Disclaimer - I do not own Assassin's Creed or Prototype, they belong to their respective owners.

A Party and a Vow

May 30th, 1775

Tic Toc. Tic Toc. Tic Toc. Tic Toc. Tic Toc.

Time was really a strange thing...

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Time flowed forward from every hour to every minute to every second...

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Time did not stop for anybody or anything...

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Time supposedly moved at its own set pace and nothing one did could ever change it...

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Time could still move at a speed that one could easily miss if they didn't pay attention to it...

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Sadly...

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Time could also be a slow-crawling slug when you want it to HURRY THE HELL UP!

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Alex finally allowed his eyes to take a rest from burning holes into the grandfather clock that was tucked in the corner of the huge conference room they were located in, tempting to hit his head on the table while he was at, because if he could shut out the delegates' arguments for just one second, he would gladly do it, though with Charles Lee sitting this close to him and Connor, he rather kept his dignity intact thank you. God, when have I degraded back to grade school?

Really, he felt like he was like any kid in grade school, just wishing that time will go faster whenever they are stuck in the most boring course of all times, usually the subject of said course was philosophy or moral or whatever boring title the system could come up with for the subject that wanted to teach children about the way of life. Then again, perhaps wishing for something unexpected to happen was a better option than wanting time to go faster, especially when those dead meats were doing all the talking. They were most certainly making the councils the Native American tribes had held looked far more sophisticated than they could ever hope to achieve. Sure, different tribe members' argument might have gotten heated at certain times, but whenever that happened, the other councilmen would all agree to postpone the meeting until the members calmed down before they resumed it, seeing that it required a rational mind to solve things, not anger.

I think they have enough gunpowder in the air to blow the whole place to the ground. Alex thought absentmindedly as he studied the real picture of the Second Continental Congress, it was a far cry from all the paintings that depicted a calm group of rational men, many of the delegates were like rabid dogs and barked like one too. Half of the delegates seemed to choose to remain on the sideline, not wanting to get caught up in these endless arguments between the Loyalists and Patriots, and simply observed the whole fight in silence, while others, like Benjamin Franklin, were listening intently to each of their argument and taking notes. Then there were him and Ratonhnhaké:ton, the unofficially titled outsiders of the Congress, several members had made some backhanded comments on them, though most preferred to state bluntly that this meeting did not concern the Iroquois tribes and their attendance was not required. He agreed with them, but the Adams would immediately jump in to defend them with reasons they believed could pacify both sides of the party, the truth was simply to keep Connor pleased and make him feel important. After all, losing one of their best assets before they managed to push back the British was not an option. A frown was soon stretched over his face as his eyes sharpened into a glare at the thought that these Patriots were using the Assassin as their lapdog.

'You're angry at them again.'

Alex's eyes lost their edge and rolled to lay a curious gaze on his sole companion in this hellhole as he denied, 'No.' At least not all of them. He added as an afterthought.

Connor smiled lightly, his eyes never leaving the already boring sight, as he said, 'You have a tell Raké:ni whenever you are angry. When you frown and glare at something, it means you are angry at whatever you are looking. When you just frown, it means you have some troubles that you are having a hard time to solve and you are screaming in frustration from the inside. And when you growl while frowning, it means you're being protective, like a bear.'

'Oh, you've spend too much time with the Godfrey's and Terry's children,' Alex muttered as he shook his head tiredly, mentally he was fuming at the fact that half of the children in Homestead are calling Papa Bear as his official title and forgot his name entirely, because they had a hard time to pronounce it. Very few of them had the decency to call him mister, but Mister Papa Bear wasn't any better either!

The smile on the Kanien'kehá:ka stretched wider and his shoulders quivered lightly as he successfully kept the laughter from spilling from his lips and replied, 'I rather find them endearing and they are showing you great respect. After all, a bear represents both strength and wisdom and a symbol of healing.'

'They are calling me that because I have the temper of one,' Alex countered instantly.

