Okay so this is the first time I'm posting a fanfiction and also the first time I'm really writing a fanfiction like this. This story will also be up on Archive of Our Own, but I would like some feed back on this please. I'd appreciate if the feed back isn't flaming but you know if you wanna be a dick and flame me go right ahead I've heard it all at this point in my time writing fanfiction from people I considered my own friends so you internet flamers ain't going to even bother me :P anyway hope you guys enjoy if I get a review or a couple views I'll post the second chapter I have set up.

Desmond had always believed the gods were against him from the moment he'd been born. From being born into a family who were part of an occultist group, who he discovered later weren't as crazy as they sounded, to the three names that were printed boldly on his skin right over his heart. He'd always wondered who were the owners of the names printed there. Always silently wondering who Altair could be, where Ezio might be at and what decent Ratonhnhake:ton hailed from to have such a unique name. But he was cursed to be trapped on the farm forever, that is until he didn't want that anymore so at sixteen he left it all behind hoping and praying maybe he'd find just one of the ones who's name marked his skin.

However, he never found them in all the nine years he'd been away from the farm. Not until Abstergo had captured him. It was then he realized the gods truly did hate him, they had cursed him to be born hundreds of years after the very first name over his heart. Altair. He'd been an assassin of Masyaf in the twelfth century and the one to rebuild the brotherhood after Al Mualim's betrayal. Desmond couldn't believe his luck, to be cursed to see one of his soul mates all the while knowing there was never a chance of him meeting him. What killed him even more was unlike Desmond, Altair only had one name on his skin. The inside of his left arm held the dark scrawl of Desmond's name on Altair and going through his memories knowing that Altair would never know him destroyed the young man.

It wasn't long after he'd finished going through Altair's memories that Lucy had freed Desmond from Abstergo and taken him to fellow Assassin's by the names of Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane. From there he decided to continue helping by going into the memories of his next ancestor. Needless to say Desmond instantly desynchronized with him the moment he heard his name and refused to go back into the memories for the rest of the day, much to Shaun's frustration. It had taken all his will power not to break down the moment he was alone. He couldn't understand why the gods had cursed him not once but twice. How could both Altair and Ezio be destined for him, when he was cursed into a time where they were long dead and gone.

By the next day Desmond had pulled himself together, but it had pained him none the less to go through all the pain Ezio had to live through. He was once again gifted with the view of his name on a part of Ezio's skin, on the Italian man's right wrist, and like Altair it was the only name on the man's skin. By this point Desmond was afraid to even go into another ancestor's memory in fear that he would only discover that they carried the final name on his chest, Ratonhnhake:ton. He didn't know if he could take the heart shattering pain of discovering the final name might also belong to a man who was long dead. Instead he focused on the hunt for the very Piece of Eden Ezio had hidden away in his memories.

He and his group had found it easy enough, right where Ezio had sealed it away. Sighing as he looked around, Desmond was the first to actually approach the object. It was just a gold orb with strange markings on it, but he could feel the strange power that seemed to be coming off of it and it made him shiver. Pulling himself together, Desmond stepped forward and reached out for the Apple of Eden. The moment his hand touched it, the entire room exploded with a brilliant golden white light that forced Desmond and his group cry out and cover their eyes. Desmond vaguely heard the sound of Lucy calling his name in fear for him, but he was too busy shielding his eyes to respond.

As the light faded, Desmond slowly removed his arms from his eyes and blinked in confusion. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he hadn't gone anywhere. He was still in the vault and he could hear the others behind him shuffling around and whining in confusion as they tried to recover as well. Scanning the area in confusion, Desmond was taken by surprise as someone tackled into him full force and knocked him to the ground. Before he had the chance to react he felt a sharp blade against his throat. His eyes immediately snapped into focus to look up at his enemy only to widen in surprise and confusion at who kneeled over him.

The person didn't look much older then when Desmond had last seen him in the animus, with his white assassin's robes and his hood pulled close over his head. The same scar over his lip and honey colored eyes glaring down at the younger man with his ever constant scowl on his face.

"Who are you and what am I doing here?!" The man above Desmond demanded in Arabic. Desmond couldn't answer though, his voice had been stolen from him by the realization that Altair Ibn La 'Ahad was standing over him. He couldn't tell if maybe he'd passed out or not, but the brief glance in the others direction quickly shattered that thought. Before his friends stood two other men, one wore a familiar assassin outfit that Desmond recalled from the Animus and the swiftly spoken Italian confirmed his suspicions as he recognized Ezio Auditore's voice. The second figure was unfamiliar to Desmond however, but if the hooded outfit was any indication, the man had to be an assassin as well.

"Answer me!" The sudden demand from Altair, snapped Desmond's gaze back to the Syrian.

"My name's Desmond and I have no idea what you are doing or how you got here!" Desmond spat out in frantic Arabic as he felt Altair's hidden blade press closer to his neck.

The man above him froze at the name and Desmond took the chance to make sure his friends were unharmed. He wasn't surprised to see Ezio had frozen at his name as well, but the other man had done the same.

"You lie!" Ezio shouted in Arabic confusing both himself and Desmond. Ezio didn't know Arabic let alone how to speak it and yet he just had.

"I'm not lying, I swear!" Desmond shouted in Italian hoping that maybe if he spoke Ezio's native language he'd trust his words just a bit.

"Desmond are you okay!" Lucy called pulling all the men's attention to her.

"Just don't move Lucy, I'm fine!" Desmond called back, trying to hold back the urge he had to throw Altair off and rush to his friend's aid. He forced himself to lay beneath Altair without struggling, knowing that he had no chance against the Grandmaster of Masyaf.

"Show me your names?"

The sound of the third man speaking in English had Desmond's head snap sideways to look at him in surprise. Desmond tried to see if he could get a look at the third man's face, hoping maybe he could recognize him from any of the memories he'd gone through in the Animus, but the man was hidden by his hood.

"Yes, show us the name you carry?" Ezio demanded crossing his arms over his chest. Desmond glanced to him then to Altair, wondering if the Syrian would even allow him to get up to do as he was being asked. He was legitimately surprised when said Syrian retracted his hidden blade and stood up. Desmond slowly sat up, not wanting to make any sudden movements in case Altair changed his mind about letting him up. Once he was up he glanced at his friends in fear, he'd never shown the names to anyone not even his parents and he especially didn't want his friends seeing it now.

"Show us?" Altair asked coldly, pulling Desmond's attention to him.

Sighing in defeat, Desmond reached up behind his head and started tugging his hoodie off. This was the first time he'd ever wished he actually wore something underneath the article of clothing instead of going shirtless like he had today. Pushing past his worry he pulled the hoodie all the way off and pooled the article in his lap before straightening and moving his arms so they all could see the three names that were scrawled over his heart. The three men froze at the sight while his friends gasped in surprise at the names on his chest.

"Desmond why didn't you ever say anything?" Rebecca asked in shock as the man in question closed his eyes.

"I didn't think it was relevant, besides let's be honest the fact I had Ezio's name wouldn't have stopped any of you from having me go through his memories to find the Apple." Desmond replied tiredly.

As intrusive as he felt when he'd gone through Altair and Ezio's memories, it had been the only way he'd been able to learn about two of the men who were supposed to be destined for him. At least that is until they quite literally appeared right before him. Desmond slowly opened his eyes nearly jumping out of his skin as he found the three men kneeling around him. Altair had knelt between his legs, with Ezio to his right and the other man to his left. It took all of Desmond's will power not to move back out of reflex as Altair reached one of his hands out to run his fingers over the names on his chest. The younger man couldn't stop the shiver that ran down his spine at the feeling of the Syrian's fingers on his bare skin.

"You know this is swell and all, but how the hell are they here?!" Shaun blurted out, pulling Desmond's attention to him instantly.

He felt Altair freeze in his movements, while Ezio and the other man discreetly turned their heads to glare at the Brit from under their hoods.

"That is a good question. We were here to retrieve the Apple and for some reason they appeared after it activated." Lucy said thoughtfully, her hand against her chin.

"Perhaps we shouldn't think about it here? We should head back to the safe house and store the apple away." Rebecca suggested glancing over at the four men still on the floor of the vault. That snapped Desmond out of his silence as he swiftly shot to his feet, making Altair flinch slightly. Ignoring the Syrian's reaction for the moment, Desmond pulled his hoodie back on and swiftly stepped past the men knelt around him to snatch the Apple up from the floor. He'd dropped it when Altair had tackled him, which, now that he thought about it, was probably the whole reason he'd been tackled in the first place.

