I'm so sorry this took so long : Life attacked me and this chapter fought against me. NOTHING WANTED TO DO AS I SAID D; But finally, here it is. I am sorry in advance if this chapter's crap. /low self esteem right here/ So any and all comments would be awesome /as long as they're HELPFUL, not just 'this sucked' THAT HELPS ME NOT/ So yeaaaah No idea when nine'll be out, I really have nothing planned so I'm just winging it, thus why this took so long :'D

Anyways, THANK YOU MY DEAR AND LOVELY BETA [ CleverDucky ], SERIOUSLY, YOU ARE A BIG HELP EVEN IF OUR RP DISTRACTS ME. :'D NOW, ON TO THE STORY~

Desmond was bed ridden for another three days. Three long, mind-numbing days. Most of Desmond's time was spent staring at the holes in ceiling of his room. He stopped after he couldn't find any new images. That left his mind to ponder on what exactly Alex had said three days before.

You mean the world to me.

He had going around in circles trying to figure out just what exactly Alex meant by that comment. Every time Desmond thought about it, his face felt a little warm. He had on more than one occasion told himself to stop acting like a flippant teenage schoolgirl. He had thought about asking Alex, but the man never seemed to be around. Even if he was, Desmond wasn't even sure if he could ask Alex about it. He was either completely over thinking it, or there was really something behind those words that he may never know. It seemed as though either way he'd never know and it would drive him insane. He actually let out a sigh of frustration one day while Dr. Ragland was checking up on him. It earned him a look from the doctor.

"Is there something bothering you or was that directed at me?"

"Sorry, Doc. Something's on my mind." Desmond looked off to the side a bit, not really feeling like making eye contact. Ragland eyed him a bit before replying.

"That part's pretty obvious. Care to explain, get it off of your chest?" Desmond fidgeted a bit, uncomfortable with the topic.

"It's just something that someone said. It's been on my mind." Ragland raised an eyebrow.

"Would this someone happen to skulk around the hospital on a regular basis?" Desmond flinched a bit. Was it really that easy to tell?

"…Yeah." Desmond chuckled half-heartedly to himself. "Guess it really couldn't be anyone else, huh?" Ragland responded by the upturn of the corners of his mouth.

"Unless you've got a working phone I don't know about. So, what did he say to make you obsess over it this whole time?" Ragland inspected Desmond's healing gunshot injuries as he spoke. Desmond fidgeted uncomfortably, gazing at the far wall. A faint hue of pink flushed across Desmond's face.

"He said…he said, 'you mean the world to me'…" Desmond's voice lowered to just above a whisper while his face turned two shades darker. Ragland looked at him, then started to chuckle. Desmond turned his head to look at Ragland. A confused and slightly mortified look accompanied his rose pink flush. Ragland shook his head, still amused.

"Alex said that?" Desmond nodded, now feeling even more embarrassed. Ragland's laughter calmed down, a grin still crossed his face. "He probably meant nothing by it. Alex tends to speak without thinking." Desmond lowered his head a bit.

"Really? I guess you would know since you've been around him longer, huh Doc?" Desmond looked a little relieved. "So, when can I start moving around?"

"Changing the subject I see. Well, to answer your question, you can, just go too far or move too much. As long as you do that, you shouldn't reopen your injuries." Ragland pulled away from Desmond, finished with his check-up.

"Thanks, Doc. I was starting to think I was going to go crazy if I had to sit there another minute." Desmond sat up in his bed, careful to not move too fast. Ragland smiled a bit at him.

"Just be careful. Call if you need anything." And with that, Ragland left the room. Desmond swung his legs over the side of the bed. He waited a moment before carefully standing up. All of his bones popped back into place as he stretched, stiff from just laying there. He walked towards the door, sticking close to the walls just in case his body decided to give out on him. Desmond enjoyed being able to walk around, even if it was just a little bit. He had successfully walked down the majority of the hall that connected to his room. He was heading to the mess hall when things started to become grey, like he was using eagle vision. He immediately stopped when he saw images of horses gallop past him, faded to a ghostly white.

No.

This couldn't be happening.

People dead for centuries were now standing in front of him in the same ghastly white. Children ran, laughing as they chased one another. The images faded as a new person appeared in from of him. Desmond felt himself go pale. The figure stood there in front of him for only a moment before turning around and running into the black and grey world. Desmond began to walk forward, hoping the images would pass as his newfound headache progressed. The darkened world soon flashed with color, revealing a time long forgotten.

"What the hell…

What is this?

Where am I?

It's…Acre.

Altair…

How the hell…?

I'm not even in the Animus.

I-I must have passed out. Just, having some kind of weird dream.

That must be his target…"

Altair started to chase the figure, running through the streets, climbing ladders running over rooftops, and scaling a tower just to get to the person. When he reached the top of the tower, the figure removed their hood as they turned to Altair.

"It's the woman from Acre…

What's her name? Maria! Yeah.

I wonder what he wants with her.

Whoa.

I wasn't expecting that."

After Altair took a roll in the hay with Maria, he got up. Maria understood he could not stay for long, lest they were found. She watched him longingly leave.

"Wait a second…

Aren't I following Altair?

I'm stuck here with Maria?

Oh shit…

That must be…

This is one weird dream…"

Desmond collapsed on the floor, completely out.

…

When he awoke, he was back in bed and Alex was walking out of the room. Desmond sat up and held his head. It still hurt slightly.

"What's going on…" He muttered to himself. He wished Lucy was there, she'd know what was happening to him. He sighed and attempted to get up again. He found it was surprisingly easier than before, his wounds not hurting too much if at all. He headed off in the general direction Alex walked off in.

It took him a couple of minutes, but he found the older man in Dana's room. Alex was standing over her, turning his head slightly toward Desmond when he walked in.

"…Thanks." Alex turned more toward Desmond, an eyebrow raised as if he didn't know what Desmond meant by that. Desmond felt his face heat up a bit. "Thanks for putting me back on my bed…" Alex just blinked at him, and then shrugged.

"I merely figured it'd be comfier than the floor, which you so gracefully fell on." Alex looked at him suspiciously, probably trying to figure out why Desmond fell in the first place. Desmond looked at him, his face heating up again when a smartass smirk appeared on Alex's face. He turned to leave the room, muttering what an ass Alex was as his face held a slight pink tint to them.