'Perhaps, but you care for your family and you are protective to those under your care much like a bear,' Connor remarked.

'You are not letting that go anytime soon, are you?' he asked in displeasure.

Barely hiding his chuckle through his fake coughing, the Assassin simply remarked, 'Well, it has at least distracted you from our hosts.'

That made the virus froze in his spot while he mechanically turned his head to stare at the Kanien'kehá:ka who immediately looked indignant as he defended, 'I know how to use words to distract people too. I do not just use my fists or tools to eliminate obstacles.'

'I'm not sure if I should be proud of the fact you have the capability to do so or worry by the fact that your silver tongue seems to turn to lead the instance troubles arise,' Alex replied with a thoughtful expression.

Connor lightly scoffed and pointed out the fact that he was always worried about him.

'It's a part of parenthood, Ratonhnhaké:ton. Like an old eastern saying goes, parents will worry 99 years during the 100 years of raising their child. Before you ask, the reason why it's not one hundred, it's because you spend your first year within the safety of your parents' arms, afterwards... well I think you get the idea,' the virus explained.

The Kanien'kehá:ka hummed softly as a thoughtful expression settled over him. This was what irritated the Blacklight virus to no ends and it was a constant reminder of the difficulties his charge faced. As he was about to find a way to distract the young man from his mature but often turned pessimistic thoughts, a distraction simply came charging their way in the form of a seven-year-old boy.

'Mister Iskandar, sir?' the child asked once he stood before their table. At his nod, he brought out a small sealed envelope. 'A gentleman asked this to be delivered to you.'

Alex's eyes narrowed slightly as his nose picked up a strange scent from the envelope before he exchanged it with a small handful of coins. As the boy left with a happy face, he quickly and quietly excused himself from the Adams brothers, Connor followed after him and they left the loud conference room to the quiet garden outside. When they were far from any would-be eavesdroppers or spies, the virus finally opened the envelope and dropped whatever content it contained onto his opened palm: a single white feather.

The Assassin looked between the two objects in his hands curiously before he asked, 'Who is it from. Raké:ni?'

'Gabriel,' Alex answered as he took a few more sniffs of the feather and soon identified the scent as that of holly. 'He needs my help for his heist.'

'The feather represents a heist?' Ratonhnhaké:ton questioned as he examined the feather himself.

'It is a method we have developed to ensure that even if our letters are intercepted, no one will truly understand the message it contains. The feather is Gabriel's signature. The colour represents the type of mission he has for me: white means a heist and black means he's in need of a diversion,' Alex explained as they made their way to the stable. 'The smell also has its own unique meaning. The smell of holly represents a party. Adding everything together, the message is he's preparing a heist he will commit during a party and he is in need of my help.'

'So you understand the message, but how are you going to find him? He didn't leave you a note on where to join him,' Connor questioned as they stopped before the stable.

'He'll find me,' the virus answered as he quickly ordered one of the stable boys to fetch his horse and returned his attention back to the Assassin. 'Something important must have come up if he is contacting me directly.'

'The Templars?' Connor guessed.

'Won't know for sure until I get there,' Alex replied with a shrug, though his expression soon turned serious, as he placed his hand over the Assassin's shoulder and brought him closer. 'On the off chance that it might have some connections with them. I need you to be extra careful while I'm away. I know you hate Lee's guts, but I need you here, to keep an eye on things.'

Ratonhnhaké:ton nodded in acknowledgement as he told him, 5000. God, that's expensive as Hell, but I guess with your bag filled with armours and weapons you aren't going to use, the price is okay-ish. At least it won't look like a place that's going to be cursed any time soon.'Don't worry, I will ensure that our allies are safe from whatever threat the Templars might pose in your absence.'

The virus held the reins tightly, not liking the nervous shift the animal made at every second, as he hauled himself onto the saddle while he corrected the young man's assumption, 'Your safety is more important to me than the Adams', Ratonhnhaké:ton. Just stay safe. I'll return as soon as I've finished Gabriel's job.'