"Becca's right, we should head back to Monteriggioni before we try figuring out what's happening." Desmond agreed, shoving the Apple into his hoodie pocket.

At the mention of Monteriggioni, Ezio shot to his feet and looked to Desmond curiously. The other two stood more slowly, clearly unsure of whether they should trust the other three with Desmond.

"Are these people allies of yours, tesoro?" Ezio asked as he stepped closer to Desmond.

"What? Oh, yeah, that's Lucy, Rebecca and Shaun." Desmond replied absently as he stepped away from the Italian to move closer to the still thoughtful Lucy.

"Luce, now's not the time to think about this." Desmond urged, snapping her from her thoughts.

"Right, let's go." Lucy said absently and led the way towards the exit.

Desmond was about to follow after her, when he felt a hand grab his arm, causing him to jerk slightly at the sudden stop of his motions. He turned to find the unnamed man had grabbed his arm and was watching him from under his white hood.

"Where are you taking us?" The man demanded gently, with Altair nodding behind him.

"A safe house. Ezio will know it well, though it's nothing compared to what it was in his memories, we've been using it to hide from Abstergo." Desmond replied.

"Abstergo?" Altair asked curiously, making Desmond look at him in surprise. He didn't know Altair could understand English, shaking the thought to focus he sighed.

"Look I'd love to stand around and explain this all right now, but we have to move if we don't want them to figure out we were here. Once we start heading to the Villa I'll try to explain everything I can and answer any questions you all have." Desmond answered, slipping free to follow the others to the exit. It was then he realized he still needed to ask the final mans name and quickly stopped to turn to him.

"I'm afraid I've only ever been through Ezio and Altair's memories, so you are unfamiliar to me. What is your name?" Desmond asked.

He received a slight frown from the man, before it turned into a slight smirk.

"My name is Ratonhnhake:ton, but I find others can more easily pronounce my Colonial name, Connor Kenway." The man replied. Desmond tensed at the mention of the first name and stared at the man, before he laughed hysterically. The other three men stared at him questioningly as Desmond doubled over laughing while covering his eyes with one of his hands.

"It fucking figures!" Desmond laughed out harshly, receiving concerned gazes from the men.

"Two of the names was bad enough, but all three?! Damn the gods must absolutely despise me!" Desmond spat angrily as he straightened, his face having twisted into one of anger. Altair was the first to step forward and place a hand on the younger man's shoulders.

"Are you alright, habibi?" He asked gently.

Desmond simply shook his head and turned towards the exit to keep heading forward.

"It wouldn't matter if I was or not..." Desmond muttered, unaware that all three men had heard him. Altair frowned to the others before they all followed after the man.

The ride back to the Auditore Villa was long and tiring for Desmond as he jumped between talking in Arabic, English and Italian while he spoke to the three Assassins. The hardest part had been getting them into the van that he and his friends had used to get to the Vault that held the Apple, but once he convinced them it was like a carriage without horses they climbed in without complaint clearly trusting the man who carried their names. He explained everything to them. From his life on the farm, to leaving, to Abstergo and living through two of the three men's memories; occasionally dealing with the insulting comments from Shaun without an argument. It was nearly dawn when Desmond felt himself finally and unwillingly nod off in the back of the Van. He was exhausted from all the time he'd spent in the Animus the weeks before, the nightmares that had plagued him from the bleeding effect and the events of that evening.

However, it seemed sleep was not to be his that morning because, Shaun suddenly slammed on the brakes and Desmond instantly lurched forward and his head hit the side of the van. Groaning, the man barely registered the three men around him shouting at the driver in an angry mix of English, Arabic and Italian while the Brit muttered back something about Desmond not pulling his weight. Desmond growled, but didn't try and argue it. He was used to being insulted and pushed around, and far too tired to put up any kind of fight he might have usually given. He got out of the van and was closely followed by the three Assassins.

"What is the matter with that bastardo?!" Ezio asked angrily as he glared back at where Shaun was getting out of the Van with the girls.

"And who does he think he is insulting Desmond like that?" Connor inquired angrily, barely registering his sudden Italian speech.

"If he says one more thing about habibi being a pathetic excuse for an assassin, he's going to be joining his maker." Altair muttered angrily.

"Shaun's always like that, and he's not wrong compared to the effort the others put in all I do is sit around in a chair running around through someone's memories." Desmond replied stopping the yawn that had threatened to break his sentence.

By now the young American had gotten used to the fact the three men seemed capable of not only understand the three different languages they spoke but also speak them all perfectly.

"Habibi, if what you told us is true, then you are putting far more at risk by simply going into this-Animus was it- and dealing with the side effects of its use." Altair stated firmly, easily switching from Italian to Arabic.

"That still doesn't change the fact I'm a pathetic excuse for an Assassin, even with the bleeding effect I'm no where near being a well trained assassin. Any fighting we've done I've gotten out with only scratches merely on luck nothing more." Desmond replied in Italian, his mind was too tired to try and switch the language at the moment.

"I have to agree with Altair on this one, you are putting more at risk by having these side effects then that bastardo does looking over the invention." Ezio shot back, sticking to Italian like Desmond.

Desmond sighed tiredly, not wanting to push the argument. After all, once they were back inside he'd probably be going back in the Animus again. He needed as much energy as he could muster for it.

"Desmond?" The sound of Connor calling his name gently, had the young American turning to the Native slightly, "Are you alright? Perhaps you should rest?" As if hearing the suggestion all the way from where he was talking with Rebecca and Lucy, Shaun came stalking over with a scowl on his face.

"The slacker has to get in the Animus, we may have the Piece of Eden, but we need to finish going through Ezio's memories to see if there's any clues to the others or what these could possibly lead to." Shaun said flatly, receiving nothing but an exhausted sigh from Desmond. By now the young man was so used to being used by his own friends that he really didn't care that they seemed to pay little to no care to the fact he was slowly falling apart.

However, the three new men seemed to not agree with Shaun's views and before Desmond could answer the Brit, he found himself staring at their backs as they seemed to make a physical wall between him and the red head.

"He's exhausted. He needs to rest before you start throwing him into that thing." Connor stated firmly, receiving confirming nods from the other two.

"We don't have time for him to laze about, if the rest of us can pull all nighters for days in a row so can he. All he does is sit in the chair anyway it's not like he does anything else. He'll be fine, now Desmond go stash the Apple and meet us in the Animus room." Shaun shot back, starting to walk past them towards the Villa. Before he could however, Ezio's hand shot out and grabbed Shaun by the front of his shirt.

"If you want to live to see tomorrow I suggest you let our tesoro rest." Ezio spat out angrily, his Italian accent easily accentuating the English words he spoke.

Desmond's eyes widen in surprise and he was about to step forward to help the Brit, when the feeling of a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Glancing back, his curious gaze met Altair's shadowed gaze. The Syrian shook his head at the younger, and slightly shorter, man before looking back at Shaun and Ezio. Turning back too, Desmond was surprised to see Shaun nod with fearful wide eyes, while Rebecca and Lucy stood back slightly in fear for the Brit.

"Good." Ezio said flatly, dropping Shaun with a slight shove, making the Brit nearly knock over Lucy. Desmond was about to tell Ezio that the girls hadn't done anything when he was turned around by Altair and quickly herded towards the Villa by all three Assassins. Ezio led the way inside with Desmond trapped between Connor and Altair, who had a grip on each of his arms.

"Which room are you staying in tesoro?" Ezio asked as he turned back to the younger man in the entrance way.

"We're kind of staying wherever we drop, but I prefer to stay down in the sanctuary." Desmond replied, his cheeks growing hot.

He stayed down in the sanctuary for only one reason and that reason was the statue of Altair that was down there. It was the only place Desmond could pretend he felt the Syrian's presence, along with the occasional times when he'd wake up and the bleeding effect would grace him with a ghostly image of Ezio walking around the sanctuary.

"Very well, to the Sanctuary then." Ezio replied, turning and leading the other three through the Villa and to the entrance to the sanctuary. Desmond let him self be steered by Connor as Altair was forced to release his arm due to the lack of space down the passage way. The moment they reached the underground sanctuary though, Connor stopped and released Desmond's arm. Glancing at the Native, the American wasn't surprised to find Connor glancing around in awe at the room before he eagerly walked up to inspect one of the seven statues. Curious as well Altair stepped past Desmond and walked up to the statue in the middle, his statue. Desmond watched them for a moment before Ezio stepped up to him.

