They crept, making no noise as they walked back to the deck. They moved like shadows to see Altair standing there, his back turned and the white in his clothes shining in the moonlight as he stared at the closed door. He turned a fraction of an inch, smirking, a teasing glint in the corner of the eye that Desmond had gotten so used to seeing. He moved forward a step, hunched low with a soft whine, submissive, and Altair turned around fully, holding his arms out. Desmond grinned and moved into his arms, feeling the strength as Altair hugged him.

He rubbed his cheek against his chest, and Altair moved one hand to cup his head, pressing a kiss to the crown of his head. -You lived.-

A whine. –So did you.-

Tightened arm around the waist. –I was worried.-

A growl. –You taught me.-

A breathless chuckle. –So?-

A soft smile. –Of course I'd live.-

They stood like that for a while, silent, a black and white figure in the dark of the night. Ezio crawled close on the railings. –You look well.-

Altair pressed his cheek to Desmond's head to look at him. –So do you.-

A frown. –Any others?-

Back to kissing his head. –No.-

After a few more moments, Altair looked out to open fields by their house, smirking. –Hunt?-

Desmond grinned and pulled away. –Game on.-

He leapt over the railings and took off running. A howl behind him. –Left.-

He leapt onto the house, scrabbling over it. –Above.-

Ezio's return howl. –Right.-

The wind rushed through his hair as he leapt from the house, making no noise as he landed and howled. –Center.-

His eyes searched for a rabbit hole as he crouched low to the ground, his fingers sweeping the ground as he moved. There was no sound from the three killers as they searched. A hole, the scent of warm rabbit—he snarled and fell on top of it, his fingers digging into the dirt around the opening. A screech. –Here.-

Two more bodies as the dirt flew, and a furry streak rushed past. Three howls and three moving shadows. –The chase is on.-

They followed it closely, stopping its zig-zag, surrounding it with a sprint. Ezio to the right, Altair to the left, closing it on the small warm body, the hunt pounded in their veins, sang in their ears. Desmond surged forward, snarling as he dipped low and caught the rabbit in his teeth, falling and rolling and making a dust cloud as the rabbit kicked and thrashed, and his growl filled the night.

And like that, the rabbit was gone, and he was snapping at Altair, who had taken it from him. Ezio tackled him, wrestling the warm, furry body from his jaws, and Desmond swooped in, pulling the bleeding carcass from his packmates and smirking as he sprinted off. There was a snarl from behind him, and he snarled around the fur when he was tackled. He spat out the fur when the rabbit was ripped from his mouth as he wrestled with Ezio to get it back, only to have Altair steal it from both of them—leave it to the master.

And he didn't know when, but eventually, they fell asleep curled up with one another as the moon fell, the carcass of the rabbit shredded from their wrestling. They slept soundly under the moonlight in the coarse grass.

Desmond woke first, untangling his head to peek around his surroundings. The carcass of the rabbit still sat there, the squawking of the crows causing him to search for a rock to throw at them. They fluttered off briefly but came back, and Desmond draped himself across Altair, staring lazily at the house in the distance as he fell into an early morning trance. He yawned, watching someone come walking toward them. As it drew closer, the person looked vaguely like the one-armed man. Ezio stirred next when the kid was within a stone's throw, and Altair stirred last as the child came over, a thumb in his mouth. The child poked the eldest in the head, and he growled softly, looking up.

"Tazim." His voice was thick and rough, groggy with sleep and slightly confused.

The boy pointed at the house. "Darim. Mama."

Altair's brow furrowed, and they untangled slowly. "What?"

"Darim." The child gnashed his teeth, and Altair rubbed an eye across his face, stumbling off.

Desmond and Ezio followed afterward, and Desmond stopped when he felt Tazim tug on his pant leg.

"Carry?"

He grinned and scooped the child up, throwing him in the air and swinging him around his body like a professional dancer, listening to the shrieks of happiness. He tossed him up once more before settling him on his shoulders. Ezio laughed, walking over and patting him on the back.

"Too bad you did not marry your mate—you would have made a good father."

Desmond smiled. "I was looking forward to it."

They followed him inside, Tazim slipping down to walk beside them as Altair led them up to the baby's room. They could hear the baby wailing, and when they walked in, they found all six of the others there, trying to calm the baby. Altair snarled, pushing through them.

"Altair?" Maria asked, sounding exhausted.