'Be careful as well, Raké:ni. Safe journey,' the young Kanien'kehá:ka said in parting.

Alex gave the serious Assassin a confident smile before he rode out of the stable.

Outskirt of Philadelphia…

Alex did not need to make it too far for Gabriel to find him and he came in a rather stylish display, then again, his message did say their little operation would be right in the middle of a party, so he guessed he should have expected some sort of extravaganza from the thief. The virus tugged the reins hard to stop the horse from trying to bolt from him as the driver halted the expensive-looking carriage right beside him, and the carriage's door swung opened to reveal Gabriel with his usual charming smirk on his lips as he greeted him cheerfully, 'A good afternoon to you good sir. Do you need a ride?'

'Yes, but I need to make sure this beast here doesn't run at the first chance it gets,' Alex replied sarcastically as he lightly tugged on the reins once more, despite knowing the fact that it couldn't escape from him, the horse still continued to neigh in distrust and fear, moving from side to side as if it would loosen the reins enough for it to bolt. Honestly, he was half tempted to let it run if he wouldn't get an earful from Achilles later for it. With that thought in mind, he was not really interested or in the mood to keep up with the thief's act. Better get this over with as quickly as possible.

'Don't worry, my dear patron. My men will take great care of it,' Gabriel announced before he made a light wave gesture and two thieves came out of the carriage, giving him a respectful nod before they approached the horse. 'Come now Zeus. We still have some ways to go to reach our destination.'

Alex rolled his eyes at the cheerfulness the master thief was displaying before he climbed in as well and took his seat across from Gabriel. As soon as the door of the carriage closed, the coach got the horses moving, heading towards wherever their destination might be. The virus grimaced slightly at the constant shaking, one of the reasons why he never liked to ride a carriage, even though he wouldn't get motion sickness from it. Still, it did not mean he was comfortable with it. Well, it was not like he had any choice now that he was in, might as well as asked Gabriel what was all the fuss about that he needed him in his plot.

'So what's so important that you need me in your usual heists?' Alex started as he tried to get himself as comfortable he could. Maybe I should invent the spring a little earlier. At least I don't need to suffer this shaky trip.

The thief's smile instantly turned fox-like as he calmly replied, 'Of course, this heist has some unusual factors in it for me to bring you into my fold.'

The virus' eyebrow twitched lightly at the foxy smile, because the last time he had seen it on Gabriel was a nightmarish memory at most and unpleasant at best. In short, something that would probably make him regretted it for years to come. Oh, just the mere sight of it brought an enormous frown on his face as he openly glared at his smirking friend.

Gabriel's smile remained as he asked jestingly, 'You can't still be angry at me for the theatre job.'

'Angry at you? No, I'm not. I simply resent you to Hell for that stunt,' Alex replied in a heartbeat. Like Hell he would ever forget and forgive for that stunt the thief had pulled on him ten years ago...

Ten years ago...

April, 1765...

Theatre Royal, Coven Garden, London...

Alex let out an annoyed sigh under his breath as he studied every dark corner of the backstage for the tell-tale shadow of Gabriel's cape. Personally, he wondered why the thief did not just call Clayton and have him and his men on standby outside, seeing that he did only say that he might some muscles in his job should things went south. Sure he was strong, though he preferred not be labeled as a human bulldozer and he was trying to keep a lid on his "unnatural" qualities. Besides, he was not a saint of patience and neither was he a bloody statue. In Gabriel's heists, he was usually outside and thinning out the security, not waiting for his lazy ass by standing around and doing nothing.

The Blacklight closed his eyes as he mentally reviewed the heist's target, the plan and the layout of the opera house. Gabriel had received news of a beautifully crafted jewelled necklace along with twin gold bracelets were going to be displayed in tonight show and they would be worn by the renowned soprano, Alicia Garcia. The woman's rich was as vast as her ego and had the accessories made specifically for this play, which made the pieces all the more unique and valuable.

