep your ass alive, ma'am!" Johnson yelled from the wheel.

I laughed as I grabbed the rope that was thrown over for me. Before I could leave, though, Connor grabbed my shoulder and didn't let go.

"You are not leaving again," Connor said.

I could hear the pain in his voice as I turned back to look at him again.

"Listen," I said. "I'll follow you back to the homestead and see Achilles. I'll tell him what happened, okay? But…" I paused, looking for a good idea to stay with my crew. "I can't just leave this all behind. I made this mess, now it's my responsibility to clean it up. I made a promise and I'm going to keep it.

"I'm sorry, Connor," I said. I took a deep breath and sighed. "I'll explain everything when we get to the homestead. You're just going to have to wait until then."

"Why not tell it to me now?" Connor asked.

"My crew likes to make my business their business and they can't know this," I said quietly.

Connor nodded, understanding, and finally let me go to my ship.

"Okay, you half twits, follow the Aquila to the homestead," I yelled to my crew. "Or is that too hard for you idiots?!"

"No, Cap'n!" My crew shouted in unison.

I nodded and went to my cabin, shutting the door behind me and resting my back onto it, sliding to the floor. Achilles was going to kill me.

**Please review and tell me how I'm doing!**


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Assassin's Creed, Adventure, Family