He snatched the baby, pointedly ignoring the protests as he sat down and set the baby on the wood floor. Ezio squatted beside him, and Desmond joined them when gestured. Altair cuffed his ear in a familiar gesture of "Pay Attention," and Desmond watched as Altair rubbed his eyes and unwrapped the baby, giving him a thorough check over before Ezio stuck a finger inside the baby's mouth and rubbed it against the jaws before making a soft noise to tell him nothing was wrong there.

With a soft growl, Ezio flopped down on one side of the baby. Altair leaned forward, resting his head above the baby and pressing down lightly on it with his chest, his legs out on either side of the baby. When Altair looked at Desmond, the younger sniffed and lay across his back, earning a pleased grunt from his mentor.

"Altair!" Malik growled. "Get off Darim!"

Altair snarled, despite being folded in two, and started growling softly. Ezio grabbed Desmond's hand, holding it softly as he fell asleep again. Despite the racket from the others, the baby slowly quieted with the soft rumbling from Altair.

"Remember this, Desmond," Ezio murmured: it was clear he was fading quickly. "Even our young find comfort in a pack—your father used to do this with you to quiet you, and so I do with my child."

He fell back asleep with Altair's rumbling, waking up several hours later to feel Altair stirring and the baby babbling underneath him. He got off him and let Altair straighten, and his mentor scooped up the baby, who had wiggled free of its blankets and was reaching for his father. Darim was a squirmy, talky mess, and Desmond couldn't help but smile as he held out a finger. The baby took his finger and stuck it in his mouth, chewing on it, and he couldn't help but laugh as it gummed his finger.

"He is strong," Altair murmured, and Desmond grinned, leaning forward and touching noses with his mentor.

"Indeed. Despite being half-human, he may turn out all right," Ezio said.

"We can hope," Altair murmured, and all three jumped when they heard the door open to find an extremely distressed Maria in the doorway.

She exhaled, loudly, when she saw the baby was okay. "We thought you had crushed him. Thank God."

Altair scowled, holding the child close. "He is not of human descent, Maria."

"Human descent or no, after you broke Tazim's arm roughhousing, I'm not inclined to let you touch the children."

Altair snarled. "It is not our fault."

"Of course it is. You need to learn to control that strength of yours. Hurting children because you can't control yourself is unacceptable."

"Tazim seems to think the scar from my bite is 'cool,' and that he's one step closer to matching his father."

"You hurt our child, Altair. Now hand me the baby."

"No."

The baby jabbered nonsensically along with the two adults.

"Yes, and after seeing as how it seems to be a common thing among your… kind…" she said with a sharp glare at Ezio and Desmond, "I'm even less inclined to let the three of you be together near our child. I heard you last night, howling and racing all over the place. Darim started shrieking along as if it was the best thing he had ever heard, and Tazim came running in, frightened."

Altair handed the child to Desmond, who panicked with how to hold him until Ezio helped him, and rose, snarling. "This child is of my descent. He is not like Tazim."

Desmond smiled at the baby, who reached up, and he let him grab his fingers. Tazim was peeking in around his mother's legs.

"This child—"

"Will be trained like one of us. He will fight like one of us, and he will die as one of us."

"I should think not. This child is half-human, not fully animal."

Altair's lip curled, and Ezio rose. "Maria, he can handle it. Half-human or no, the boy is all ready developing quickly. I believe he is teething. He will be walking by the time he turns six months old and speaking by seven months, since most of our babies stay in the womb for a year. Such is the way we develop."

"He's far more fragile than you—"

Desmond yelped, drawing his finger back and waving it. "That hurt!"

The baby held both hands out, grabbing at his finger and winding up to cry. Desmond panicked and gave him his middle finger, and the child was happily gnawing away again.

"We will get him bone supplements. The same ones from our training. He will be as strong as us in no time."

"Me too?" Tazim asked.

Ezio chuckled and held out his arms, scooping the boy up when he ran over. "We can certainly try."

Tazim smiled, wrapping his arms around Ezio's neck and resting his head on his shoulder. Darim shrieked at the sight of his older brother, and Tazim wiggled down, walking over and sitting by him and Desmond.

"I do not approve of this."

"I do not care if you approve, Maria," Altair growled. "I will not let our bloodline fade so quickly. He is coming to the masque—"

"I don't think so!" Maria hissed. "That's suicid—"

"That is how we teach them. From the earli—"

"You will not take him! That is—"

"Silence!" Altair roared. Desmond winced: he had seen Altair's wrath many times. "I will raise the boy according to the standards of my people! You will not tell me how he is to be raised! You may raise Tazim according to your customs, and I will raise Darim to be what he is supposed to be!"

"A murderer?" Maria screeched.