"Where do you rest tesoro?" Ezio asked, curiously looking around for a place for someone to sleep at.

"On that." Desmond replied, pointing to the cot he had set up not far from Altair's statue, "It's not the most comfortable thing to sleep on, but better than the floor."

Ezio followed his pointing finger and nodded, before taking Desmond's arm. The American bit back a squeak of surprise as he was suddenly pulled towards the cot.

"Then you should get some rest. You look dead on your feet." Ezio suggested stopping by the cot and gently pushing Desmond to sit on it. He didn't fight the firm hold as he sat down on the cot with a tired sigh. Running a hand over his face, Desmond fought back a yawn before glancing at the Syrian and Native who were still looking around at the statues curiously. It appeared Altair was no longer interested in his statue and had moved on to the one at the far end while Connor had taken Altair's place to examine the center statue.

"Desmond can I inquire as to why you would wish to stay down here?" Connor asked, speaking in Italian.

"The other's don't come down here unless they want me for the Animus, you don't have to keep speaking a foreign language Connor." Desmond replied finally switching back to English himself as he fought another yawn, "As for why I stay down here, I can sleep easier down here. It's hard to explain why."

The Native nodded in understanding and moved over to where Desmond sat with Ezio standing in front of him. Seeming to notice the others gathering around the American, Altair joined them and leaned against the wall just behind Desmond's cot.

"You guys don't have to stay down here, I'm just going to get a few hours of sleep before Shaun comes bitching and then I'll be in the Animus for the rest of the day." Desmond said as he tiredly collapsed on his side on the cot.

"We'll stay until you are asleep tesoro, then I shall give these two a tour while you rest." Ezio replied firmly. Desmond shrugged at them his exhaustion finally consuming him as he let his eyes fall shut. He heard the barely audible sound of the three around him shifting and barely registered the feeling of a hand in his hair before his unconsciousness consumed him.

Desmond groaned as he slowly came awake. It was the first time in months he hadn't been plagued with horrible nightmares and had actually slept deeply. In fact it had been so long since he'd slept that well that he was a bit disoriented by it. Pulling out his phone from his pocket as he sat up, he looked at the clock and was surprised to find he'd slept through the entire day yesterday and all of last night. It was now maybe seven in the morning the next day and it confused him that Shaun or one of the girls hadn't come to drag his ass from his rest. Scowling in confusion, he stood from his cot and headed up to the Villa trying to comprehend how he'd been left alone enough to actually have slept that long.

Forcing back a yawn, Desmond headed through the villa and into the kitchen area. They had brought in a table as well as a traveling stove, a small cooler and a box of a few instant food items so that they weren't always spending money on take out. He was hungry but he needed coffee first to help pull him from his disoriented state. Moving to the table, he grabbed one of the mugs there and started a fresh pot of coffee. While he waited for the coffee to finish he leaned back against the table and let his eyes scan the room. Eventually his eyes fell on a ghostly figure of Altair as it literally materialized through the wall. By this point he was so used to these images and how real they appeared to him that he legitimately jumped and shouted in surprise when the actual man walked through the door way and straight through the ghostly image.

Altair stopped in his tracks at Desmond's shout and looked at the younger man in concern. Desmond sighed and tried to calm his racing heart as his mind finally caught up with everything that had happened. He'd been so surprised by having slept so long and disoriented by it he'd completely forgotten Altair and the other two were even here.

"Are you alright, Desmond?" Altair asked in Arabic, his voice sounding concerned for the younger man.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You...ugh you just surprised me is all. Not used to seeing more then one of you at a time." Desmond replied turning to the coffee pot and pouring some into a mug.

"More than one of me?" Altair sounded confused by Desmond's statement and the American couldn't blame him. Those who didn't know how the Bleeding Effect works wouldn't understand that he was talking about the ghostly images of Altair and Ezio that seemed to be a constant presence around him.

"Yeah. The ugh...the bleeding effect kinda makes me see images of you and Ezio waltzing around so, watching you walk straight through a ghostly version of you kinda freaked me out for a second." Desmond replied reluctantly, quickly taking a long drink from his coffee, "Not to mention I was so thrown off about sleeping all the way into the next day that I kinda forgot you and the others were here. I'm guessing Lucy and the others haven't found a way to send you home then?"

Altair tilted his head at Desmond's question and scowled. It was clear the Syrian wasn't pleased by the question, though Desmond couldn't fathom why, instead of pushing it he took another drink of his coffee. As he did so, Connor strode into the kitchen and stopped when he noticed Desmond.

"Ah, good to see you are awake Desmond. You look well rested." The native said with a smile. Unlike Altair, Connor had pushed his hood down and Desmond was able to take in his Mohawk like hair cut that suited his Native features and even accented his handsome face. Yet as Desmond looked at the young assassin he could tell that their was a naiveté to his face that he almost envied.

"I am. Which is what I'm wondering about. There's no way Shaun or the girls would've let me sleep that long. Did something happen?" Desmond inquired curiously looking to the Native. He wasn't worried that anything bad had happened, he doubted anyone would've let him keep sleeping if there had been any kind of danger to any of them.

Connor glanced at Altair for a moment, making Desmond do the same, but the Syrian seemed to quickly occupy himself with looking around to avoid their gazes. Desmond looked back to Connor as he sighed.

"We have been keeping them all at bay. Ezio has threatened more then once to dismember that red haired gentleman and the girls haven't even tried to press the subject." Connor explained sheepishly, quickly pulling his hood up to hide his face somewhat. Desmond blinked at him for a moment, not sure what to say to his explanation. Deciding he needed a moment, he finished the cup of coffee and then poured another before silently offering to the other two by holding the pot up. Both men shook their heads and Desmond put the pot back before taking a drink of his now full cup.

"Alright then, so why would you three be keeping them at bay? I told you I only needed to sleep a few hours." Desmond asked. He wasn't angry, just genuinely curious about their actions.

"You were exhausted habibi, we thought you could use more then a few hours of rest. We simply ensured that you got as much as you needed." Altair replied, easily slipping to English to speak with the two men properly.

Desmond stared at Altair with slightly wide eyes and blinked a few times in shock. Never once in all his life had anyone been genuinely concerned for him like Altair sounded in that moment. It honestly surprised him that men he had met just yesterday for the first time were so concerned for his well being in such a short amount of time.

"You don't have to worry about me, I'm honestly used to it. Besides with the possibility of the end of the world coming up, I don't have time to be sleeping an entire day away." Desmond stated calmly. However, instead of easing the two men both of them simply scowled at him and crossed their arms over their chests.

"Sorry Desmond, but we are already extremely worried for you. Your fellow Assassin's behavior and treatment towards you alone is enough to worry us." Connor stated flatly.

"Add on the fact you are clearly having your mind slowly ripped apart every time you get in that device and we have even more reason to be concerned." Altair added.

"They are right tesoro. You may say we need not worry, but that is indeed the main reason we should worry." The sound of Ezio's voice had Desmond turning slightly to see the Italian leaning against the doorway he'd come through earlier.

Ezio was watching him carefully with a scowl to match the others etched on his face. The expressions simply made Desmond sigh and shake his head at them.

"I'm fine really. I understand the others reasons to push me as much as they do. We're on a time limit and if we don't get the information we need before that time limit is up it could mean the end of everything we know. And the Animus is the only way we can get those answers." Desmond stated solemnly. He hated the fact that the fate of the world was quite literally on his shoulders and that because of it he was forced to slowly lose his mind every time he laid down in the Animus. However, he refused to just stand by and let the world end, if he could do something to stop it then he damn sure was going to. The sudden feeling of an arm coming around his waist made, Desmond jump and he barely managed to catch himself before he spilt his coffee. Snapping back to reality, he stared wide-eyed at Altair who had moved in front of him, his hood pushed back.

The American was confused for a moment as Altair silently set his forehead against his, but the moment he did Desmond felt all the tenseness in his body melt away. He couldn't explain why, it just did like having Altair that close to him was all it took to calm his nerves.

"There are other ways to save the world habibi other then slowly destroying your own mind." Altair muttered softly, his honey colored eyes locked on Desmond's own brown gaze.

"If we had other ways we wouldn't be putting me in the Animus every day." Desmond replied with a sigh.

"Do you really believe that your supposed companions would truly take the more difficult route when they can simply get all the answers they need to find by using you?" Connor asked sternly, appearing on Desmond's left side so he could set his hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"Why wouldn't they? They know what the Bleeding Effect does to me, if they thought there was another way then they'd take it." Desmond said defensively, pulling back from Altair slightly to glance at the Mohawkian, however the Syrian never released his waist.