Tonight's play was a replay for the piece, "All for Love," it was supposedly an imitation of Shakespeare's "Anthony and Cleopatra" and if everything went according to plan, Gabriel should have jewel-encrusted accessories in his pockets by now. The brunet had most certainly spent lot of time and effort in this, then again, the jeweller was nice enough to make a fake replica of his works out of insurance, so all he needed to do was swapped the fake ones with the real ones before the curtains raised and they could all go home a little richer. Simple and easy as long that everything went according to plan that was...

Which he came to learn was never the case the moment he saw Gabriel landing softly on one of the stacked boxes located in a corner.

'Well?' he instantly demanded once Gabriel was within earshot.

'The good news is Miss Garcia has more than ample amount of jewels and money left in her dressing room to last us a decade without worry,' the thief answered with a smirk which soon wavered into a thin line. 'Bad news is that she's already wearing the Cleopatra jewels.'

'You're kidding me, right?'

'If you mean jesting than no, I'm not,' Gabriel replied with a grimace, though a mischievous smile was soon formed on the man's lips. 'But I believe I have a simple solution to our little problem.'

Alex raised an eyebrow at the man's words and a sense of dread settled into his biomass at the sight of the smile. He didn't even dare to ask what the thief's crazy head for a mind was brewing. Even during these few years of partnership, Gabriel's unorthodox methods could still make him, a semi-immortal and invulnerable being, worry, seeing that the last time he wore that peculiar smile, their little escape plan had involved a wooden cart filled to the brim with firework rockets and a squad of thugs shooting at them. How did that story end? Well, it would be best being left to people's imagination.

His eyes narrowed further as the thief produced a costume from his cloak and he immediately shook his head as he stated threateningly, 'No. No way in Hell and back.'

'Yes, you are,' Gabriel said in a sing-song manner as he dangled the dress in front of him and an almost predatory glint settled in his mischievous eyes.

'You've performed beautifully, my dear patron,' Gabriel said in a reminiscing tone. 'I'm disappointed that we did not get an encore from you.'

Beautiful? More like disastrous. It was bloody awkward to pretend to be performing while trying to act subtle in stealing the jewels in front of a thousand audience. It did not help that the mission ended up from stealing to downright kidnapping. Before anyone decided to blame him, it wasn't his fault that the soprano's wrists were so fat that it was impossible for him to remove the bracelets. He was more than happy to dump her into the river once they had managed to snag the jewels off of her, seeing that he was the one who was carrying her like a potato sack while they were running away from guards.

'Just get to the point before I decide to bloody chop your head off,' Alex announced grumpily as he folded his arms over his chest.

The thief simply chuckled at his aggressive display as he always did. He kept the smile on, but his eyes were sharpened with seriousness as he began, 'Well, now that the pleasantries are over. I have been having a little problem with a certain target lately. Ever heard of a Lady Maverick?'

Alex raised an eyebrow at the name. The name had indeed appeared in both his life as an Assassin and as a Native attendee of the Congress. Lady Maverick was a Templar agent that the Assassins had been keeping a close tab on, seeing that she had great influence on a majority of the players in the Congress, whether it was her charms working magic for her or whatever poison she had concocted was in play. He believed Stalker preferred nickname for her was Succubus, because she literally seduced the men for their secrets before she ruthlessly took their lives unless they still had some uses to her, whether as a plaything or they could still be milked for secrets. In short, she was a seductress with many people's dirty secrets and a deadly master of poisons, dangerous in every kind of way. Now the question was what had drawn Gabriel to this Templar in peculiar?

'My little spies have received news that Maverick has obtained a set of plans that will be useful to us and she will be hosting a party in her estate this evening,' Gabriel said as he leaned back against his seat. 'And seeing that she has some connections with the Templars, I don't suppose you will refuse to help little old me out while taking care of this tiny problem, will you?'

