I do not own Assassin's Creed or any of the associated media or content. I do own Natalia Fia-Costa, Isobel Payne and the parts of this plot that aren't from the game Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. This fic goes along with the game, but the focus is elsewhere. Sort of a companion piece. It is rated for language, violence and sexual content.

Assassin's Creed: Fires of Rome.
Present 02—Reunited.

When the tears had dried, Isobel excused herself and left the Sanctuary and its stuffy air for the mild predawn outside, leaving her food and worried friends behind. She climbed back up onto the roof of the Villa Auditore, slower than she would have before seeing Natalia meet her end, her footing less sure. Near the top, her foot missed a hold and she almost fell, her fingers the only things holding her up, the digits gripping desperately to the edge of the terracotta roof tiles. Isobel groaned and pulled herself up, the rough toes of her boots gripping the old walls and letter her scramble onto the roof. She laid there for a moment, breathing heavily and taking in the smell of the sun-baked tiles.

As the adrenaline from what could have been a fatal fall faded from her system, Isobel pushed herself to her knees and then onto her feet and made her way across the roof to the construction platform in the middle of the bottom section of the square U that the villa formed. It was where her and Desmond had sat the night she had come to Monteriggioni. That had been just over two weeks ago, but it felt like longer. To Isobel, it felt like she belonged in that small Italian village, with the Assassins beneath the building in the Sanctuary; with Lucy, Rebecca, Shaun and Desmond. Especially Desmond. The electricity and comfort the young man's presence gave her had not faded since she'd arrived and she had come to count on it, especially after Animus sessions when she would cling to Desmond, burying her face in his shirt and breathing in the scent of him until she felt better.

Isobel didn't want to leave, but she knew she couldn't stay much longer, not with Abstergo hovering around, waiting for a sign of their elusive prey. She didn't want to draw any more attention to them, to Desmond. She didn't want to be the reason he was captured.

She found herself a space that was mostly hidden, between a couple crates, and wedged herself in, eyes turned towards the east and the rising sun. The grey light of first dawn was flooding the horizon and everything had lost its colour; everything looked black and white. Isobel put her head against one of the crates and sighed heavily, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them tightly. It was mild, but there was a bit of a chill breeze blowing and Isobel had left her sweater inside.

When the red ball of the sun was peaking over the edge of the landscape, Desmond appeared on the roof, far enough away and at the right angle that he wouldn't have been able to see Isobel. He looked around for a moment and, no doubt using the Eagle Vision he'd picked up from Altair and Ezio, found her body signature and started towards her. Isobel had a momentary desire to tell him to go away—she was fine with her hole and her misery—but she knew the feel of Desmond's arms would make her feel better, so she let him come, intrude on her personal space. She pressed herself a little farther into the space, but she let Desmond come.

As he stood in front of her, she caught a ghost-like image of Ezio floating around the edges of Desmond's face. They looked remarkably alike for being as far distant in the family tree as they were. "How are you doing Is?" he asked, his voice mixing with Ezio's.

She couldn't be sure if the effect was actually happening or it was just in her mind. Likely it was the latter and it was thanks to her exposure to Natalia over the last several days. "I… I'm really not sure." She held her head in her hands, ran one hand backwards through her hair.

Desmond sat on the platform in front of her, half-turned so he could look at her. "Come here."

Isobel wiggled out of the space between the crates and let Desmond wrap his arm around her shoulders. "What about being caught by Abstergo satellites or whatever Lucy is worried about?"

Her companion looked down at his watch. "We've got a good twenty minutes before they'll be able to take a clean enough picture."

A great sigh left Isobel and she relaxed, bone by bone, muscles by muscle, letting go of a tension she hadn't even realized she was holding. She pressed her face into Desmond's chest, curled up against him like she would go to sleep. He pressed his lips to the top of her head, his arms tightening around her. They settled back against the crates, comfortable and silent and, for the moment, safe.

"Why did you choose Monteriggioni to run to?" Desmond asked after a moment.

Isobel shrugged with her shoulder that wasn't pinned against him. "I didn't really choose it. It was just the first place I saw that wasn't a farm or a lone house. With an agent following me, I was just looking for somewhere to hide." She pushed herself up to a sitting position so she could look Desmond in the eye. "It was purely coincidental that I showed up here, where you are. Or maybe it wasn't," she added quickly, as if the thought had just occurred to her. "Maybe there was something pulling me here."