"A warrior who will come from the race that took down in a year what humans have failed to take out in fifteen years! And he will come with me to the mission and witness his first murder!"

"Altair! He is only four months—"

"He is as old as many of the children from our homeland! From being conceived, he is thirteen months old, and that is the same amount of time as our children!"

"You are insane—"

Altair snarled, pinning her to the wall and growling as she struggled, "This child is not of your race. He is of mine, and he will be raised as such. Is that understood? Ezio, fetch the swaddling cloth, I will make a carrier."

He pushed Maria to the side and returned to where Desmond and the children were happily jabbering away, not making any sense as Altair knelt beside them.

"Ezio, why is your child not here?"

Ezio chuckled. "He is with Leonardo's assistants, protecting their workshop since they are all of nonviolent nature."

"He is no older than Tazim, though," Desmond said.

Ezio smirked. "It is by legacy and myth his mere presence defends our home."

Altair smirked. "If I did not know that Maria could fight of herds of marauders, I would consider leaving him here."

Maria was hovering over him again. "You aren't going to take him. Let him have a normal life."

"He will have a normal life—by our standards."

"Me too?"

Maria scooped up Tazim. "No, I will not let you have such a terrible life."

"Me too!" Tazim screeched. "Altair, me too!"

Desmond started laughing as Altair started creating a carrier for Darim.

"And just where would Tazim be if he was one of you?"

They glanced to see Malik standing in the doorway. Altair didn't even look. "He would be training under me, accompanying me on hunts and missions, and beginning a formal education."

"You cannot be seriously contemplating letting Tazim go with these beasts!"

Malik walked over, his face grave. "How much training would Tazim have had?"

"Enough that he could defend the house minimally," Ezio murmured. "That is why Emiliano will be fine with Leonardo's assistants. I was tempted to take him with me, but with all the heckling they receive, it was best to leave one of us behind."

"You are going to let the same man who killed your brother—"

Malik waved a hand for silence. "That, in and of itself, was a mistake. One that we all so foolishly made by thinking Kadar would win a sparring match while Altair was agitated. Think logically, Maria, if their system has not failed them yet, perhaps it is best to let Altair train him."

"I do not think so," Maria said. "It is a horrible life."

"It is an effective life. He will make much more money in the ranks of the Resistance as a well-trained fighter. And if he can obtain the same strength that killed Kadar, perhaps his life will not have been in vain."

Altair crawled over to Desmond's side as he played with Darim. "He likes you."

Desmond smiled. "I like him, too. He's adorable."

Altair chuckled quietly. "You were always meant to be a family man."

"What do you mean? Wh-what are you doing?"

Altair had begun wrapping the carrier around the younger, and Darim watched with wide eyes. "You always cared more about the others. You were light-hearted and carefree when I taught you, always with a kind word or the ability to comfort some novice I pushed to the edge. Your personality is one of many to help keep a pack together."

Altair helped him nestle Darim into the carrier, then helped him stand as Ezio came over with a bag.

"I think he'll do well. You should see the Rebecca woman he likes. She'll produce good children," Ezio said, smiling softly as Desmond bounced the boy, smiling at the baby's coos and shrieks.

"He's such a happy baby," Desmond muttered.

"He's happy when he is not alone," Altair said.

"Altair," Malik started.

Altair looked at him.

"Tazim will come with us. I will put him under your training regime, but he will stay hidden for this mission—understood?"

Maria looked absolutely horrified. Altair nodded. "If that is how you wish to train him, so be it."

Malik nodded. "Good. See? I know that you have trouble since you are the one who gave birth to these babies, but there must be some method to their madness if it has not failed yet."

"Malik," Maria began, "I cannot believe you are siding with him!"

"Maria," Altair began, folding his arms, "either way, he will be trained and forced to fight to free our lands. I can give him the advantage he needs to survive."

Maria drew herself up, looking enraged. Ezio took Desmond's hand. "Come, let's go to the ship."

Desmond nodded and followed him out, talking gaily with Darim as the baby babbled on. Lucy and Shaun were shocked to see him carrying the child, and Lucy was drawn in like a bear to honey, smiling and playing with him. Shaun took the bag and fixed a bottle of milk for him, and Desmond ended up sitting on their bed, Lucy on one side and Shaun on the other as he fed the baby, who was torn between eating and yammering on to his new audience. Rebecca sat on his legs, laughing and talking back whenever he would cast aside the bottle to entertain.

Altair came in at noon, holding Tazim's hand. Malik stood on his child's other side, holding his hand. Altair smiled as Tazim pulled loose and demanded Shaun pulled him up to see his younger brother. Malik and Altair walked over and moved onto the queen-sized bed.