Usually, he would have to think twice whenever the heist involved a party, but in this case, it was a golden opportunity to get some insights on whatever the Templars were planning. After all, she was their number one information broker. Any information or secret she had collected would be useful, especially in picking out which bastard he should watch out for and which one could be a potential friend with benefits, something that Ratonhnhaké:ton would definitely need in his participation in the upcoming war.

'Fine,' he accepted in a bored tone as he tried to settle himself comfortably in the rocky carriage. 'I better not be in the spotlight for this one.'

'Never dream of it, my dearest patron,' Gabriel whispered smoothly as he leaned back against his seat and closed his eyes. 'Never dream of it.'

Sometimes, Alex wondered how Gabriel's brain really worked to let his guard down so easily with the most dangerous being in the entire universe. The more treacherous part of him and some of the minds told him was trust. It was because the thief had the utmost faith and unbreakable trust in him that he willing left himself vulnerable in his presence.

And that did not sit very well with Alex...

Because he, on the hand, could not trust himself anymore...

Ten hours later...

Maverick Manor.

Alex kept his face as stoic as possible before one of the servants waiting by the gate opened the carriage's door for him and Gabriel. The thief thanked the young servant with a smile before he leaned in close to him to whisper in his ear. 'Do not act so tense, Zeus. You look like you are expecting a fight. You'll scare our prey if you keep up like this.'

'And you're too relaxed,' Alex shot back as his eyes kept scanning the party site. 'We're here for YOUR job, so YOU better stay SOBER and FOCUS.'

Gabriel made a dramatic sigh before he muttered in dismay, 'So serious. At least try to pretend you are here to enjoy the party, my dear patron.'

The virus rolled his eyes in annoyance and complied with the thief's demand as best as he could, but his shoulders were still tensed. He had been acting very low-key since he had joined the Brotherhood and had kept his Mohawk identity as clean from the Assassin deal as possible, so his name should be nothing more than a footnote in the Templars' target board, though helping Gabriel with his heist might shift his status from "Ignored" to "To be Eliminated" and that would mean more trouble and surveillance on him. As if he was not worried enough on Ratonhnhaké:ton's constant safety, he had to keep an eye over his shoulder as well?

He sighed in frustration at the piling up messes in his planning, then a small glass of wine was tucked under his nose, following the hand that was holding it, Alex glared at Gabriel who still wore that relaxed smirk on his face.

'Enjoy the party, no need to be so serious,' the thief whispered to him, closer than he should. They were supposed to be as incognito as possible here!

Alex took the glass, but did not drink its content and simply held it. Eyes returned to check their surroundings. So far, their host had yet to make an appearance, but knowing Maverick, she was probably occupied with milking more information out of some poor idiots. Still, they should be careful, who knew if she had been preparing for unexpected guests. After all, she was the Templars' own personal information broker.

Gabriel suddenly wrapped his arm around his neck and pulled him down until their face were pressed against each other. Alex almost gutted him if he didn't whisper urgently in his ear, 'Our host is watching.'

At that, Alex glanced up to see Lady Maverick on the balcony of her manor, fanning herself leisurely as she observed them from a distance. Or perhaps she was focused on him... To test it out, he asked Gabriel to get him another glass after he finished his in one gulp. And indeed, her sight was locked on him, even though Gabriel was heading to fetch another glass, or pretend to, because he quickly moved to infiltrate into the manor. Well, he could handle a little poisonous viper on his own.

The virus started mingling amongst the crowd when Maverick moved back inside. He doubted Gabriel would need his help, so he better not rushed in unnecessarily. As he approached the dance floor, someone asked from behind him, 'May I have this dance with you, good sir?'

Alex looked over his shoulder stared into the vibrant green eyes of one redhead. Maverick was all bright smile and alluring seduction, but neither could hide the glint of a hungry bloodlust and a scheming mind. Still, this was a game he could play. Being invulnerable to almost everything on Earth did have its perks. He gave the Templar a courteous bow and offered her his hand in invitation. 'If the lady desires so.'