"You said it yourself, tesoro, you are used to the treatment they give you. As well as having dealt with this from the Templars before joining your fellow assassins to find the Piece of Eden. Why would they try to hunt for another way when you were already so compliant to go in the Animus and find the answer much faster for them." Ezio agreed with Connor as he moved to Desmond's other side and set his hand on Desmond's head.

For a moment, Desmond was going to snap at all of them and tell them that the others had been his support as well as his friends since his escape from Abstergo, but he held his tongue. As their words slowly sunk in, Desmond found his stomach sinking at the thought of them only using the Animus because it was the easy way to find their answers. But he couldn't understand why they would do that. His mind was literally slowly spiraling into an insanity that he couldn't ever return from if he lost himself in it. So why would they risk that happening to him if there was another way?

Desmond felt his body start to tremble at the possibility that Shaun and the girls were putting him through hell simply to get what they needed out of him. They were supposed to be his friends, his allies, they weren't supposed to be just as bad as the bastards who had dragged him into this shit in the first place. As his thoughts continued to swirl, he felt his shoulders sag and the men around him shifted a bit closer to him. Desmond felt Ezio lay his head against his own, Connor slipped his arm around his shoulders and squeezed him slightly while Altair wrapped his free arm around Desmond's waist as well before pulling him a little closer.

"Do not worry Desmond, we won't let anything happen to you." Connor muttered quietly in Arabic.

The American nodded slightly at the Mohawkian's words, finding comfort in the touch of the three men around him. He couldn't help but wonder if this was how he was supposed to feel with his Soul mates. Was this how everyone felt when they found the one who's name they bore? He wasn't sure if it was, but in that moment he didn't care, he enjoyed their comfort and basked in the fact that someone was actually concerned about him.

"Desmond is that you, I hear in here?!" The sound of Lucy calling pulled Desmond from his moment of comfort and had the other three men pulling back slightly. Altair and Connor didn't release their holds, but Ezio did pull his head up so he could turn to watch the blonde woman walk into the kitchen. Lucy stopped mid-step as she noticed the scene before her.

"Oh, ugh, I'm sorry didn't mean to interrupt..." Lucy said apologetically, glancing at Desmond for help. However, Desmond had no help to offer, he understood the three men's hostility now and he wasn't planning on squashing it either.

Seeming to notice she'd receive no help from the youngest male, Lucy fidgeted slightly while glancing between them.

"Well ugh, you look well rested now. Do you think you will be ready for the Animus once you are done in here?" Lucy asked, trying not to appear afraid of the three clearly very skilled assassins.

"No." Desmond replied flatly, as Connor and Altair's arms tightened around him.

"No?" Lucy asked in surprise, "Desmond we don't have time for you to rest anymore we have to find more Pieces of Eden before the Templars do and find more about the event Minerva informed Ezio about."

"And I said no." Desmond shot back, glaring at the woman slightly, "We'll find them another way."

"If we could find them another way we would've done so by now." Lucy shot back in frustration.

"Would you have. You never told me about you ever trying to find other ways, you only told me that the Assassins need me to find the Pieces of Eden. You said that I needed to keep going into the Animus so that we could find them before the Templars, never once did you tell me there was no other options just that that was MY only option to help find them." Desmond spat back, pulling free from the three men to stalk over to the blonde.

Lucy stumbled back slightly at his sudden and hostile approach, but clearly wasn't as afraid of him as she was the other three males. She suddenly straightened and glared at him.

"I didn't mention it because there is no other option, we need you to go through the memories to find the Pieces of Eden and stop the end of the world we have no other choice." Lucy said firmly.

"And I'm saying you better find one, because I refuse to get into that machine until I have been shown that there is absolutely no other option." Desmond replied, his voice resembling a growl. Lucy stared at him shocked, before glancing past him to the other three men and back again.

"Is this because of them?" Lucy asked quietly, though Desmond knew all three men could most likely hear her, "Did they make you think we knew of another way?"

"Even if they did, it doesn't matter I want you to find another way. Until then I'm not getting anywhere near the Animus not unless you plan to drug me up just like Abstergo." Desmond spat back not bothering to lower his voice.

Lucy stared at him as if she believed him to be crazy before shaking her head and stepping back from him.

"I'm contacting William. We don't have time for you to be acting like a child." Lucy said angrily, pulling out a cell phone. Desmond tensed at the mention of his father and had to force himself not to smack the cell from the blonde's hand. Seeming to notice his sudden tension, the other three men immediately stocked over, making Lucy back up as she dialed a number. Desmond held out his arm stopping Ezio from advancing on the blonde while Altair and Connor stopped behind him.

"Go ahead and call him Lucy but unless you plan to drug me, I'm not changing my mind." Desmond stated calmly, as she pressed the phone to her ear. It was clear the woman thought calling his father was going to scare him into doing exactly what she wanted, but he wasn't. He had a horrible relationship with his father and he sure as hell wasn't going to let the bastard push him around anymore. He wasn't sixteen anymore, and he wasn't exactly alone in his stance.

Lucy huffed and spoke into the phone as she turned away, but Desmond vaguely heard her say his father's name before she continued down the hall. Desmond glared after her, but quickly relaxed as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright Desmond?" Connor asked, gently. The American took a deep breath and let it out slowly before nodding. He was alright, a bit tense and not looking forward to dealing with his father, but alright none the less.

"I refuse to be pushed around anymore." Desmond said firmly, turning to the three men.

"Who is this William, she spoke of?" Altair asked calmly, crossing his arms over his chest. Desmond sighed slightly at the question and crossed his own arms.

"Remember, I told you that I grew up on a Farm for Assassins and how I didn't get along with my father?" Desmond inquired, glancing between them. They all nodded and Desmond sighed again.

"William is my father and also the Mentor of the Assassins. He's the one really wanting us to find the Pieces of Eden." Desmond explained, anger clear in his voice as he spoke of the man.

"Your father is the Mentor?!" Ezio asked in surprise. Desmond nodded, he had never understood what that had meant as a kid, however, after reliving Altair's memories he had a bit of a better understanding of it though not much.

"Why didn't you tell us this?" Connor asked curiously.

"Didn't find it important. The old man was always an Assassin first and just because he's Mentor doesn't mean I answer to him. I left when I was sixteen so I wouldn't have to take his orders, I sure as hell ain't gonna start listening to him now." Desmond replied, shifting slightly as he tried to keep from directing his anger at them.

Desmond couldn't stand his father, even now after realizing the man was right about everything he'd ever taught Desmond as a kid. He just had too much dislike and anger towards William to try to have even a little compassion for the guy and what he had to do when it came to running the Brotherhood. However, he also knew that the three men before him didn't deserve that anger, especially since they technically didn't belong in this time and knew nothing about the man. That thought seemed to pierce Desmond's heart like a knife. The three men before him were Assassins from other times and even though they were his soul mates, they still didn't belong here with him. Especially not Altair, he was the one who paved the way for the Brotherhood after Al Mualim. The Syrian was part of the cause for Ezio to bring the Brotherhood back and to build it again. And though he knew little of Connor or how he played a part in history, Desmond had no doubt he was important enough that he would need to be sent home very soon.

Desmond sighed as he realized his luck. He had finally gotten to meet all three of the men whose name he carried and he wasn't allowed to keep them in his life. He would have to make sure they made it home just so that he would exist and so that the Brotherhood could exist, and that thought completely pissed him off. He seemed to be making all the Sacrifices to save this damn world and was getting nothing in return. Guess that's what happens when you make the stupid decision to try and save the world. People didn't give you "thank yous" or rewards, you just get screwed over until you were left in the dirt licking your wounds after the battle.

Sighing to himself, Desmond straightened and moved back to the table. He'd set his coffee down when he'd stalked towards Lucy and he desperately needed something to calm his nerves.

"Habibi?" Altair called gently, making Desmond flinch. The American knew what that word meant and he knew his heart shouldn't beat faster every time he heard it.

"Stop calling me that." Desmond said, flatly as he gripped the handle of his mug tightly.

"Why? You carry my name, I do not understand why I shouldn't call you that." Altair inquired, sounding confused by Desmond's words.

"He is right tesoro, you carry our names. Using terms of endearment is only natural." Ezio agreed, sounding a bit amused.