"Where's Ezio?" Desmond asked.

"Asleep, with Leonardo," his mentor murmured. "And Maria is preparing your room for us."

Lucy smiled. "That's okay. I get the feeling Desmond will be sleeping here tonight, correct?"

Desmond smiled. "Yup."

"I'll go get Baby in the air," Rebecca said. "Let's get this party started!"

She disappeared, and Desmond settled down with the baby. Darim was a lively little baby, and he loved it when Tazim would offer a finger out or say something to him. Altair was smiling softly as he watched them.

"It seems our children will get along well."

"Better than us. But wait, sibling rivalry will get to them."

"Don't be such a downer, Malik," Desmond said. "If you raise them right, then they won't hate each other."

Desmond kissed Darim's head, inhaling deeply. There was something about the baby's smell (as he screamed in delight and chewed on his middle finger instead of eating, like he should be) that Desmond found wonderful. Tazim giggled in Shaun's lap, and the youngest of the three fighters was completely at ease propped against the headboard with the baby in his lap and his family all around him.

He fell into a cycle with Darim and Tazim over the next few days. He slept with Darim against his chest in the bed with Lucy and Shaun (and sometimes Rebecca), rose a little before one to take him out on the deck when he had problems with indigestion at one, fed him three times a day (while also eating with Tazim, who loved the attention), helped Altair and Ezio begin teaching Tazim to fight (while leaving the others to wonder just how such moves were possible with a little child, but Desmond soldiered on with Darim on his chest in the carrier), and avoided Maria.

Tazim was eager to learn, always ready to keep moving forward, and he had to admire the kid's toughness. Despite not having the same training regime, or the same body type, as the pack mates in the village, Tazim never gave up, and only once did he plop on the deck and start crying, which Desmond quickly remedied with a kind word and a piece of taffy.

As they drew closer to the place where the masquerade was to be held, Lucy started pulling out their most grand and extravagant costumes. She had ornate masks and poofy dresses (which Rebecca pitched a huge fit about), and Desmond had never been more happy when he saw Shaun's outfit that he could wrap his black cloak around him and Darim and hide in the shadows instead of actually participating.

Tazim would be strapped to Altair's back and carried by him. Ezio would cover the back left of the ballroom, Altair the back right, and Desmond the front—the least busy once everyone was in. He was more nervous the longer he dwelled on it, because he would have such a precious bundle on him, and as he buckled his coat on the night of the masquerade, he was terrified. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Relax, Darim will be restless if you are nervous."

He chuckled at Ezio's advice as Darim shrieked happily under the black fabric, his head peeking out. Desmond smiled as he pulled the hood over his eyes, gently petting the back of the baby's head. Altair came in dressed in a similar fashion with Tazim strapped to his front.

"He looks right at home," Altair murmured, and Tazim looked at Darim, who was squirming under the cloak.

The three black-cloaked men walked out to the deck, watching as the scenery passed underneath. Tazim was peeking out of Altair's cloak.

"'M afraid."

"Shush," Desmond said, touching their noses together. "Altair will protect you."

Tazim whimpered.

"He's not going to let anything harm you, okay? How are we getting down?"

Altair pointed to large pile of leaves and grass just outside the building walls. Desmond nodded.

"We cannot be seen. Once the ship lands, it will be taken, searched, and parked. We cannot be seen."

Desmond nodded, watching the pile grow closer as they flew in lower for a landing. He hopped on the rails and prepared to leap. Ezio placed a hand on his leg. –I'm first.-

Altair perched on the other side. –I'm second. Watch over my son.-

Desmond nodded and got ready.

"What about the others?"

Altair shook his head, and Ezio chuckled.

"They are getting ready."

Desmond nodded, tensing when Ezio leapt from the rail. Altair flew next, and soon enough, he was falling through the air, holding Darim's head against his chest as the baby babbled the entire way down. He exhaled when his back hit the leaves, and he popped out of the lawn trimmings, still holding Darim close. He shushed the baby, nuzzling against the top of his head and growling softly to get him to quiet as he joined his pack mates in the dark of the night. He brushed noses with Tazim again, the child shaking from falling so high. Once the child was calmed, they moved like "crows at midnight" over the wall and along to the rooftop, sliding in through an opened window.

Darim cooed softly, and Desmond was quick to shush him as he watched Altair and Ezio disappear into their different stations. He settled down in a small ledge overlooking the ballroom floor, admiring the beautiful gowns of the women and wondering how the Hell they did it. The night passed quickly as he kept half an eye on the dancers and the other on Darim. He left a little before one, letting Darim cry and scream in the safety of their ship, which was parked at the far end of the area, where there weren't any guards. He slipped back in after his fit, hiding securely before pulling out a bottle from one of the pockets in his coat and letting Darim eat.