Maverick's smile had taken a sharper edge as she placed her hand in his and they walked to the center of the dancefloor with many of the guests parting ways for them. Neither of them of had spoken a word even when the music had started playing and they had begun dancing. Alex was starting to question the woman's intention, a part of him almost wished that she just struck him with a needle already so he could turn her into another Karen Parker. He could handle another backstabbing woman anytime. Sadly, her death was not on his schedule and he was nothing other than a bait to keep her entertained while Gabriel was off to do his rogue thing.

'You dance very nicely,' the redhead commented lightly as they circled around each other, slow and precise like the music that was playing. 'For a man of your... heritage... I find it quite surprising. Many of my... friends... hardly even try to blend in with society.'

'I am just a man of many talents,' the virus replies, his face void of any emotion, wanting to see how she would react to his deflect and trying to see if she would reveal more information as well.

'Yes,' the lady agreed with a light laugh as she made a short twirl. 'A rather busy person you are. Rebuilding the Homestead and Brotherhood from a pile of ruins, helping your son to run a privateer business and training him on the side. It does take a man of many talents to accomplish all of these.'

Alex's expression remained stoic when the Templar spoke of Ratonhnhaké:ton, though her use of the word "son" on his charge had a rather pleasant ring to it and it also brought a strange and not wholly unpleasant feeling in his chest. He quickly sobered up when he recalled that this was an enemy speaking and she was calling Ratonhnhaké:ton his son, while it was a complete misunderstanding on her part, it did not help the young Assassin's case at all. The boy had put enough troubles on his plate with his hero complex and his goody two shoes habit. If the Templars mistook him for his son, they might plan to use him either as a perfect leverage to use against him or a perfect target to get to him...

Maverick smirked as she continued, 'Yes... perhaps that was one of the reasons why Grandmaster Kenway has taken such an interest in you.'

...Okay... That's weird switch of topic... Wait... Alex frowned as he realized the reason behind Maverick's interest in him.

Her smirk widened at his frown. 'Oh, did I struck gold after all?'

The virus merely quirked an eyebrow in questioning.

'Don't play coy with me, Iskandar,' Maverick told him as they kept on dancing to the music notes. 'You and our dearest Grandmaster share quite a history, one I would LOVE to hear.'

Alex scoffed at that. 'Why don't you ask him yourself?'

The lady's smirk was most certainly that of a cat having caught a canary as she continued, 'Of course, it's none of my business to ask such, but this makes such an INTERESTING story for some... PARTIES OF INTEREST.

'A Grandmaster of the Templar Order and a Mentor Assassin of the Brotherhood... Two sworn enemies... willing to meet each other under the same roof? There are only ever two results from such meetings, either the Assassin is a traitor to their brotherhood or the Templar proves to be a traitor to our Order...'

Alex choked out a laugh at that. Oh now that was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. Haytham? Turning his back on his beloved Order? After he had pretty much uprooted the Assassin Brotherhood a decade ago and made the whole New England a Templar territory? Haha! As if! The man was a stubborn mule to say the least, always believing his Order's ideals were the best. While not in a very condescending manner like a certain someone, it was still obvious in his subtle sale pitches in their talks.

His laughter was certainly not one that Maverick was expecting, judging by the light upward tilt from her eyebrows, and he felt awfully gleeful about it as he told her between chuckles, 'You really don't know anything about your own Grandmaster, do you Maverick? Or do you simply want it to be something that you can use to blackmail Kenway with? So the infamous Lady Maverick is actually no different from a poor little girl, grasping at straws and hoping to find a sliver of a needle in them. HOW PITIFUL.'