"Because you all have to go back." Desmond stated, his voice sounding defeated, "You can't stay here. Altair, you have to go back and rebuild the Brotherhood so that when Ezio starts to do the same in his own time he has guidance from your Codex also why you have to go back Ezio. As for Connor, I don't know if I'll ever go through his memories, but I'm sure he plays a major part in helping the Brotherhood. None of you can stay here and hearing those words is just going to make it harder when you all have to leave!"

Silence filled the kitchen after Desmond's slight rant that ended with him slamming the mug on the table and nearly shattering it. He wasn't angry at them, he was angry at whatever god or gods that had decided to curse him and them like this. He couldn't understand what any of them had done to deserve this. Letting out a shaky breath, Desmond ran a hand through his hair as his shoulders slumped in defeat. He didn't want them to leave, but he knew the longer they stayed the harder it was and their endearing terms didn't help any. The sudden feeling of a pair of arms slipping around his waist made the American jump before glancing over his shoulder. Connor had been the one to brave getting close to the younger man and closely pressed himself against Desmond's back while resting his head on his shoulder.

"I've lost so much through life..." Connor muttered softly, making Desmond's heart clench in pain at his words, "I can't lose you too, Desmond."

Now that made Desmond feel even worse for blowing up. He knew what Ezio and Altair had lost and knew that they would clearly find someone who made them happy simply because of his existence. However, with Connor, he had no idea what the Mohawkian had faced or even if he was an Ancestor to Desmond so there was no way to know if he found someone that would one day make every thing a bit better. That thought made him bow his head while trying to fight the tears that threatened him. He refused to cry. His efforts quickly crumbled however when he felt Ezio and Altair on either side before they both wrapped their arms around him like Connor had. He quickly covered his eyes with one hand as tears threatened to spill over and swallowed a sob that threatened to escape him. He wouldn't cry, not because he didn't want to but because he was stronger then that. He sure as hell didn't want these three thinking him weak in the slightest. Though he doubted they would.

The sudden sound of Shaun cursing a few rooms away and the sound of stomping footsteps heading towards the kitchen pulled the four men's attention to the door way. Desmond wasn't surprised when Shaun stalked in with a pissed off expression.

"How childish can you get?!" Shaun demanded glaring at Desmond, but having enough self-preservation not to approach the American while he was surrounded by the three Assassins.

"How am I childish?" Desmond asked, his tone bored as Altair and Ezio released him to face the Brit. Connor kept his arms tightly wrapped around the American's waist, but allowed him to turn to look at Shaun.

"We don't have time to find another way to find the Temple or the other Pieces of Eden. Now stop being an over grown brat and get your ass in the Animus!" Shaun shouted angrily and pointed towards the Animus room.

"No." Desmond responded calmly, for once refusing to give in to the Brit's harsh treatment of him.

"Why the hell not?! It's not like you do anything else anyway!" Shaun demanded angrily.

"Oh? Then why don't you go into the Animus and slowly let it drive you crazy with waking up not knowing who you are and having to deal with ghostly images of people who appear real, but are only images from your mind?" Desmond asked. He felt surprisingly calm considering the Brit's usual treatment of him either pissed him off or tired him out.

Shaun's mouth suddenly snapped shut at his statement as if he was having difficulty coming up with a comeback for what Desmond had just said. Which wasn't surprising since the Brit clearly hadn't taken into consideration what Desmond truly went through to give them what they wanted.

"Because we don't need my Ancestors, we need yours!" Shaun finally fired back, though Desmond was unimpressed with the response.

"That's nice, but I'm not going into the Animus." Desmond replied, patting Connor's arm so that he'd release him to make some food. Connor slowly released him and watched as Desmond moved to the stove, pulling some things out of a box they had next to it so that he could make some of the instant noodles and stuff that they had there.

"You are only acting so high and mighty because of your damn body guards!" Shaun spat out, and Desmond could practically feel the glare burning into the back of his head.

"You three hungry?" Desmond asked nonchalantly, ignoring Shaun now.

"Si!" Ezio said happily, clearly excited by the thought of food. Altair and Connor nodded, which made Desmond switch out the pot he was originally going to use for a larger one and pulled out a few packets of five minute noodles. Weren't the healthiest for Assassin's who had to keep a constant body build, but it was food.

"Hey! Don't you ignore me, asshole!" Shaun growled angrily.

"Was I supposed to respond to your last statement?" Desmond asked flatly, glaring over his shoulder.

Shaun wasn't wrong entirely. If it wasn't for these three he'd have probably been in the Animus as soon as he'd gotten back yesterday and probably be in his first session of today by now. However, it didn't matter. Even if they were the reason he'd seen reality and finally grown a pair to tell the others to fuck off, didn't mean he had to acknowledge Shaun's bullshit.

"Tell me, would you have started any of this shit if they weren't here?" Shaun demanded as Desmond turned around while he waited for his water to boil.

"Probably not. I'd probably be in the Animus right now after having three to four sessions the day before with absolutely no sleep. I'd probably be too exhausted to argue about your insults and be more concerned about the Templar currently walking past you into the kitchen wondering if he's real or not." Desmond replied flatly. Altair and Ezio had taken seats at the table, obviously allowing Desmond to handle the Brit, but Connor had moved to stand beside the stove while Desmond cooked. He wasn't surprised, after Connor's statement a few minutes before Shaun's arrival in the kitchen Desmond was pretty sure the Mohawkian was going to be a little more attached to his side then the other two.

"So you are literally only doing this because of things they've said?" Shaun asked.

"Yes and no. Before I didn't think there was any other way but through the Animus, and most of the time I was too exhausted and worried about making sure I knew who I was to really think about the possibility. However, after a little over twenty four hours of sleep, my mind is a little clearer then it has been in a long time." Desmond replied.

Desmond turned around as he heard the water popping and opened the bags of noodles before throwing them into the pot to cook. The silence grew while he used a noodle ladle to pull the noodles apart as they cooked. He hadn't heard Shaun's footsteps so Desmond knew he was still standing in the door way, however, he was clearly waiting for Desmond to either make some sense to him or trying to think up what to say next to try and get a reaction out of the American. While the silence stretched on, Desmond threw the flavor packets into the pot and mixed it for about three minutes so that it cooked into the noodles, before pulling out four bowls from another box and serving up the bowls. He wasn't sure how the three Assassins would like the cheap and quickly cooked noodles, but it was better than them not eating anything. He handed the first bowl to Connor, who took it happily and went to sit at the table with the other two. Desmond filled two more and set each in front of Altair and Ezio before finally filling his own and turning off the stove. He sat down at the table with Connor and Altair on either side of him and quickly shoved a fork full of hot noodles into his mouth.

While he chewed he looked over at where Shaun was and found the Brit glaring at him. Desmond just stared back before turning his gaze away with a bored expression and swallowing the bite he had.

"How's the noodles?" Desmond asked, looking at the other three men around him. It took all his self control not to laugh at the mystified looks on their faces as they ate.

"It taste like chicken, yet contains no chicken." Altair said curiously.

"This is a strange soup I have never seen before what is it called?" Ezio asked as he lifted some of the noodles to his mouth. Connor simply ate them with a questioning yet pleased gaze.

"It's chicken flavored Ramen. A product produce sometime during the 1950s. Nothing fancy and not exactly the best meal, but fills the stomach so they do their job." Desmond replied, smiling as he took another bite. Altair hummed curiously and continued eating while Ezio was practically inhaling the noodles.

"Did any of you eat while I was asleep?" Desmond asked curiously as he realized all three were almost done with their bowls.

The three looked at him before sheepishly looking back down at their bowls again and Desmond shook his head slightly.

"If you guys want more I can make some more." He offered eating his, but at a much slower rate.

"It would be much appreciated tesoro." Ezio said with a nod. Desmond nodded and smiled again as all three men were now drinking down the broth in their bowls before setting them down and waiting for him to finish. All of them had completely forgotten about the Brit standing in the door way so when Shaun stepped into the kitchen the three men shot to their feet and unsheathed their blades. Desmond kept eating but glanced up and looked at the Brit. Shaun had stopped mid step and stared wide eyed at the three Assassins.

"Put the blades away please, Shaun may be a pain, but he isn't stupid enough to try anything with you three here." Desmond said before he started drinking the broth from his bowl. He heard the sound of the blades returning to their hidden sheathes and the sound of the three men sitting down.