Desmond gave her a wistful smile. "Maybe. You knew who I was as soon as you saw me."

"Correction: Natalia knew who you were."

"Let's not split hairs here, Is. You and I both know that after time in the Animus, we're essentially the same as our ancestors. I can barely draw a line in my head between myself, Altair and Ezio."

Isobel settled herself against the crate next to Desmond and stared out ahead, at the rising sun. "I think you three are bound a little tighter than me and Natalia. If I spent a little more time in the Animus, maybe we'd be closer, but I don't plan on going back in there." Tears welled in Isobel's eyes, because part of her did want to go back in, to see Natalia again, even though she knew her Italian ancestor was doomed. She just wanted to see her again. "I want to stop looking over my shoulder, but I know that's not going to happen."

Desmond reached across and grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers through hers, his thumb running back and forth over her skin. She looked up at him, her olive eyes shining with the unshed tears. "Unfortunately, that's part of being an Assassin." He sighed and gave her another smile, this one just a warm gesture meant to be comforting. "You could stay here, you know. With us. We have a pretty good record with escaping Abstergo. You'd be safe with us."

The young woman heard the unspoken "with me" but didn't comment on it. She was sorely tempted to accept that offer, but she knew she couldn't. Abstergo knew she had run into Monteriggioni and knew she had stayed there for almost a month. They knew there was something here and it wouldn't be long before they mounted an intrusion, to find the Assassins who were hiding there. Isobel knew it would be because of her late addition. She was a smart woman and she cared about Desmond and the others, as much as she didn't really like Lucy, she held no ill will. But man, did she want to say yes, she'd stay there, she'd help them find the Piece of Eden, whatever that was. Man, did she want to stay there with Desmond, with the man who made her feel comfortable and safe with just a touch.

"Desmond…"

He squeezed her hand gently, as if he could read her thoughts. "It was just a thought, Is."

"I know." She rolled her head to one side to face him and smiled. "And I would love to stay here, but…"

"It wouldn't be your fault if they found us. They've been chasing us since we escaped from Abstergo. They already know we're here, they just don't know where, and you showing up wouldn't bring them to us. It might bring a little more attention than we want, but that's it."

Isobel squeezed her eyes shut. "I can't stay."

"If you leave, you will be looking over your shoulder forever."

"And here?"

"Here, you wouldn't be alone in facing Abstergo."

Isobel couldn't argue with that, and yet… "Maybe I'll stay for a while longer, Desmond, but I should keep moving."

He knew that he wasn't going to get anywhere with asking Isobel to stay. She had evidently inherited Natalia's stubbornness, and if she had convinced herself that she could bring Abstergo down on Desmond and the others, she wholeheartedly believed it. Desmond sighed and pulled Isobel towards him. The movement brought a laugh from Isobel's lips. She let herself be pulled and then turned at the last moment so she was pressed against Desmond, facing him. She folded her legs underneath her and leaned into him, hands on his chest. He regarded her with a titled head, one side of his mouth quirked up.

"We can take care of ourselves," Desmond said quietly. "You don't need to worry about bringing trouble down on us."

Isobel drew one corner of her bottom lip between her teeth and sat back, folding her hands in her lap.

"Even if you don't stay," Desmond continued, without giving Isobel a chance to say anything else. "We'll have to keep in touch." He reached out and took her hand again. "I don't want to lose you."

Isobel squeezed his hand and dropped her eyes. Her cheeks flared under the emotional confession, but she didn't let go. As the blush passed, she looked up at Desmond and gave him an honest smile. "I don't want to be lost."

Desmond once again pulled her towards him using their hands. Because of the angle they were sitting at, she was forced to put her free hand on his chest to keep from falling. Desmond pulled her closer, wrapping his other arm around her waist and drew her into his lap before wrapping his other arm around her as well. Isobel slid her arms around his neck, her cheeks darkening again.

"I won't lose you."

A small noise escaped Isobel's lips as Desmond pressed his lips to hers. Her first instinct was to pull back. She didn't really know Desmond, she had only met him a few short weeks ago… But even as the protests rolled through her mind, she knew she didn't really believe them. She did know Desmond. She knew him better than anyone could know someone because she knew his past, his DNA. As that realization struck her, Isobel leaned into the kiss and let herself be swept up in the moment, in the feeling that something had fallen into place.

Author's Note.

Hey! It's done!

Hope you enjoyed it!

I'm going to move onto something else now!

Next Chapter: THERE ISN'T ONE!