His words seemed to trigger something violent in the redhead as her eyes hardened to steel and all façade of fake pleasantries melted away. Her hand swiftly moved to pull out her folding fan, his eyes caught the faint glint of metal along the leaves of the object, she moved to slash his throat with her weapon, but he easily caught her wrist before it even reached his neck and moved his free arm to plunge his bio-organic hidden blade into her. Sadly before he could end her life, loud noises of glasses breaking sounded and a small panic started to spread amongst the crowd.

Gabriel. A strange and uncomfortable sensation overtook him. For once, the predator had unwillingly abandoned its prey out of an instinct that was not of his control. Still, he didn't exactly leave his prey unharmed, a small twist from him was enough to break her wrist, which would leave her with some problems to write things down for a while, if not more difficulty to wield her fan with as much grace as she did. He pushed away the men and women who were all moving to get away from the manor. The virus easily found the place where the noise came from, broken glasses were scattered all over the stone pathway and traces of blood were coating some of them and the stone, his hands clenched into fists as he switched his eyesight to that of thermal vision. Where are you, Gabriel?

His enhanced eyesight caught the trace of one body heat in the distance. When Alex reached it, with his vision returning back to normal, he saw Gabriel propped against a rock with a couple of corpses around him.

'Hey, Gabriel, now it's not nap time,' Alex announced as he knelt down next to his friend, but the thief remained unconscious and still. The uncomfortable feeling was growing as he put his hand on Gabriel's shoulder and shook him, the action caused his unconscious friend to fall against him, revealing a small dart on his shoulder, which the virus quickly removed, finding his fingers coated in a black viscous liquid from touching the tip. Poison. Shit!

Alex quickly picked up the thief in his arms and dashed away, heading for a secluded place far away from the manor. In his head, he was recalling the three rules of dealing with poisons: get rid of the poison, stop its effects and remedy the aftermath. He didn't waste time when he stopped by a river, away from any potential pursuit attempt, he tore off the part of the clothing where the poison dart had punctured the thief, Gabriel could complain and flirt with him later, and he checked the skin's condition. Faint black veins around the swelled puncture. Alex gently pushed his fingers against the swelling, watching black and yellow liquid oozed out from the hole, he did it until nothing is coming out. He tore off a piece of Gabriel's cape and dipped it into the water, he went to clean up the skin with it before he moved to the second step. Closing his eyes, he focused solely on turning his index into small tendrils, then he brought them close to his friend's wound, letting them slowly slipped into his body. He had to concentrate really hard to prevent his base instinct from going to devour the thief from inside out.

The virus easily found the poison pockets that lingered within the muscles, draining them from the human body and clearing it of the remaining venom. As soon as he was certain that nothing harmful remained in Gabriel, he quickly but carefully extracted himself from his friend's shoulder. Sighing in relief as he removed his coat and covered his unconscious friend's half nude body before he picked him up once more and set out for his room back in the tavern.

As Alex walked towards the general direction where Philadelphia was located, he couldn't help but let his mind wandered and the most pressing thing that appeared in his mind, first and foremost, was Gabriel. The sight of his friend, who was usually cheerful with glee and almost always full of energy, lying there broken and dying. It just made him uncomfortable. He couldn't put a word to this discomforting feeling and it just frustrated him to no end.

'Stop frowning so much or you'll get wrinkles, my dear Zeus.'

Alex didn't stop or look at the speaker, a smile reached his lips once more this night, as he replied, 'Well, glad to see that a poison doesn't stop you from being a jester.'

Gabriel coughed out a laugh at his words as he went on his usual wisecrack mood. 'At least I am the court jester of a god.'

The virus scoffed at the poor joke before silence returned once more. The only difference was Alex feeling like he needed to say something and said something he did. Something that was unbecoming to his violent and merciless Blacklight's image. 'I am glad that you are alright, Gabriel. That was... too close for comfort...'

The thief just laughed softly at his words as he wrapped his arms around his neck and replied with a small smile, 'Well, isn't this adorable? The mighty god has finally shown that he cares for my hide. I'm flattered.'