Desmond stood once he finished the broth and quickly set to work making some more Ramen. He looked over his shoulder to see that Shaun was still frozen and the American's three Assassins still had their eyes locked on the Brit. Shaking his head a bit, at both them and the fact he had just nonchalantly referred to the three as his, Desmond set some more water to boil over the stuff before turning around.

"Would you like some as well Shaun?" He asked calmly, snapping the Brit from his frozen state. Shaun nodded, but made no attempt to move closer.

"You ever gonna call off your guard dogs?" Shaun asked as Desmond pulled out several more bags of the instant noodles.

"If you think I have any control over what a Mentor Assassin, a Master Assassin and a Mohawk Native, who happens to be an Assassin as well, do then you have lost your damn mind." Desmond said flatly. He'd been in both Ezio and Altair's head before, if they deemed Shaun as a true threat he'd be long dead no matter what Desmond had to say, the only reason they hadn't killed him was because they didn't see him as such.

"You say that and yet they seemed to listen to you just a moment ago." Shaun shot back, annoyance in his voice.

"I've been in the minds of two of the three men sitting here and I can tell you for a fact that if they saw you as a threat you'd be on the floor with your throat cut open. And nothing I'd have to say would stop them, in fact it would probably only compel them even more." Desmond replied.

Secretly Desmond was enjoying the fact the three men seemed extremely protective of him, but at the same time he wasn't helpless he could handle himself somewhat otherwise he wouldn't have lived as long as he had. However, once again, he couldn't control what they did and he was pretty sure nothing he said would stop their protective actions, in fact it would probably only make them more protective.

"Why would anything you say compel them to kill me? You saying you'd encourage it?!" Shaun demanded in fear.

"No, I'm saying they don't see you as a threat to me or them. If they did, me trying to defend you would only compel them in their attempts to make sure you didn't harm me." Desmond replied turning to throw the noodles in.

"Wow you think highly of yourself, if you believe they are that protective of you." Shaun snorted. The sound of a chair being thrown back and the Brit yelping in fear made Desmond shake his head before he looked over his shoulder. Altair had shot from his chair so quickly it had thrown it over and the Syrian was now currently holding Shaun off the ground by his shirt.

"Trust me, we are that protective of our habibi and if you continue to insult him, I will happily be the one that tears out your tongue." Altair said darkly, while Desmond started throwing in the flavor packs.

"Don't do that Altair, despite his asshole personality, we need him able to talk. He's our main intelligence guy and he kind of needs the ability to speak in order to relay information to all of us." Desmond said in Arabic.

The Syrian snorted at that, but a moment later Desmond heard the sound of Shaun being dropped to the ground and Altair's chair being picked up.

"I doubt that, Informants can relay information without needing to speak all the time. I'm sure he could survive without his tongue." Altair replied, but sounding calmer than before. Desmond chuckled slightly as he served up some of the noodles into his bowl and holding it out for Shaun to come take it. After a moment, he heard scuffling and Shaun snatched it from his hand before hurrying out of the kitchen. Desmond smirked slightly. He would be lying if he said he didn't get a slight satisfaction out of the fact Shaun had just been scared shitless. Shaking his head, he took the three bowls that still sat on the table and filled them once more before setting them in front of the three Assassins and sitting down in his previous seat. He wasn't hungry for more so he sat without a bowl this time, silently watching a ghostly Ezio stalk around the kitchen while the other three ate.

"Tesoro, are you okay?" Ezio asked, drawing Desmond's attention to the Italian.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He replied, cocking his head slightly from where it rested against his fist.

"Are you sure? You seemed to be watching something for the last few minutes." Connor asked, sounding concerned. Altair, remained silent, most likely because he had already figured out what Desmond had been watching.

"Just part of the bleeding effect, oddly enough its less real with having the actual person, whose ghostly image is walking around, sitting at the table with me then it was before." Desmond said thoughtfully.

The three Assassins looked at him curiously, but Desmond had returned to watching the ghostly Ezio already. He couldn't help it, it was a habit of his now to watch the images of Altair and Ezio in his spare time. And habits were hard to break, even with the actual men sitting right next to him.

"Do you always watch your hallucinations so intently?" Altair's question pulled Desmond's eyes to him for a moment before it returned to the very hallucination he was speaking of.

"Yes and no. By this point it's just habit, because if I'm not in the Animus or sleeping then there's not much else to do. However, when it first started I tried to ignore it as much as possible. It was painful to watch ghostly images of two people I'd wanted to meet so badly walk around just within my reach, but be unable to interact or touch them in anyway. After a while though, I craved it. Sure it was painful, but at least I got to see your faces on a regular basis. It was the only thing I found about the bleeding effect that felt worth loosing my mind over." Desmond replied, also speaking in Arabic like the Syrian. He didn't want to chance Lucy or the others walking in and hearing what he was saying. After all he'd never told them about how bad the Bleeding Effect was getting and they didn't care enough to try and push beyond him saying he was fine.

"Are you saying, you were partially letting yourself go insane because you wanted to see us, tesoro?" Ezio asked, sounding concerned but at the same time touched.

Desmond smiled slightly as he glanced at the Italian, he knew he didn't need to answer that question verbally. It was obvious that that was part of why he had been agreeing to keep going into the Animus. He quickly returned his eyes to the images as a younger Ezio slowly faded and a partially see through Altair took his place.

"I hate to sound like a jerk, but that's stupid." Connor said, making Desmond chuckle slightly as he continued to watch the ghostly Altair stalk around the kitchen, stalking a prey he couldn't see.

"It probably is, but I figured if I was cursed already to never meet any of you, going insane so that I could regularly have the comfort of ghostly images wasn't too out of the question." Desmond replied, finally returning his eyes to the three as his hallucinations vanished.

"But you have met us, habibi, yet you still watch them." Altair stated. He didn't sound accusing just worried, which was a nice change compared the half assed concern he normally got from the others.

"Like I said, by this point it's just habit." Desmond answered calmly.

He knew it wouldn't calm their worries, but at least it would help them to understand why he couldn't stop himself. Besides he far more enjoyed the real things to the hallucinations, even if he'd only spent maybe all of six hours in total with the men since their arrival in his time.

"Very well, then since you are not going to be in that device any more, what shall we do while your allies find a better way to find the Pieces of Eden?" Ezio asked, pushing his empty bowl away so he could set his arms on the table.

"Not much we can do. Abstergo's still after me, so I can't exactly leave the Villa for long periods of time. I could maybe convince Lucy to let us go to town for a few hours to get you guys some modern clothes, since I'm sure neither Shaun nor I have clothes that will fit you, but other then that we'll probably be here waiting for William to show up and try to guilt me into the chair." Desmond replied, switching back to English now that the topic wasn't so lecture worthy.

"I did notice, the Assassin's of your time seem to wear strange clothes." Connor stated, as he also finished his food.

"Yeah, we don't really have designated uniforms, but the more field or fight based Assassins, like myself, tend to wear white hoodies." Desmond explained.

"If we will not be going out in to public very often then why will we require 'modern clothes'?" Altair asked, still eating the last of his noodles.

"Because you will stick out like a sore thumb in public if we ever have to hide in plain sight." Desmond explained, "Just because Abstergo is after me doesn't mean there won't be times where we might be out in public."

Altair nodded in understanding while he finished eating. Desmond sat back in the chair with a slight sigh and shoved his hands in his hoodie pocket. He was confused for a second when he found an object in there, but after a moment realized it was the Apple. He'd have to drop that off to Becca or Shaun before he went anywhere. Standing from his seat, he took all the now empty bowls and stacked them on the stove next to the pot. Lucy would wash them later, he wasn't sure how she did that since he was pretty sure they didn't have dish soap, but he didn't question it too much. Desmond then turned and headed out of the kitchen, the sound of chairs scraping as the three Assassins followed after him. He stepped into the Animus room to find Rebecca tweaking with the Animus 2.0, or Baby as she liked to call it, while Lucy was still on the phone. He pulled out the Apple as he walked in and strode over to where Shaun sat at a make shift desk and set it down.

"I'm taking these three into town to get them some normal clothes, cough up some money." Desmond stated flatly. He had quickly decided that he wasn't asking for permission any more, he wasn't a soldier he could do as he pleased.

"Excuse me? You can't go to town. Did you forget you are literally Abstergo's most wanted right now?" Shaun asked, his voice sounding annoyed while he typed away at his laptop.

"No, I haven't forgotten, but until we can get these three sent home they need to blend in and they can't do that in their current attire." Desmond replied calmly.