He could see Altair and Ezio from where he was, Altair slipping Tazim snacks from a pocket on his coat. When his bottle was empty, Darim burped and settled in for sleep. Desmond smiled softly, leaning in and inhaling deeply. There was nothing like the smell of a baby. Darim cooed softly as Desmond started growling quietly to give him the vibrations to help him fall asleep. When a guard looked at the ledge (it was purely for decorative reasons, there wasn't actually a way to reach it save the window), he hide farther into the plants and vases.

An hour or two after both Tazim and Darim had fallen asleep, the action finally started. Their marks made a grand announcement, and Desmond picked out Lucy and the others mixed into the crowd, and before they knew it, there were guards all over the place surrounding the guests that were starting to panic. And then they open-fired.

Desmond went ballistic as he saw the others hit the floor, leaping from his ledge and landing on the bald mark, severing his head with the claws as he went for the next target, snarling when a black-haired man with a beard caught his hand. He lashed out with his foot, hearing the satisfying "shwick" of the claw on his foot sinking into the man's stomach. There was a grunt, and he could see the bodies falling from the upper floors as his pack mates ripped through them like a warm knife through butter.

He spun to see Lucy take down several guards at once, panic causing the remaining guests to flee. He grunted when he felt something sink into his back, and he snarled as he spun and fell upon a man with a horned mask and blonde hair. He could feel Darim squirm against his chest as he pounded the man's face in, ignoring the bite of several bullets. He felt Ezio land on the man beside him, snarling as he rendered him limb from limb. Altair was a snarling, whirling mess as he started in on the guards on the ground, ripping the heart out of one of the men Shaun was in the process of shooting and moving onto the next man.

Darim was silent, watching as the fight was over quicker than Desmond would've liked, watching several of the men run out of the ballroom. He howled, hearing Altair and Ezio join in, and Darim screamed and shrieked, squirmed and laughed in his cloak as his bright brown eyes surveyed the carnage. Altair snarled again as he started to come down from the adrenaline rush.

Desmond grimaced as he leaned over, dipping his fingers in the blood of the bald man and spreading it across Darim's lips. Darim licked his lips almost eagerly, still shrieking with glee. Desmond exhaled loudly, feeling warmth spread across his back and dribble down. Lucy came over as he wobbled.

"Desmond?"

He smiled softly before he fell to his knees. "I think I got hit. I know in the back. I should probably get that checked out."

Lucy was helping him out of his jacket.

"Oh my God…" she breathed. "And Darim?"

Maria was by his side, undoing the sling and pulling the happy baby away as Desmond leaned against Lucy heavily.

"Still good, just as promised."

He sighed heavily and closed his eyes. He woke up in the giant bed, sore. Desmond could feel a heartbeat under his ear and a hand running through his hair. He lifted his hand to grip lightly at the chest. The person gasped, and he realized it was a woman.

"Desmond? You're awake? Get Leonardo, Rebecca."

"Right away!"

He fell back asleep, in pain, and the next time he woke, he felt significantly better, blinking and trying to see around a head of black hair. The hair moved, and he saw Tazim sit up from cuddling on his chest. "Waked up."

The boy moved and wandered out of the room, and he stretched slightly. He watched as a few moments later Rebecca, Lucy, and Shaun entered.

"Hey. Feeling slightly better?"

Desmond smiled. "Yeah."

Lucy walked over and sat beside him, holding his hand. "You had us worried. Thank God Leonardo was here."

Rebecca pole-vaulted over the foot of the bed, landing on his legs. He chuckled as Shaun sat on his other side and took his other hand.

"Stabbed in the gut and shot in the shoulder, thigh, and ribs."

"And I lived?"

"That's what we've been saying," Lucy murmured, leaning over and rubbing their noses together.

Desmond smiled, and Ezio, Altair, and the others walked in. Tazim demanded he be picked up and sat on the bed, and Darim shrieked happily when he saw Desmond.

"We're winning, Desmond," Altair said quietly, smiling softly. "The Resistance is winning."

"It's good to see you're with us again," Ezio said.

"I'm glad I am," he said as he gave Lucy, Shaun, and Rebecca a kiss in turn for no adequately explained reason at all.

Guys, I am so sorry for my ridiculously long chapters, but dividing them up is quite a hassle since they're all in one document. Forgive me.

And for my love of AUs.