Alex rolled his eyes at the flirt. Well, at least he's back to normal now.

'I am human, you know. So of course, I'll care whether you die or not,' the virus tells him with a light shake of his head.

When silence was all he was getting, Alex stopped and glanced down at his friend who was resting his head on his shoulder, a look of hesitation on his face, Curious, he decided to ask him what was bugging him and the reply he received was unexpected to say the least.

'You care, but you are not human.'

The virus froze at that. The uncomfortable feeling he had previously turned heavy and seemed to be devouring him from the inside. It was almost like two instincts were clashing within him. One that demanded him to devour his friend to keep his secret safe. The other that wished to leave him and everything else and run to a place where no one knew who he was.

Alex couldn't stop the flinch from the sudden and unexpected touch from the thief who had cupped the side of his face, in a manner that seemed more fitting towards a lover than a friend. His black eyes were on Gabriel's serene and comforting smile.

'Don't wear such a sad expression on your face, Zeus. It makes it really hard for me to not fall for you further,' Gabriel told him teasingly before his expression turned serious. 'It truly doesn't matter to me or Giry whether you are human or not. We have known that you are not like us. Your eyes...' He swiped his thumb gently under his right eye. 'They hold the age of an old soul, yet your body hasn't aged like us. I know not whether you are a cursed being or an immortal god who walks amongst us, but I do know you, Zeus, my dearest friend, my trusted partner in crime and the only man who ever rejects my love.'

'You can act and pretend that you are nothing but a heartless killer who thinks of nothing other than himself, perhaps it is because people have once painted you as such that you yourself have started to believe in their words and have sought to play the role that they have given you. But I do not believe it, neither does Giry or the child you've raised or any of the habitants in Homestead. You have a good soul in here,' Gabriel continued, tapping his fingertips on his chest, right where a human heart was supposed to be located if Alex was actually a normal human being. 'Believe in that, Zeus.'

Alex couldn't stop the scoff from escaping as he replied cynically, 'You won't say that if you have seen what I am.'

Gabriel hummed lightly at that before his usual "I have a plan" smile appeared and he declared, 'Then let's make a promise. If I ever see your true form and remain unafraid, you'll have to let me stay with you until the end.'

'...That sounds more like a weird wedding proposal, thief,' Alex remarked with an unimpressed look at his friend.

Gabriel smirked flirtingly at that. 'Well if that's what you want to believe it is! I am serious though. And don't mistake my intention of wanting immortality or power. I am not interested in those things. I just... don't want you to feel like you are going to end up all alone in this world, just watching everyone moving on with life while you remain forever the same. So if possible, I want to be by your side until the very end.'

Alex was speechless at that and it was only now that he had also realized that he had never actually been alone since he had landed in this era. The Kanien'kehá:ka, their gang and Homestead. He had always been surrounded by people... Gabriel had dug up something that he had chosen to ignore for a very long time. He had always told himself that he would deal with the loneliness when everyone he had ever came to care about were all dead. He guessed having consumed so many human beings had caused one of its base natures and needs to take root in him without him realizing it. The need of... Companionship... Like actual physical people and not just the minds of people he had consumed over the years.

The Blacklight virus stood still and silent, contemplating this offer for a while. Gabriel had no idea what being with him meant or what he would lose with this promise. He should just ignore it and pretend that this offer was nothing more than a delirious talk from the poison. Still, it did not stop this part of him that held this desire to seal this deal. The promise of a permanent companionship was... tempting.

In the end, he replied in a faint whisper, 'Alright. When the time comes, I'll let you stick around until the end...'

'Until the end...' Gabriel repeated with a content smile, seemingly not caring what kind of consequence his vow might bring him.

To the dear readers who continue to come back for this story, I apologize for the constant long delay of updates, life is full of difficulties for each and every one of us, but I try my best to finish a new chapter. I thank everyone who supports and loves this story of mine and I hope you have enjoyed the new chapter greatly.