"Oh stop being a spoil sport Shaun, just give Dessy the money. Besides he's clearly set on not going into Baby, not that I blame him, so it's not like we need him at this exact moment." Rebecca said, sounding a bit annoyed with the Brit.

At first Desmond thought maybe she was annoyed with his decision, but the sweet little smile she sent him as reassurance stilled that thought. He sent her a grateful smile as Shaun begrudgingly fished out his wallet and handed the American several hundred dollars in cash and a pair of keys.

"Nothing too expensive alright." Shaun spat angrily, before turning to the Apple Desmond had set down, "Please tell me, you plan to leave that here?"

"Of course, I do. Contrary to what you might think I am not stupid." Desmond shot back, turning to head over to the three Assassins. The three followed him out of the room and out of the Villa to the van.

"I know you guys don't like this thing, but I'm so not walking all the way to town." Desmond said as he pulled up his hood. He unlocked the van and got behind the wheel.

"I'm gonna need you guys to keep your hoods up while you are in town as much as possible, especially you Altair, you look too much like me and if Abstergo is watching any of the camera's they could confuse you for me." Desmond instructed, looking over at the Syrian who had taken shotgun. They all nodded and Desmond quickly started the van to head out.

Taking the three Assassins to town and into modern shops was less pain staking then Desmond originally thought. They were all curious of most things, but seemed to be holding questions for later and simply followed Desmond's instructions without complaint. The American was currently standing outside a fitting room while the three men were trying on different clothes he thought might fit them. He'd already had them try on some white hoodies and was currently holding them when one of the fitting rooms opened. He looked over as Connor stepped out dressed in a normal black t-shirt and a pair of dark jeans.

"How do those fit?" He asked referring to the jeans.

"These trousers are strange." Connor replied, making Desmond chuckle.

The American stepped closer and directed for Connor to turn around. The Native did as he directed and jumped in surprise when Desmond tugged on the back of jeans. They fit Connor fine, so he checked the tag in the back.

"What are you doing?" Connor asked curiously.

"Checking the tag for the size. Now we can grab a couple other pairs the same size as these so you don't have to try anymore." Desmond replied, checking the tag of the shirt next. He noted the sizes and gently pushed Connor towards the fitting room again.

"Change back to your other clothes and keep that shirt and pants with you when you come out." Desmond instructed before striding back towards the clothes in the store.

He returned to the fitting rooms with a few shirts and a couple other pairs of jeans for Connor. The Native was watching Ezio curiously as the Italian stood checking his clothes in a mirror. The Mohawkian held the jeans and shirt from before neatly in his hands and Desmond passed off the shirts, jeans and hoodie he'd picked out for him before walking up to Ezio.

"Hold still Ezio." Desmond instructed as he checked the tags on the shirt and jeans the Italian was trying on. Ezio stopped moving, appearing unaffected by Desmond checking the tags, not surprising since the Italian was probably used to being groped at by women all the time. Once he had the sizes he directed Ezio to change and went to get some more clothes for the Italian. When he had returned Altair was still in the fitting room, which confused Desmond a bit. He knew Altair wasn't too far off from his own size in clothes, so he shouldn't be taking this long.

Walking up to the fitting room Altair was in, Desmond knocked on the door softly.

"You still alive in there Altair?" He called softly. He heard shuffling behind the door and it slowly opened.

"I do not like your modern clothes." Altair said as he peered out through the crack in the door.

"Well sorry to burst your bubble, but you kinda have to wear them otherwise you will blow our cover in public." Desmond replied, slightly amused by the Syrian's unhappy tone, "Now come on, I know at least some of those should've fit you."

Altair grumbled something and slowly opened the door more and stepped out. Desmond discreetly made sure they weren't in view of any camera's since Altair wasn't wearing a hood and then checked the jeans on Altair.

"These are too loose, turn around the next size down should fit fine." Desmond instructed. The Syrian did as told and he quickly checked the tag of the jeans to note the size below it and then checked the t-shirt.

"Alright now go change back into your other clothes." Desmond said turning and passing over Ezio's clothes and hoodie to him before going to hunt for clothes for Altair. He could feel the men's eyes on his back as he walked amongst the isles, but focused on keeping out of camera shot and finding clothes in the right size. Once he had he returned to the men and shoved the rest of the clothes into Altair's arms and led them to the shoes section. They only needed a pair of tennis shoes, but figuring out shoe size was going to be a pain especially since during their times there was no such thing you just made shoes that fit to your feet.

Luckily for Desmond though, they spent maybe a half hour in the shoes before finding all their sizes and then quickly grabbed three boxes of plain black tennis shoes before heading to the counters. He set the boxes down, taking time to make sure both his hood and Altair's covered their faces well enough before taking all the clothes from them and setting them on the counter.

"Your friends wear some interesting costumes." The cashier said curiously as she glanced at them all.

"Yeah, it's kind of a thing, I forgot mine today." Desmond replied nonchalantly, pulling out the money. She simply nodded, but glanced at Ezio several times with a flirtatious smile while she rung them up. Desmond was a bit surprised by how much her flirtations pissed him off, he'd never cared about Ezio being flirted with while in the Animus. Shaking it off with a frown, he handed the woman money and took the change before grabbing the bags and handing them off to the men behind him. He headed for the exit as he pulled out the keys for the van, until he heard the woman calling Ezio back that is.

"Hey I'm having a party tonight, if you'd like to come!" She called making Desmond glare over his shoulder slightly. He wasn't surprised when Ezio turned back and smiled charmingly at the woman, making Desmond snort in slight disgust and turn to keep heading towards the door. "Sorry bella, but I must decline. I have other places to be." Ezio replied, smoothly.

Desmond could practically hear the girl at the counter swooning at his voice, but continued out of the store without a word. He didn't understand why it pissed him off so much, he knew how Ezio was and knew how women were with him it shouldn't surprise him that it was no different in his time. He shook the anger away best he could and moved to the van, unlocking it before climbing in behind the wheel. Altair once again took shotgun and they waited for Ezio to come out of the store. Once the man did, Desmond started the car and pulled his hood over his face a bit tighter before starting to drive.

"Desmond what is a phone number?" Ezio asked, making Desmond glance back for a second.

"Why do you ask Ezio?" Desmond asked, having a feeling he knew why the Italian was asking his question.

"The bella handed me a piece of paper saying this was her number." Ezio explained handing Desmond a piece of receipt paper. It had an eleven digit number on it and it made Desmond's blood boil slightly. He crumpled the paper up and threw it out the window without a word, ignoring Ezio's whine of protest.

"It's nothing you'll be using Ezio." He said flatly, ignoring the look Altair sent him and focusing on driving.

He stepped into the Villa pulling his hood off as he called out to the others that they were back. A moment later as Desmond was heading towards the Sanctuary, Lucy appeared and stopped him.

"Your father wants us to fly back to the U.S. tomorrow. We already have passports and tickets set up for those three, so make sure you are ready to go by tomorrow morning." Lucy instructed.

"Oh so the old man can't be bothered to come out here to scold me, he's flying me in to him instead huh?" Desmond asked sarcastically waving Lucy away before she could respond and heading down to the Sanctuary.

"How are we going to fly to our destination Desmond?" Connor asked curiously as they entered the large circular room.

"On a plane. It's kind of like a car only a lot bigger and it can fly through the air." Desmond replied as he moved to sit on the cot. Altair moved to his statue and sat on the pedestal just near the statues feet, while Ezio and Connor sat on the floor by the cot.

"A plane? Is it anything like Leonardo's flying machine that he invented?" Ezio asked, that seemed to peek Connor's interest as well which meant he'd probably seen some of Leonardo's sketches, not a surprise if he was in the order.

"Actually yes it is. Plane's are based off of Leonardo's flying device as well as the work of the Wright brothers who created the first flying plane based off his work." Desmond replied.

All three men looked at him curiously appearing interested in the thing he was speaking off, which was almost amusing to the American. He'd never seen someone so interested in what he had to say before and it was almost comical to him that three Assassins were the ones to do it.

"So we get to fly in one of these planes tomorrow?" Altair asked.

"Yep, you'll have to wear some of the clothes we got today and probably pack away most of your weapons so that no one will get suspicious, but if I know Shaun he'll find a way to get us through security without actually going through metal detectors." Desmond replied. The curious gazes he got at the mention of a metal detector made Desmond realize he would probably be spending the rest of the day explaining quite a few things that they would all need to know before they got up tomorrow. Not that he minded, it felt good to actually feel somewhat useful for once even if it was only filling three Assassins in on modern day things.

Desmond sighed as he sat in the seat on the plane. He never thought getting through an airport was very fun, add on three men who knew next to nothing about how the modern day worked and it was a nightmare. The plane they were on was a large passenger plane that had three seats on each side of the plane and a set of four seat in the center with an isle for walking on either side to separate them from the set of three seats. Desmond was sitting near one of the isles with Altair right next to him followed by Ezio and then Connor on the other isle seat. In the seats across the isle from him, Desmond's other three companions sat. Rebecca next to the window Shaun in the center and Lucy in the isle seat close to him.

"Are you sure they are going to be okay?" Lucy asked as she leaned over to Desmond.

"I already gave them some meds that will hopefully knock them out before we even start to taxi out to the run way." Desmond replied with a sigh. Lucy nodded and straightened in her seat leaving Desmond to his own thoughts.

The young man was exhausted, he'd been up late explaining things to the three men next to him and then to top it off he had tossed and turned while he'd tried sleeping while fighting off nightmares. More then once he woke up with one of the three men leaning over him in concern only to have Desmond knock them on their ass before he would pin them down with his hidden blade to their throat. He'd woken up twice thinking he was Altair and once as Ezio. It had concerned the three men greatly and yet they never once tried to pry information from Desmond. He was thankful for that and simply welcomed who ever found the courage to embrace him after each fit. Now he was exhausted, but the last thing he wanted was for him to have a fit while on a plane full of innocents.

The sudden feeling of someone leaning against his shoulder had Desmond glancing over at Altair. The Syrian looked half asleep already, with his hood pulled up over his face like Desmond's. Looking at the other two, he chuckled slightly as he noticed both Connor and Ezio had already passed out leaning against each other. It was clear the meds were finally kicking in and he was glad that the three wouldn't start panicking when the plane took off. His attention was pulled back to Altair as the older man wrapped his arms around Desmond's and rubbed his hooded head against his shoulder before finally settling against him. Desmond smiled and leaned his head against the Syrian's a bit as the med's finally took Altair into a fit full rest. After the three Assassin's were lost in their slumber the plane began to taxi away from the gate to the run way. As for Desmond, the plane was barely in the air before he found fighting his exhaustion impossible and he too was pulled into a deep sleep.

Desmond woke just before the plane landed, but didn't wake the other three Assassin's until they were at the gate and most of the plane had emptied out. Thankfully, none of the men flipped out upon being shaken awake and even recovered from their slightly disoriented and drugged sleep rather quickly. Though they had left Italy in the early morning, they were currently getting off the plane to the same morning they'd just left. They had landed at J.F.K National Airport in New York City and after grabbing a few of the boxes and bags from baggage claim were all quickly ushered into the parking lot of the airport by Lucy and Shaun.

The three time traveling Assassins stuck close to Desmond as he stood waiting for Shaun and Lucy to get back with whatever vehicle they were renting, or stealing if the case may be. Rebecca had her headphones on and was bobbing her head from where she sat on the curb of the sidewalk seeming unaffected by the chilly air. Then again all but Altair seemed unaffected by the chilly New York air, as the Syrian had practically plastered himself to Desmond the moment they left the warm airport. Not surprising to the American in all honesty since the Syrian had literally grown up in a place where it probably didn't drop below sixty degrees Fahrenheit. The currently cloudy skies and the no more then maybe forty degree air was probably a bit of a shock to the Syrian even with the thick white hoodie and thick jeans he wore. Desmond glanced at Altair briefly as the Syrian buried his face into the back of one of his shoulders to try and keep his face warm, but he then quickly turned his eyes back to the parking lot.

Every now and then his eyes would easily slip into Eagle Vision and check the few people that would come through. Thankfully all of them remained gray and dull in color. Desmond sighed as he felt jet lag slowly taking over his body and with a quick glance around noticed the three Assassins quickly succumbing to it as well. However, they didn't have to wait much longer before two vans pulled up to the curb they were at. Becca shot to her feet and grabbed one of the boxes near her. Desmond stood back and watched as Shaun got out of one of the Vans and opened up the back to help Becca put everything in the seat-less back of the vehicle. Lucy got out of the other vehicle and walked up to Desmond.

"Shaun will be driving the van with all the Equipment, you and the others will be riding with me." Lucy explained looking over the Jet lagged men.

"And where exactly are we going?" Desmond asked. The others hadn't said where William had asked them to meet him and until now Desmond hadn't really cared enough to ask.

"A few states away." Lucy replied cryptically. Desmond narrowed his eyes at her while Altair, seeming to sense his sudden tension, tightened his arms around Desmond's waist.

"Which State, Lucy?" Desmond demanded coldly.

Lucy looked away and Desmond's suspicions of where he believed they were going grew even more. She was hiding the State because she knew he wouldn't want to go there, which meant it was one of three states. Either California, but they would be flying there if that were the case, Texas, which was more probable but they had to go through several different states to get there and that would be at most a two day trip, or it was South Dakota and that was the last place Desmond ever wanted to be again. South Dakota was where the farm had been, where his prison had been and the place he had run from when he was sixteen.

"You aren't going to answer me are you?" Desmond asked angrily. Lucy shook her head at him and that pretty much confirmed his suspicions causing his entire body to stiffen like a board and his face to turn into a scowl that could rival the Syrian behind him.

Altair immediately felt Desmond's sudden stiffening and straightened up behind him slightly. The other two seemed to sense the sudden change as well and turned to Desmond with concern.

"Lucy, please tell me we aren't going to South Dakota?" He asked with a calm he wasn't feeling. She flinched away from his question and it took all his will power not to throw Altair away from him and storm towards the blonde.

"We're going to the Farm?" He asked, yet knowing the answer. He heard Rebecca and Shaun pause in their movements to get Baby in the van before continuing. The blonde stepped back and nodded cautiously. That confirmation was all Desmond needed to snap his grip on his anger.

He practically ripped himself from Altair's arms and stalked towards Lucy with anger, yet no murderous intent in his stride. That didn't stop the woman from backing away a bit as he approached her and glared down at her.

"And when exactly were any of you going to tell me this? After my father had me locked away in the facility or just before?" Desmond demanded angrily.

"Desmond, you aren't going to be-"

"Bullshit! Don't you lie to me, Lucy! I could care less about anyone else, but I swear to god you lie to me and it will be the last time I ever trust you!" Desmond shouted interrupting the blonde's attempt to calm him, "You call my father and inform him if he wants to come talk to me, he can meet me outside of the Black Hills near the edge of Rapid City, but I am not setting foot near that prison."

With that said, Desmond immediately turned and climbed into the back portion of the van. He sat in the very back row of seats and glared out the windshield in front where Rebecca and Shaun were finishing loading the first van. Desmond was so lost in his anger that he didn't even notice Altair, Connor and Ezio climbing into the van as well, until Altair sat down right beside him.

"Are you alright, habibi?" Altair asked, keeping his voice low as Rebecca and Lucy climbed into the passenger and driver seat respectively. The American sighed at the question and glanced at the Syrian before looking to where Ezio and Connor sat in the seats just in front of them. Both the Italian and Mohawkian were watching him with curiosity and concern.

"Yes, I am fine. I just... You remember me telling you about where I grew up?" Desmond asked, leaning back in his seat and leaning his head against the head rest. The men nodded at him and waited patiently for him to continue.

"It's a place for Assassin's similar to that of Masyaf only instead its called the Farm but unlike Masyaf its a lot less voluntary. The Farm was a prison to me and needless to say I swore I would never go back there for as long as I had free will." Desmond explained quietly.

"We understand Desmond." Connor said gently, both he and Ezio turned so that they could look at the younger man.

"These allies of yours are going there?" Ezio inquired curiously, receiving a nod from Desmond.

Most of the Assassins would think him pathetic for being unable to even set foot near the Farm, but he was relieved to see the understanding in the eyes of the three men around him.

"We will stay with you wherever you decide to stop at habibi, even if we have to fight the whole Brotherhood to keep you away from that place." Altair assured, getting Desmond to chuckle slightly. Desmond leaned over and set his head against the Syrian's shoulder with a slight smile.

"Why couldn't you three have been born in this time?" Desmond asked, sorrowfully. His question only received silence, not that he actually expected an answer, but Altair did shift and wrap his arm around Desmond to hug him closer to his side. The silence stretched on as Lucy followed behind Shaun and before long Desmond slowly slipped into a light sleep, one he hoped wouldn't end in a nightmare or him trying to kill any of the people in the car with him.